The Devil on Trial

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The Devil on Trial
The Devil on Trial promotional poster.jpg
Promotional poster for The Devil on Trial
Directed byChris Holt [1]
Written byChris Holt
Based on The Trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson
Produced by
  • Hattie Bridges Webb [1]
  • Amy Lee-Jones [1]
  • Sam Starbuck [1]
  • Julia Nottingham [1]
  • Dominik Danielewicz
CinematographyBrendan McGinty [1]
Edited by
  • Joby Gee [1]
  • Sebastian Smith
Music by Tom Howe
Production
company
Dorothy Street Pictures
Distributed by Netflix
Release date
  • October 17, 2023 (2023-10-17)(USA)
Running time
81 min
CountryUnited Kingdom
Languages


The Devil on Trial is a 2023 Netflix horror documentary exploring the case of Arne Cheyenne Johnson. During the trial, Johnson's attorney attempted to use "Demonic possession" as a defense, but presiding Judge Robert Callahan rejected that argument. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

The film is rated TV-MA [6] and is 81 minutes in length. [7]

Synopsis

The story revolves around the murder following the alleged possession of Arne Cheyenne Johnson. [7] Using a combination of reenactments, home videos, and firsthand accounts, The Devil on Trial investigates the 1981 case. [8] It was the first and only time the defense attorney in a U.S. murder trial attempted to use "demonic possession" as a reason for acquittal. [3]

Cast

Production

Directed and written by Chris Holt, [12] the film's production team includes line producer Dominik Danielewicz, [13] co-executive producer Amy Lee-Jones, and executive producers Julia Nottingham and Sam Starbuck. [12] The music was composed by Tom Howe, with Brendan McGinty serving as the director of photography. [13]

Production began in October 2021 and wrapped in May 2023, with Dorothy Street Pictures listed as the production company. [12]

Dorothy Street Pictures worked with Make Productions, a UK company, to help retouch the Polaroid images relied on in the film. AI software was used to increase resolution. [14]

Sominex

Included in the interviews with Carl Glatzel is the concern that their mother had been drugging them with Sominex on a regular basis, by putting it into their evening meals. Newsweek asked the medical director of UCI Health Sleep Medicine Services about the possibility that Sominex could be an explanation for the alleged possession, only to be told that medicines containing diphenhydramine hydrochloride are only meant for short term use, and that there are no studies on potential long-term effects. [10]

Release

The Devil on Trial was released on Netflix on October 17, 2023. [15]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
FilmAffinityStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [16]
IMDb Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [17]
Rotten Tomatoes Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [18]
Review scores
SourceRating
Calum Marsh for the New York Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7] [19]
Nick Schager for the Daily Beast Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [20] [19]
Sabrina McFarland for Common Sense Media Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [21]
Savina Petkova for A Good Movie to WatchStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [22]
John Serba for The Decider Skip it [23]
Valentina Túrmina Maronezi for The Daily Campus Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [24]
Andrew Parker for TheGATE.ca Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [25]

The New York Times stated the content was superficial and inconclusive, with the material having been 'mined' for "lurid titillation". [7] The Daily Beast commented that the recordings of David Glatzel's alleged possession, obtained via microphones placed by the Warrens at the time, sounded "like a young kid straining to say wildly profane things." [20] A Good Movie to Watch stated that Netflix "should try harder". [22]

The Decider suggested viewers "skip it", stating that the film spends a lot of time indicating that there may be some basis to the claim of possession before focusing on the eldest of the Glatzel siblings, Carl, who believed otherwise. [23] Common Sense Media asserted that the film would engender debates on "the world of the unknown". [21]

The GATE mentions that the film left them feeling empty and expressed disappointment that Carl Glatzel's statements weren't more thoroughly incorporated in the presentation of the case, describing the film as "basic" and saying that it didn't capture their attention. [25]

The Diamondback review is very positive, stating that the presentation left them conflicted as to whether the possession happened, but that it was very entertaining. [26] The Daily Campus shares the sentiment, giving the documentary a 4.5/5. [24]

