The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This was an appealing representation of the film.
Overall sharpness looked fine. Nary a slice of softness interfered with this tight image.I saw no signs of moiré effects or jagged edges, and neither edge haloes nor print flaws marred the proceedings.
In terms of palette, Devil opted for a muted sense of teal and amber. These colors were well-rendered given the film’s stylistic choices.
Blacks looked deep, and shadows also offered good imagery. This turned into a solid presentation.
Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, I also felt impressed by the film’s atmospheric Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Though the mix emphasized creepy ambience, it still managed to come to life in a dynamic manner when necessary.
This meant the soundscape used the various channels to create an involving setting. Various spooky elements popped up around the room and formed a nice sense of the action. Add a few bigger sequences and this turned into an immersive auditory experience.
Quality also satisfied, with speech that consistently appeared natural and distinctive. Music showed warm, full tones, and effects seemed accurate and clear.
Bass response worked really well, as the track featured deep low-end that contributed to the movie’s ominous vibe. I thought the soundtrack suited the material and added to the experience.
We find three featurettes here, and The Occultist runs four minutes, three seconds. It involves notes from producers Peter Safran and James Wan, director Michael Chaves, screenwriter David Leslie Johnsoon-McGoldrick, and actors Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson and Eugenie Bondurant.
“Occultist” looks at the movie’s villain. It doesn’t really tell us much we can’t find in the film itself, so it tends to feel like an advertisement.
By Reason of Demonic Possession lasts five minutes, 24 seconds and features Wan, Wilson, Farmiga, Safran, Johnson-McGoldrick, and real-life Arne and Debbie Johnson.
“Reason” covers the events that inspired the film. It mostly seems superficial, but the comments from the Johnsons add intrigue.
Lastly, Exorcism of Fear spans five minutes, 47 seconds with notes from Chaves, Farmiga, Wilson, production designer Jennifer Spence, stunt coordinator Glenn Foster, VFX supervisor Robert Nederhorst and contortionist Emerald Gordon Wulf.
“Fear” tells us about sets and the recreation of the movie’s exorcism. It offers a short but effective glimpse of these topics.
We also find a video comic called “The Conjuring: The Lover #1”. It goes for 12 minutes, 51 seconds and depicts a story that acts as background during Devil. It adds value to the package.
While not a bad horror flick, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It doesn’t really satisfy. After an effective first act, the movie becomes slow and meandering. The Blu-ray boasts excellent visuals and strong audio along with a smattering of bonus materials. This turns into an up and down thriller.