The lingering effects of the Coronavirus pandemic are still being felt across the industry, and it’s even affecting the marketing campaigns for some of the year’s biggest upcoming titles. For instance, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is the third film in the massively popular series and the eighth overall installment in the highest-grossing horror franchise in history, but just 24 hours after we saw the first official images, the maiden trailer has arrived, a little over six weeks before the movie hits theaters and HBO Max simultaneously.
Back when times were much more certain and precedented, the promotional effort for a high profile sequel like The Devil Made Me Do It would have rolled on for months and featured multiple trailers, TV spots, teasers, character posters and everything in between, but The Conjuring brand has become so popular that it’s poised to do big business regardless of how much time Warner Bros. has to launch the marketing blitz.
Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are back as Lorraine and Ed Warren, with the story following one of their most notorious cases that culminates in a murder suspect using demonic possession as grounds for their defense. It’s an interesting hook for The Conjuring 3, and at the very least, the two leads can be relied on to give solid performances as the esteemed paranormal investigators.
The Devil Made Me Do It looks as though it hits all of the required beats and ticks the mandatory boxes expected from the franchise, but perhaps the most pressing question is how well director of disappointing Conjuring spinoff The Curse of La Llorona Michael Chaves acquits himself, as he’s faced with the tough task of replacing James Wan behind the camera.
Published: Apr 22, 2021 08:09 am