Screen Rant points out that the documentary presents the Warrens as legitimate, which they say detracts from the documentary's impact. They also point out that The Devil on Trial is far from the first documentary on the subject. [27] /Film counters this, acknowledging that the Warrens are not given the same positive press that they receive in The Conjuring franchise, while acknowledging that there is concern over the presentation of the possession in the audio tapes. [28]

A majority of audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are critical of the Warrens, with some saying outright that David acted in a way contrary to any indication of possession. [18] IMDb viewers mostly rated the film between five and seven stars. [17] Film Affinity viewers gave a similar average rating to IMDb. [16]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The Devil on Trial". Dorothy Street Pictures.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "NFilm: The Devil on Trial". Netflix .
  3. 1 2 3 4 Zornosa, Laura (2023-10-18). "The True Story Behind the Netflix Documentary The Devil on Trial". TIME . Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  4. ↑ Quirk, Mollie (2023-10-17). "True story behind Netflix's Devil on Trial where 'demonic possession' was used in court". The Mirror . Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  5. ↑ Ellis, Philip (2023-10-21). "The Devil on Trial Is Based on a Chilling True Crime Case". Men's Health . Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  6. ↑ Harmer, Ariel (2023-10-25). "5 takeaways from Netflix's newest true crime documentary, 'The Devil on Trial'". Deseret News . Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Marsh, Calum (2023-10-17). "'The Devil on Trial' Review: Whodunit? Satan?". The New York Times . Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  8. ↑ "True story behind The Conjuring 3 examined in new Netflix doc The Devil on Trial". Unilad. 31 August 2023. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  9. 1 2 "The Devil On Trial (2023)". IMDb . Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  10. 1 2 Lloyd, Sophie (2023-10-18). "'Devil on Trial' Shock Reveal—Can Sleeping Pills Really Mimic Possession?". Newsweek . Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Renner, Amy (2023-10-04). "The Devil on Trial Movie". Movie Insider. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  12. 1 2 3 Moore, Kasey (2023-08-08). "The Devil on Trial Netflix Documentary Sets October 2023 Release". What's On Netflix. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  13. 1 2 "The Devil on Trial (2023) Full Credits". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  14. ↑ "Netflix: The Devil on Trial | What we did". Make Productions. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  15. ↑ Billington, Alex (2023-10-04). "Official Trailer for 'The Devil on Trial' Chilling Horror Doc from Netflix". First Showing. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  16. 1 2 "The Devil on Trial". FilmAffinity. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  17. 1 2 "IMDb Viewer Ratings". IMDb . Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  18. 1 2 "The Devil on Trial". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  19. 1 2 "The Devil on Trial Critic Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  20. 1 2 Schager, Nick (2023-10-17). "The Demonic Murder Case That Inspired a 'Conjuring' Movie". The Daily Beast . Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  21. 1 2 McFarland, Sabrina (2023-10-26). "Parents' Guide to The Devil on Trial". Common Sense Media . Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  22. 1 2 Petkova, Savina (2023-10-31). "Is The Devil on Trial (2023) good? Movie Review". A Good Movie to Watch. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  23. 1 2 Serba, John (2023-10-17). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'The Devil on Trial' on Netflix, A Documentary Account of the Infamous 'Devil Made Me Do it' Murder". The Decider . Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  24. 1 2 Maronezi, Valentina Túrmina (2023-10-18). "'The Devil on Trial' tells the story of the famous court case of 1981: 'The devil made me do it!'". The Daily Campus . Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  25. 1 2 Park, Andrew (2023-10-19). "The Devil on Trial Review | Hung Jury". TheGATE.ca . Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  26. ↑ Miranda, Emely (2023-10-23). "'The Devil on Trial' re-examines 1981 supernatural murder case". The Diamondback . Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  27. ↑ Odom, Dani Kessel (2023-10-18). "Netflix's The Devil On Trial Documentary Was Already Done Better By A $200 Million Box Office Hit In 2021". Screen Rant . Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  28. ↑ Colangelo, BJ (2023-10-25). "Netflix Is Being Haunted By A Documentary That Explores The Truth Behind The Conjuring 3". /Film . Retrieved 2024-03-31.
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