Cast your mind back to 2021, and you may recall the release of the horror movie, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. The film was based on the real-life case of Arne Cheyenne Johnson – a man who was convicted over the death of his landlord, Alan Bono.
During the course of his trial, Johnson’s defence lawyer attempted to prove his client’s innocence by claiming he was possessed by a demon. Johnson’s lawyer argued in court that Johnson was not responsible for his actions due to outside forces, and this claim became a significant talking point as a result.
Ultimately the judge rejected the defence due to a lack of evidence, and the jury found Johnson responsible of first-degree manslaughter. However, due to the unusual nature of the possession plea, Johnson’s trial gained significant media attention and it became known as the ‘Devil Made Me Do It’ case.
And if you’ve watched The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, then you’ll already know aspects of the story. You’ll be familiar with Johnson and the trial, as well as the Glatzel family, who are key players in the story.
But today on Netflix you can dive a little deeper with the arrival of a new documentary movie which looks to flesh out this bizarre real-world event. The film is called The Devil on Trial and it is available to stream now.
Written and directed by Christopher Holt, The Devil on Trial is an 80-minute docu-film which takes an in-depth look at the alleged possessions (there’s more than one). Featuring input from those involved, mixed together with re-enactments, dramatisations, photographs and original sound recordings, the film jumps back in time to explain what happened in the lead up to the death of Alan Bono.
The docu-film speaks to members of the Glatzel family, more specifically David Glatzel, who claims that at the age of 11-years-old he was possessed. It details how he came into contact with an entity, how it disrupted and destroyed his home life, and how his family tried to free him of its grip.
From here, the film introduces paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, who are called in to help, before explaining how the demon left David’s body and entered the body of Arne Cheyenne Johnson. Johnson was dating David’s sister at the time, and after witnessing David’s battle with the demon he reportedly told the entity to leave the young boy and take him instead.
A short while later, Johnson supposedly became possessed and killed Bono. But was Bono’s death connected to the dark force that Johnson invited into his body, or was there another catalyst for the killing?
The Devil on Trial looks at various sides of the story to cover this perplexing tale. It starts off with the supernatural background, providing a detailed account of the Glatzel and Johnson possessions, before moving away to suggest an alternative solution could be on the cards.
Could it be that neither David Glatzel nor Arne Johnson was possessed? The film offers up material to suggest this could be possible.
While a big part of the film focuses on the supernatural side, with the first half of the documentary taking audiences down a very spooky path, it does then pull back to show an alternate view point. The film never goes so far as to provide a definitive answer, but the back-half of the documentary brings the Glatzel/Johnson story into the cold light of day, suggesting the possessions were fabrications.
Ultimately, the audience is left to draw its own conclusion, so you can come away from the film with different viewpoints. Whatever you believe, The Devil on Trial caters accordingly and this makes for quite a successful film.
For the record, I don’t believe anyone involved in this story was possessed, but I was suitably unsettled by the documentary. Regardless of whether or not I buy into demonic possession (I don’t), I do buy into well crafted horror stories, and The Devil on Trial is certainly this.
The first half of this documentary is very good at creating the right atmosphere. The combination of archival material and ‘80s-era re-creations help to sell the possessions, and do send a shiver down the spine.
Writer/director Christopher Holt tells the story in such a way that even if you think the notion of demonic possession is pure poppycock, it’s easy to become transfixed by what’s on screen. And once Holt has your attention, it’s difficult not to get caught up in the unnerving accounts being offered up.
From here he then switches gears for the second half of the documentary to move away from talk of demons and devils. This is when additional information is added, which changes the trajectory of the story.
However, even when the story changes lanes, the horror remains. One troubling tale merely segues into another, and I’d argue the latter revelations are easily the most disturbing.
Where The Devil on Trial is perhaps a little less successful is in its spotty focus on Arne Cheyenne Johnson and his background. While Johnson is discussed, and he does appear on camera throughout the film to provide his own anecdotes, the documentary struggles to get a real beat on him and doesn’t serve up enough material on the court case.
For a documentary titled ‘The Devil on Trial’, there is very little time spent on the trial itself and this is odd. The trial essentially becomes a wafer-thin slice of ham in this demonic documentary baguette, and that’s not exactly what’s described on the menu.
However, irrespective of the lack of trial content, this strangely doesn’t derail the documentary or the impact it makes. The film manages to inform, entertain and unnerve, and I’d argue it’s scarier than anything on offer in the recent Conjuring movie, which tackled the same subject.
Whether you’re a believer in this sort of thing or a complete sceptic, there’s plenty going on in The Devil on Trial to hold your interest. The subject matter is fascinating, as are the deep-rooted beliefs of those involved, and the story is told in a clever way to ensure it doesn’t run out of steam.
With Halloween close by, The Devil on Trial is one to add to your watchlist. It’s very effective stuff, which lands at just the right time of the year, and could provide you with the horror you crave as we head towards the end of October.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this review on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
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