It's not the best, but it's certainly not the worst

This third outing for the core series of the Conjuring universe sees Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) investigate a case of demonic possession in a young man arrested for murder. They soon find a connection with another possession/murder, and find themselves on a dual mission; prevent a third murder from taking place, and find enough evidence to convince a criminal court that the young man wasn't responsible for his own actions in committing the first one.

This time around, instead of tackling a haunted house, the Warrens are chasing a demon - and the occultist who conjured it - across country. James Wan returns to produce, but hands-off directing to Michael Chaves (director of previous franchise entry, The Curse of La Llorona). The movie starts with one of the best scenes of the franchise, an exorcism of an eight year old boy. The arrival of a priest is done with a nod to The Exorcist, and what follows rivals the climax of any film of the series so far. Unfortunately, nothing afterwards quite matches up to it. There are good parts (the morgue stands out), but nothing captures that sheer creepiness that Wan is so good at. Wilson and Farmiga are great though, the rest of the cast do a very good job, and the photography is terrific. It's a step down from The Conjuring (my favourite), but I put it on a par with the second one. 7/10