Movie Reviews: 'The Devil Made Me Do It' And 'Spirit Untamed'

This weekend, fans of the "The Conjuring" movie franchise are in for a treat as the threequel, "The Devil Made Me Do It," makes its screen debut with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprising their iconic roles as the famed married paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.

If a horror thriller is not your cup of tea, you can check out "Spirit Untamed," DreamWorks Animation's latest entry in the "Spirit" movie franchise. The animation film stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Isabela Merced as a father-daughter duo.

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Here's what to see/stream and what to skip this weekend:

“The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” — Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ruairi O'Connor; directed by Michael Chaves

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprise their roles as married paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren in Michael Chaves’ horror thriller “The Devil Made Me Do It,” the third installment in the “The Conjuring” movie franchise. Based on the couple’s controversial files of supposedly real-life cases of haunting, the film has a procedural plot centering on a murder that took place in 1981 in Connecticut.

Chillingly, the cold opening sequence promptly propels audiences into the dark demonic world when the body of 8-year-old David Glatzel (Julian Hilliard) suddenly warps into shocking contortions. Moments later, as the Warrens help a priest exorcise the evil spirit from David, it transfers into Arne Johnson (Ruairi O’Connor), the boyfriend of the little boy’s older sister.

Subsequently, Arne loses control and murders his landlord with a pocket knife, setting in motion the first murder trial in U.S. court case history to claim demonic possession — the film’s subtitle — as a defense. As such, though Arne committed the crime, he should be found not guilty by all counts. Coming to his aid are the Warrens, who slip into the role of defense investigators.

See/Stream it. While the threequel lacks James Wan’s superb hairpin scares, its tremor-inducing horror will still leave you breathless nevertheless.

Watch the trailer:

“Spirit Untamed” — Isabela Merced, Jake Gyllenhaal; directed by Elaine Bogan, Ennio Torresan

The latest entry in DreamWorks Animation’s “Spirit” franchise, filmmakers Elaine Bogan and Ennio Torresan’s feature directorial debut tells the story of Lucky, a young, accident-prone city girl, and her deep connection to a wild mustang named Spirit.

Isabela Merced voices Lucky, who has lived with her aunt Cora (Julianne Moore) since the death of her mother a decade earlier when she was still a baby. One summer, following an unfortunate incident, the young girl is sent off to her birthplace, where she can spend some quality time with her estranged dad (Jake Gyllenhaal).

Upon arrival, she feels very much at home with the town’s folks, immediately striking up a friendship with two other young girls her age, Abigail (Mckenna Grace) and Pru (Marsai Martin). However, the crowning moment of her visit will come from her unique connection with a wild horse, a mustang she later calls Spirit.

Soon, Lucky discovers that a villainous horse wrangler (Walton Goggins) plans to steal Spirit and his herd with the intent of selling them to the highest bidders.

Can Lucky and her newfound besties save Spirit and his pals before it’s too late?

See/Stream it. A movie that the whole family can still enjoy, despite the lack of “Wow!” factor in its rather predictable story and its uninventive art form.

Watch the trailer: