Top 10 Scariest Moments from The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It
#10: Janitorial Hijinks
We’re pretty sure the prison Arne is sent to was creepy even before he got there. Assigned to some late-night mopping duties in the psych ward, Arne gets a little more than he bargained for when spooky things start happening around him. As if we weren’t already creeped out, an inmate sits up in bed and starts reciting the lyrics to “Call Me” by Blondie, a recurring motif in the film. We didn’t think anyone could make a Blondie song sound unnerving, but that is the last thing on our mind when suddenly a demon takes hold of Arne. As taken aback as we are, somebody still better finish mopping that floor before someone has a real accident.
#9: The Exorcism of Arne Johnson
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Also taking place in the prison’s psych ward, Arne’s girlfriend Debbie and Father Newman make one last stand to save Arne’s life while Ed and Lorraine are off trying to extinguish the evil for good. The exorcism begins with the usual theatrics, Arne contorting in his bed, but it’s when he slips out of his handcuffs that things start to get dicey. With the wind swirling all about, Arne begins levitating. Armed with a shard of glass, he tries to take his own life to complete the ritual, but Debbie stops him. Thankfully, they’re all able to hold on long enough for Ed to destroy the curse, saving Arne from the supernatural entities. The justice system is another story, however.
#8: Ilsa Kills Kastner
The former priest called Kastner gave us the heebie-jeebies from the get-go, but even we couldn’t have predicted the real terrors he’d inadvertently set loose. Lorraine visits him at his home once again, only to learn his secret daughter Ilsa is the occultist behind all the madness. Kastner then gives Lorraine access to the tunnel system used by Ilsa, who sure enough arrives herself soon after. Kastner looks to defend himself, but Ilsa uses some trickery to get the jump on him and slit his throat. We don’t see a lot of evil perpetuated by human hands in the “Conjuring” films, so this development was a shocking one, to say the least.
#7: Ed Gets Possessed
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Occurring concurrently with Arne’s exorcism at the end of the film, Ed tries to locate Lorraine in the tunnels. Unfortunately for him, Ilsa finds him first. Now possessed, Ed goes after Lorraine with a large mallet, swinging wildly and viciously. Otherwise known for his warm demeanor, it’s jarring to see Ed go ballistic while Lorraine pleads with him to stop. Thankfully, she’s able to get through to him, proving that their love is stronger than any curse. Ed then destroys the altar, breaking the curse once and for all. This of course means Ilsa’s plan failed, and the demon compensates by taking a soul as it had been promised: hers.
#6: Nighttime Visit
Now that the Warrens know of the Occultist, the Occultist knows about them, as Ilsa makes sure even their home isn’t safe. Ed wanders through his house alone only to find Ilsa’s projection rifling through their things. Even after she evaporates, the threat continues, as the cadaver from the morgue reappears and attacks Ed. Ed tries to cast it out, and even raises a knife to do so, but thankfully Drew stops him. It’s then that Ed realizes he nearly stabbed his own wife. Close call and all, but how are the Warrens to operate when they can’t even trust their own eyes?
#5: Woods Scene
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We’ve seen clairvoyants and what not assist in police investigation in various films and TV before, but seeing Lorraine do a little detective work was a treat all on its own. Visiting the scene of a murder that might pertain to their case, Lorraine reexperiences the night Jessica Louise Strong killed her friend in the woods. Lorraine chases Jessica’s projection through the woods, only to find herself standing at the precipice of a huge cliff. A ghostly hand tries to drag her down, but thankfully Ed is able to catch her in time. Overall, this was a harrowing scene, and one that felt all too real.
#4: Waterbed Scare
As if we needed another reason to swear off waterbeds for good, little David Glatzel gets quite the rude welcome on his family’s move-in day. Upon exploring, he finds a waterbed in one of the rooms, and being a kid, promptly plays on it. We knew this wouldn’t end well, especially when a corpse’s head momentarily rises to the surface. Arne gets a little wary himself, but is thoroughly shocked when an arm bursts out and tries to drag him underneath. We now know this is how David first became possessed, as subtlety is definitely not the demon’s forte. Also, yeah, we’ll stick with conventional mattresses; we don’t need every ‘80s fad to return, thank you very much.
#3: The Autopsy of Jessica Louise Strong
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After Jessica’s body is recovered from the river, Ed and Lorraine break into the morgue to try and follow the paranormal trail. By touching Jessica’s body, Lorraine is shown the Occultist’s tunnels, and gets a glimpse of a ritual in progress. Ilsa is trying to possess Arne to take his own life, but Lorraine is able to interrupt the signal long enough for prison guards to intervene. Unfortunately, this only draws Ilsa’s attention, as Lorraine realizes she’s just opened a door for the Occultist to enter through herself. Another cadaver rushes her, but Ed draws her hand away from Jessica’s body, severing the connection completely. Phew.
#2: The Exorcism of David Glatzel
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“The Devil Made Me Do It” certainly wanted to start off with a bang. After David gets showered with blood and thoroughly possessed, the exorcism is promptly expedited. Despite being in the body of a small boy, the demon shows off its power in a big way. After Holy Water fails, David starts contorting his body into very unnatural positions, making us shiver from head to toe. Freed of those around him, David attacks Ed and dangerously slows down his heart. In an act of bravery (or just stupidity), Arne confronts the demon and goads it into taking him instead. We all know how this goes, but this does temporarily end the chaos, giving us the chance to take a brief sigh of relief.
#1: Arne Kills Bruno
However much you want to believe the events depicted are based in reality, the movie certainly doesn’t skimp on the actual murder that inspired it. In a palpably tense scene, Arne’s drinking binge with his landlord Bruno gets more than a little weird, and it is definitely not the alcohol. While Bruno rocks out to Blondie’s “Call Me” (there’s that song again), Arne starts to get a little worse for wear. He becomes absolutely petrified when he thinks Bruno is a demonic entity attacking Debbie. Arne enters a thoroughly terrifying psychedelic trip, and finds the need to defend himself when the demonic Bruno attacks him. It’s the perfect blend of paranormal scares and real-life horror.
