The Devil on Trial Movie Review Rating:
Star Cast: David Glatzel, Debbie Glatzel, Carlo Adamo, Hannah Mae Beatty
Director: Christopher Holt
Original Language: English
Genre: Crime, Documentary, Horror
The Devil on Trial Movie Review Out! (Picture Credit: IMDb)
What’s Good: The documentary illuminates the nuances of the “Devil Made Me Do It” case by offering a comprehensive exploration, featuring diverse viewpoints from pivotal figures such as Johnson, his family, and legal representatives. Through a meticulous depiction of events, the film provides valuable insights into the intricacies of the trial.
What’s Bad: While the documentary attempts to present a credible account, it falls short of maintaining journalistic integrity. The authenticity of the evidence, particularly the processed photographs and enhanced audio recordings, is questionable. The film leans heavily on horror tropes and sensationalism, prioritizing shock value over intellectual engagement and nuanced exploration of the case.
Loo Break: Given the film...
Star Cast: David Glatzel, Debbie Glatzel, Carlo Adamo, Hannah Mae Beatty
Director: Christopher Holt
Original Language: English
Genre: Crime, Documentary, Horror
The Devil on Trial Movie Review Out! (Picture Credit: IMDb)
What’s Good: The documentary illuminates the nuances of the “Devil Made Me Do It” case by offering a comprehensive exploration, featuring diverse viewpoints from pivotal figures such as Johnson, his family, and legal representatives. Through a meticulous depiction of events, the film provides valuable insights into the intricacies of the trial.
What’s Bad: While the documentary attempts to present a credible account, it falls short of maintaining journalistic integrity. The authenticity of the evidence, particularly the processed photographs and enhanced audio recordings, is questionable. The film leans heavily on horror tropes and sensationalism, prioritizing shock value over intellectual engagement and nuanced exploration of the case.
Loo Break: Given the film...
- 11/30/2023
- by Hari P N
- KoiMoi
A Netflix documentary recounts the 1980s trial of a 19-year-old murder suspect who claimed demonic possession
Here are the facts: on 16 February 1981, 19-year-old Arne Cheyenne Johnson, his sister Wanda, his fiancee Debbie Glatzel, her cousin Mary and Debbie’s employer/landlord Alan Bono all went to lunch at a bar in Brookfield, Connecticut. Over the course of the afternoon, Bono drank to the point of inebriated belligerence, and soon began to roughly handle young Mary. A visibly enraged Johnson intervened, tussled with Bono, drew a five-inch pocketknife and stabbed the man repeatedly. Bono succumbed to his wounds a few hours later, and Johnson was apprehended by the police two miles away from the scene of the crime.
That November, his trial became a media sensation when his legal representation pleaded innocence by cause of demonic possession, explaining that Johnson took on an unholy passenger while participating in an exorcism for...
Here are the facts: on 16 February 1981, 19-year-old Arne Cheyenne Johnson, his sister Wanda, his fiancee Debbie Glatzel, her cousin Mary and Debbie’s employer/landlord Alan Bono all went to lunch at a bar in Brookfield, Connecticut. Over the course of the afternoon, Bono drank to the point of inebriated belligerence, and soon began to roughly handle young Mary. A visibly enraged Johnson intervened, tussled with Bono, drew a five-inch pocketknife and stabbed the man repeatedly. Bono succumbed to his wounds a few hours later, and Johnson was apprehended by the police two miles away from the scene of the crime.
That November, his trial became a media sensation when his legal representation pleaded innocence by cause of demonic possession, explaining that Johnson took on an unholy passenger while participating in an exorcism for...
- 10/18/2023
- by Charles Bramesco
- The Guardian - Film News
In 1981, 19-year-old bright young boy Arne was prosecuted for murdering his landlord, Alan Bono. He was charged with committing murder in the first-degree, which, according to the law, translates into willfully killing someone with full intention. But Arne pleaded not guilty. And his defense was the first of its kind in the history of the United States—demonic possession. This is what the latest Netflix documentary, The Devil on Trial, is based upon. Sounds familiar, right? Yes, in case you are wondering, the popular film in the Conjuring franchise, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, was indeed based on the same story. This time around, we get to see the real people who went through it. The real Arne, who is the focal point of the documentary, his wife, Debbie Glatzel, and her brother David, who also got possessed. The other family members of the Glatzel family also appear as narrators.
