Loud, big, and unconvincing, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It takes its spook show spectacle into another sphere of supernatural silliness that undercuts the credibility of its characters and their spiritual fight against evil.

Horror films that claim to be “based on true events” often lack credibility due to the caveat of “creative license”. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It takes this to a new level. This wouldn’t be a problem if the marketing for the film didn’t make such a big fuss that the films story, based on the case files of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, is to be treated with sincere credibility.

Put aside the farcical representation of “true events” presented,  The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It fails as horror entertainment. Director Michael Chaves (The Curse of the Weeping Woman) takes the simple yet efficient structure of the original The Conjuring movie, turns it up to 11, and jumps the poltergeist shark. The usual tricks deployed throughout the Conjuring franchise now feel dull and hackneyed, Chaves relying on over-the-top supernatural shenanigans to make up for the lack of stakes and recycled scares.

What makes it so frustrating is that The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It had the raw materials to be so much better. The “true events” in question relate to the 1981 murder trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who stated in court that demonic possession was the reason for his murderous rage. It was a moment in US criminal history that was infamous yet brief, with the judge throwing out this reason in record time. Regardless the story was given plenty of mileage by numerous true-crime and paranormal writers over the years, especially since the Warrens were involved with the case.

In the hands of Chaves, along with screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (The Conjuring 2), the Arne Cheyenne Johnson case becomes a bloated mess filled with distracting sub-plots and told with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. If there was ever a film that needed to follow the mantra “keep it simple, stupid”, then this would be it.

In their fourth pairing as Lorraine and Ed Warren, both Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson do their best.  Yet in the decision to push the believability of this supernatural adventure beyond the extremes of the Twilight Zone, Chaves and company have diluted not only the credibility of the already shady “Warren files” legacy, but also the deep-rooted Catholic faith that is a major part of the couple, yet now exploited and represented in the most farcical and propagandic of ways.

Sceptics will no doubt balk at The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, yet it is the true believers who should take the most offense at the Cathsploitation presented here.