Ed and Lorraine Warren are undoubtedly the heroes in "The Conjuring" universe, but can the same be said about the real Warrens? This new Netflix documentary might make you think twice.
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00:00 Ed and Lorraine Warren are undoubtedly the heroes in The Conjuring universe, but can
00:04 the same be said about the real Warrens?
00:07 This new Netflix documentary might make you think twice.
00:10 Netflix originals have always been the biggest draw for the streaming juggernaut, and their
00:14 true crime documentary offerings have been so popular that they've been spoofed by both
00:18 American Vandal and Black Mirror.
00:21 Released just in time for the Halloween season, the streamer's latest documentary, The Devil
00:25 on Trial, has been dominating the top ten charts across the globe.
00:29 The film is the latest from Peabody Award-winning and three-time BAFTA-nominated writer, director,
00:34 and producer Chris Holt, and tackles the first and only time demonic possession was used
00:39 as a defense in an American murder trial.
00:41 Taking place in 1981, the trial made headlines as the "Devil Made Me Do It" case, as 19-year-old
00:47 Arnie Cheyenne Johnson claimed that he was not guilty in the murder of his landlord,
00:51 Alan Bono, because he was possessed at the time of the killing.
00:55 If this plot sounds eerily familiar, it's because the same story served as the basis
00:59 for the most recent installment of The Conjuring series, 2021's The Conjuring 3, The Devil
01:04 Made Me Do It.
01:10 The films in the Conjuring universe are grounded in the alleged real paranormal encounters
01:14 of Lorraine and Ed Warren, as portrayed by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, respectively.
01:20 In fact, it was the real Lorraine Warren who contacted law enforcement to claim that Johnson
01:24 was possessed at the time of Bono's murder.
01:26 This means that the documentary could technically fit within the extended universe of The Conjuring
01:31 franchise, and the fact that some of those interviewed for the documentary still stand
01:35 by Johnson's story makes the fictional horror movies based on a real story claim appear
01:40 even scarier.
01:41 Then again, the documentary doesn't paint the Warrens in the same positive light as
01:45 The Conjuring films.
01:55 Johnson's story actually starts with a young man named David Glatzel who was allegedly
01:59 possessed as a child.
02:09 The Warrens assisted with his exorcism, and it's said that during the procedure, Johnson
02:13 taunted the demon to take him instead.
02:16 A few months later, Johnson attended a party where Bono was also in attendance, which ended
02:21 with Johnson pulling out a five-inch pocket knife and stabbing Bono multiple times.
02:25 His body was found two miles from the site of the killing.
02:29 Johnson maintains that he does not remember anything about the murder, and his defense
02:32 lawyer tried to argue in court that this was the result of demonic possession.
02:36 The judge eventually rejected the defense, and Johnson was eventually convicted of manslaughter
02:41 in the first degree.
02:42 Johnson was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in a maximum-security prison, only serving five.
02:48 This documentary features never-before-shown audio recordings and photographs of the alleged
02:52 possession, fictional reenactments, and interviews with Johnson and family, including brothers-in-law
02:58 David, Alan, and Carl Glatzel.
03:01 Holt said on the Netflix podcast "You Can't Make This Up,"
03:04 When the Warrens came along, they were told to start documenting David's possession.
03:08 They needed to provide proof and evidence to the diocese to get approved for an exorcism.
03:13 This documentary is the first time that documentation has ever been shown to the public.
03:18 Johnson's trial and defense claims have been adapted multiple times in addition to the
03:22 Conjuring series, but this is the first time many of those directly involved with the real
03:26 events have ever told their story.
03:28 Holt told Netflix,
03:29 "There are people who tell lies.
03:32 But I sat down with David and Arnie and Alan and Carl for hours on end, and their stories
03:37 never changed.
03:38 I think they were telling me the truth, but it's their interpretations of the truth rather
03:42 than it being a hardened fact."
03:44 Season 1 of the Shutter docu-series Cursed Films features an episode on William Friedkin's
03:49 The Exorcist where a priest mentions that when assessing accusations of demonic possession,
03:54 priests now have to consider whether or not the so-called "possessed" person is merely
03:58 emulating what they've seen in movies.
04:01 Considering the demon supposedly possessing David Glatzel and Arnie Johnson has a penchant
04:05 for calling people "douchebags" and exclaiming "fat d*ck pork chop" at a priest, it's hard
04:10 not to view this as a case of someone attempting to echo,
04:12 "Your mother sucks d*cks in hell."
04:14 The difficult thing about determining the truth of The Devil on Trial and The Conjuring
04:18 3 The Devil Made Me Do It is that both stories deal with faith and deeply rooted beliefs.
04:23 Many of the people the Warrens assisted truly believe in demons, ghosts, and possessions
04:27 with every fiber of their being.
04:30 At that point, it almost doesn't matter what a judge ruled in Arnie Johnson's case, because
04:34 people are going to believe what they believe.
04:37 And so, the documentary exists in a bit of an ethical conundrum, as does the third Conjuring
04:42 film.
04:43 The reality is that regardless of what anyone may believe, Alan Bono was stabbed to death.
04:48 And while the circumstances surrounding his murder are ripe for entertainment, it begs
04:52 the question, what is lost by intertwining true crime and a story of the supernatural?
04:58 "The Devil Made Me Do It" is a documentary by The Warrens.
04:59 It is a film by the Warrens.
05:00 It is a documentary about the life of a man who was stabbed to death.
05:01 It is a documentary about the life of a man who was stabbed to death.
05:02 It is a documentary about the life of a man who was stabbed to death.