- 10/18/2023
- by Rohitavra Majumdar
- Film Fugitives
The biggest shame of the “Devil Made Me Do It Case” is that Satan, and his legion of 43 fellow body-squatters, never got to take the stand. Given the voices we hear in Discovery+’s new Shock Docs: The Devil Made Me Do It, they might have made quite the impression on the otherwise largely indifferent court. For all the evil, Mr. Burns-style, laughter which emanates from the throat of the young possessed boy, a demon might have given the case the one thing it needed most: a hostile witness.
“I’ve always believed in the devil,” we hear again and again from survivors, eyewitnesses, investigating officers, even skeptics. But the Catholic Church never even looked at the evidence Ed and Lorraine Warren pounced on. Local priests from St. Joseph’s parish didn’t wait for Vatican blessings to perform several “lesser exorcisms” on such ungodly goings-on. Everyone preached to the choir.
“I’ve always believed in the devil,” we hear again and again from survivors, eyewitnesses, investigating officers, even skeptics. But the Catholic Church never even looked at the evidence Ed and Lorraine Warren pounced on. Local priests from St. Joseph’s parish didn’t wait for Vatican blessings to perform several “lesser exorcisms” on such ungodly goings-on. Everyone preached to the choir.
- 6/9/2021
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
As its title suggests, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (aka The Conjuring 3) deals with the real 1981 case involving Arne Cheyenne Johnson, a young man who claimed that demonic possession caused him to kill his landlord. The movie connects Johnson's case with that of two girls named Katie Lincoln and Jessica Louise Strong as Ed and Lorraine Warren search for clues relevant to Johnson's investigation. While very creepy, the story of Katie and Jessica isn't grounded in reality - they're both included in the movie to drive the narrative forward.
In real life, the Warrens first met Johnson when his girlfriend's brother, David Glatzel, started showing signs of demonic possession. Eventually, the evil spirits supposedly came into Johnson himself. In the movie version of the events, the Warrens take it upon themselves to investigate Johnson's case after he stabs his landlord Bruno Sauls 22 times. While poking around leads,...
In real life, the Warrens first met Johnson when his girlfriend's brother, David Glatzel, started showing signs of demonic possession. Eventually, the evil spirits supposedly came into Johnson himself. In the movie version of the events, the Warrens take it upon themselves to investigate Johnson's case after he stabs his landlord Bruno Sauls 22 times. While poking around leads,...
- 6/7/2021
- by Stacey Nguyen
- Popsugar.com
As you've probably already guessed, the Conjuring movies, while based on Ed and Lorraine Warren's actual investigations, don't exactly follow reality beat by beat. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, or The Conjuring 3, is no exception. The latest addition to the Conjuring universe follows the infamous 1981 case of Arne Cheyenne Johnson (Ruairi O'Connor), a young man who claimed in court that the devil made him kill his landlord Alan Bono. The film doesn't go through Johnson's legal proceedings with a fine comb - the horror movie focuses more on how an occultist named Isla (Eugenie Bondurant) curses Johnson and his girlfriend Debbie Glatzel's (Sarah Catherine Hook) family. Johnson and the Glatzels are very much real people, but is the occultist an actual person? Long story short, Isla appears to be a fictional character who's used to propel the film's plot forward.
So, what's real in The Conjuring 3?...
So, what's real in The Conjuring 3?...
- 6/7/2021
- by Stacey Nguyen
- Popsugar.com
As with the previous Conjuring movies, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is based around a case investigated by real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. While the extended Conjuring universe, which includes the Annabelle movies, The Nun and The Curse of La Llorona, is pure fiction, the main Conjuring films stick with the ‘based on real events’ hook – but how much of the latest movie is actually based on the facts and how much is artistic license?
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is slightly different to the first two Conjuring films in that the key events in the case happen at the very start of the movie, with the main bulk of the film concerning a background investigation that isn’t based on the real case. The real case is therefore the anchor and the bookends.
Talking about the fact and fiction elements, series...
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is slightly different to the first two Conjuring films in that the key events in the case happen at the very start of the movie, with the main bulk of the film concerning a background investigation that isn’t based on the real case. The real case is therefore the anchor and the bookends.
Talking about the fact and fiction elements, series...
- 6/4/2021
- by Rosie Fletcher
- Den of Geek
Exclusive: And how does your client plead, Counselor? Not guilty by reason of Satan, Your Honor.
