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‘The Devil on Trial’ – Netflix Documentary Explores True Case That Inspired ‘The Conjuring 3’

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Devil on Trial

Third franchise installment The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It came along in 2021, and like the other films in the franchise it was inspired by a true story of true evil.

The film was based on the first person in the US to use “the devil made me do it” in a murder defense, and an upcoming Netflix documentary explores that true story this year.

Netflix has announced today that The Devil on Trial premieres on October 17, 2023.

The Devil on Trial explores the first — and only — time “demonic possession” has officially been used as a defense in a US murder trial. Including firsthand accounts of alleged devil possession and a shocking murder, this extraordinary story forces reflection on our fear of the unknown.”

Here’s some more information about the case…

It was one of the most sensational murder trials of the 1980s. When Arne Cheyenne Johnson stabbed an acquaintance to death with a five-inch folding knife, Johnson presented one of the most shocking legal defenses in history: not guilty by virtue of demonic possession. As the press put it, “the Devil made me do it.”

Johnson’s shocking story began months earlier, when his girlfriend’s eleven-year-old brother, David, encountered a spectral figure looming at the foot of the bed and then started showing telltale signs of demonic possession. David suddenly spoke in Latin, levitated, and suffered beatings at the hands of an invisible demon. After a team of Catholic priests failed to drive the demon out, the case was taken up by Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Warrens had fought demons across the globe, but the Connecticut Devil would be one of their greatest challenges, and perhaps their most deadly.

The upcoming feature documentary was directed by Christopher Holt.

Writer in the horror community since 2008. Editor in Chief of Bloody Disgusting. Owns Eli Roth's prop corpse from Piranha 3D. Has four awesome cats. Still plays with toys.

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‘Deathstalker’ – First Image from Steven Kostanski’s Roger Corman Remake

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Produced by the late Roger Corman, the low budget sword and sorcery film Deathstalker was a hit in theaters back in 1983 and went on to become a cult classic through home video and TV airings, and it was followed by three sequels released between 1987 and 1991.

Decades later, Deathstalker will return with a fresh remake, and Variety has shared a first look image from director Steven Kostanski’s (The Void, PG: Psycho Goreman) new movie.

The website notes that the Deathstalker remake is now filming in Canada, with Raven Banner Entertainment launching sales in Cannes. Daniel Bernhardt (John Wick, Nobody, Barry) will star as the titular Deathstalker in what’s being described as “a newly reimagined installment of the cult sword and sorcery series of the same name.”

Written and directed by Kostanski, Bernhardt will portray the barbarian who finds himself cursed by a magical talisman that draws him into conflict with a malevolent wizard and a clan of monstrous assassins.

The original films were produced by Roger Corman throughout the 1980s and capitalized on the popularity of John Milius’ Conan the Barbarian with a similar collision of pulp fantasy and lurid excess. Kostanski’s new vision promises a greater emphasis on exploring the series’ fantasy setting and filling it with monsters that will be largely realized through the director’s signature combination of creature suits, prosthetic FX make-up, and stop-motion animation. These effects are courtesy of the director’s newly minted Action Pants FX shop, which recently completed work on Kostanski’s upcoming horror-comedy Frankie Freako.

“The Deathstalker universe is such a fun sandbox to play in,” said Steven Kostanski, “Every installment has played so fast and loose with its lore, which means that there’s no limit to my imagination when it comes to what I can pit Deathstalker against.”

Deathstalker is being produced by Hangar 18 Media with Pasha Patriki, Avi Federgreen, and Michael Pazst producing, with Executive Producers Andrew Thomas Hunt, James Fler, Josh Viola, and Peter Kuplowsky, alongside Slash and Rodrigo Gudiño of Berserkergang Films, with Associate Producer Scott Weatherall and Co-Producer Melissa A. Smith.

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