A new Discovery+ documentary chronicles the real-life case of a Connecticut man who was charged with a brutal murder and claimed innocence by insisting “the devil made me do it.” The streamer set a June 11 premiere date for Shock Docs: The Devil Made Me Do It, which examines the harrowing events leading up to the killing and the astonishing court case that followed.
Aided by renowned demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren, whose paranormal investigations are the source for The Conjuring film franchise, David Glatzel’s family tries to get to the very heart of evil and to where the actual terror lies — and must do battle with overpowering demons. Read the full synopsis below.
The series is a companion piece to Warner Bros’ feature The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, which hits...
A new Discovery+ documentary chronicles the real-life case of a Connecticut man who was charged with a brutal murder and claimed innocence by insisting “the devil made me do it.” The streamer set a June 11 premiere date for Shock Docs: The Devil Made Me Do It, which examines the harrowing events leading up to the killing and the astonishing court case that followed.
Aided by renowned demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren, whose paranormal investigations are the source for The Conjuring film franchise, David Glatzel’s family tries to get to the very heart of evil and to where the actual terror lies — and must do battle with overpowering demons. Read the full synopsis below.
The series is a companion piece to Warner Bros’ feature The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, which hits...
- 5/26/2021
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s the eighth part in the Conjuring universe, the third starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren, yet director Michael Chaves says The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is going to be “very different” from the rest of the franchise.
After revealing the first 11 minutes of the film to journalists, Chaves, who also made Conjuring universe movie The Curse of La LLorona, explains that the intention for the third installment of the main franchise was always to “blow the doors off the haunted house experience and take the Warrens out into the world,” but this particular story comes with a unique set of perils not yet tackled within the Conjuring universe.
Set in 1981, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, like the other main Conjuring movies, stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as real life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. The...
After revealing the first 11 minutes of the film to journalists, Chaves, who also made Conjuring universe movie The Curse of La LLorona, explains that the intention for the third installment of the main franchise was always to “blow the doors off the haunted house experience and take the Warrens out into the world,” but this particular story comes with a unique set of perils not yet tackled within the Conjuring universe.
Set in 1981, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, like the other main Conjuring movies, stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as real life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. The...
- 5/10/2021
- by Rosie Fletcher
- Den of Geek
From the Enfield poltergeist to the terrifying Annabelle doll, the Conjuring universe has always drawn from actual stories. Headed to HBO Max this June, The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It takes a step in a true-crime direction, following paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) as they delve into Arne Cheyenne Johnson and David Glatzel's demonic possession case. If you're a paranormal enthusiast, chances are you've likely heard of Johnson's "The Devil Made Me Do It" story. After fatally stabbing his landlord, 19-year-old Johnson tried to use demonic possession as a defense in court.
Before you check out The Conjuring's interpretation of this strange true story, here's what you need to know about the murder and how the Warrens got involved in the case.
How the Murder Unfolded
The murder took place in February 1981 in the small town of Brookfield, Ct, which...
Before you check out The Conjuring's interpretation of this strange true story, here's what you need to know about the murder and how the Warrens got involved in the case.
How the Murder Unfolded
The murder took place in February 1981 in the small town of Brookfield, Ct, which...
- 4/23/2021
- by Stacey Nguyen
- Popsugar.com
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It continues the arc of the Conjuring franchise, exploring the continuing misadventures of demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), while The Nun and the Annabelle movies tracked the backstories of the pious paranormal pioneers. The newest entry dramatizes one of their most famous cases, which set several legal and historic precedents.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It will be the first main entry in the horror series not helmed by James Wan, who is producing along with Peter Safran. Michael Chaves (The Curse of La Llorona) directed the film from David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick’s screenplay, with a story by Johnson-McGoldrick and Wan.
The story involves the very first murder committed in Brookline, Connecticut, in its 193-year history. It is also the first U.S. legal case where a defendant used the “devil made me do it” defense.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It will be the first main entry in the horror series not helmed by James Wan, who is producing along with Peter Safran. Michael Chaves (The Curse of La Llorona) directed the film from David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick’s screenplay, with a story by Johnson-McGoldrick and Wan.
The story involves the very first murder committed in Brookline, Connecticut, in its 193-year history. It is also the first U.S. legal case where a defendant used the “devil made me do it” defense.
- 4/22/2021
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
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