The Devil on Trial Review: A Simple Documentary That Tells A Complex Legal Story
Cast: Arne Cheyenne Johnson, Foster Hamilton, Susannah Spearin, Adam Hunt, Victor Serfaty, Kathy Rupcic, Raine Van Elsacker
Director: Chris Holt
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3/5 (three stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
The Devil on Trial is a documentary film distributed by the streaming platform Netflix, available starting from 17 October 2023. The story told in these 85 minutes of documentary – mixed with large portions of reconstruction in full cinematic style – is not new to the ears of the great public: the success of the horror film The Devil on Trial should have already made a good portion of viewers aware of this news event that occurred in provincial America in the 1980s. An affair which, even if not connected to an (alleged) case of demonic possession, would be chilling in itself: remember that it led to the death of Alan Bono, an innocent man, ferociously. But his death is only the narrative climax of a much older, potentially terrible story involving unstoppable, hungry ancestral forces. The case of little David Glatzel, an American boy born into a deeply religious middle-class family and plagued by uncontrollable malaise, began as a “simple” news story but turned out to be a real puzzle.
Director Chris Holt builds a simple, but solid documentary that slowly reveals his secrets up his sleeve, keeping viewers on their toes until the last second. After the recent success of The Conjuring – The Devil on Trial (here is the chronological order in which to see the films of the saga created by James Wan) it is difficult not to imagine, just by reading the title of this new Netflix docufilm, what the case is focused. As we will see in this review of The Devil on Trial, the film explores the possession of little David Glatzel and Arne Johnson, protagonists of The Devil on Trial: this very famous case, even better known because the Warrens actively participated in it, was the basis of the first trial – at least in the United States – in which the defense of an accused was based on the mitigating circumstances that the accused had at the time of the events. Arne Johnson was accused of the murder of his landlord, Alan Bono, but he claimed to have been under demonic influence while he killed him; as also told in the film, the demon that had taken control of it had first been the persecutor of his girlfriend Debbie Glatzel’s little brother, David, and then had moved on after an exorcism (in which the Warrens themselves had participated).
The Devil on Trial Review: The Story Plot
The direct documentary comprises two portions, the first dedicated to the possession of little David, and the second to that of Arne. We initially discover what, hypothetically, started the terrible nightmare that will change the life of an entire family forever, moving first from an innocent child to a young adult whose only desire was to protect his girlfriend’s little brother. The famous demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren arrive to help little David, who will direct the family in the steps to follow to get rid of the dark presence and to relate to the Catholic church, which will conduct the necessary exorcism. It will be precisely during the ritual for David that the demon will decide to move into Arne’s body after he has challenged it with challenging words. After a few months, Arne will be guilty of the crime of Alan Bono, his landlord, and will declare that he was forced to commit the terrible murder by the influence of the entity within him.
The Devil on Trial Review and Analysis
The documentary, which is very rich in testimonies – from David to Arne, from the victims’ relatives to the lawyers and policemen who took part in the case and to the Warrens’ nephew, both deceased – and audio and photographic documents (combined with numerous reconstructions with actors), we follow the story of David and Arne in all the smallest details, listening to the story directly from the mouths of its protagonists. How they tried to free themselves from possessions, how they faced the murder trial, and life once free from the demonic influence that upset their lives. The first part of the film tells the facts from the victims’ point of view, presenting what happened objectively but organizing the testimonies to tell viewers a “real” story of possession, without presenting any contradiction. Therefore, initially, The Devil on Trial may seem interested in convincing the viewer of the existence of the Devil and the demon that possessed Arne and David.
Little by little the narrative is enriched with clues towards a different reality: the closer we get to the conclusion of the film the more the perspective is reversed, and we are shown unexpected dark sides. What if the Warrens had only been interested in profit and fame? What if Arne had killed Bono out of jealousy and revenge? What if David’s mother “poisoned” the family, thus causing hallucinations in her loved ones and in particular in her child? If initially the film seemed like a boring account of supernatural events – one can believe it or not, this depends on the sensitivity of the viewer – over time the narrative becomes more and more interesting, contradicting what was said previously. It is therefore regrettable to have “wasted” so much time initially on the “usual” account of demonic possession only to arrive at the most stimulating ideas at the end: what is behind the very famous case of David and Arne Johnson?
Probably the personal interests of several people and the manipulation of a child raised in an extremely religious environment. David Glatzel is perhaps the victim of something much worse than a demonic possession, the film suggests, and to this day he has not recovered from the events that completely hijacked his life path. The story is reconstructed through direct experiences, literal testimonies that are told from the mouth and voice of the protagonists directly involved in the very complicated and intricate sequence of events that followed one another non-stop in an American province during the 1980s. The case of David Glatzel and Arne Johnson went down in history as the first voluntary manslaughter trial in which the defense cited demonic possession as a mitigating factor. At the time, the case created a real media fuss: the possession of the very young David, who was treated in an exorcism rite by the famous spouses Ed and Lorraine Warren (yes, the real ones, not the fictionalized version created by James Wan in franchise of The Conjuring), is one of the best-documented cases in contemporary history.
With meticulous research, the case of demonic possession is investigated and shown in all its truthfulness to the spectators. The real complications arrive when demonic possession becomes the only defense for the murderous rampage of Arne Johnson, boyfriend of little David’s sister, Debbie. Her presence during David’s exorcism would have caused the demon to travel from one subject to another, changing hosts but refusing to leave the human world. And it would be precisely this terrible event that made Arne an unscrupulous killer, the hand that kills his landlord Alan Bono, in cold blood. David himself will recount his terrible experience, undoubtedly seeming credible. Or, at least, the directorial astuteness deludes us with a certain realism in the first part of the documentary. In the second, the most interesting, many doubts are insinuated, hinted at but never resolved: it is up to the viewer’s discretion to understand – or choose – which version to believe.
During the trial proceedings, an alternative truth to demonic possession is put forward: a pact of money, convenience, and conspiracy involving Arne, David’s hyper-religious family, and the famous Warren spouses. Behind one of the most documented and famous, as well as credible, cases of manifestation of the supernatural in history there is simply a pact of convenience, a conspiracy aimed at favoring all those involved. The only victim, if this were the reality, would be little David himself, unaware of being involved in a ramified network of connections much larger than him. David, an innocent and unaware scapegoat, is the only one to have paid the price of adults’ greed with years of therapy, trauma, and suffering, including that of those who should have loved and protected from any evil, whether human or inhuman.
The Devil on Trial Review: The Last Words
The Devil on Trial initially seems like the usual account of supernatural events that can be believed or not, but as the narrative progresses it becomes more interesting, presenting an intriguing contradiction. Disturbing and full of contradictory content, The Devil on Trial is a terrifying journey into the supernatural but also – and above all – into the depths of the human mind. Built with archive images and interviews, it follows the story in detail without leaving anything out. His successful ambition is to create doubts and dilemmas in the viewer, leaving him to wonder for hours about the nature of the human psyche, the origins of religious fanaticism, and how the frustrations of adults – all too often – end up having repercussions on young people, guilty only of being naive and defenseless.
The Devil on Trial Review: A Simple Documentary That Tells A Complex Legal Story - Filmyhype
Director: Chris Holt
Date Created: 2023-10-18 19:46
3
Pros
- Presents the facts of the case from both sides in a fair and objective way
- Interviews key people involved in the case
- Explores complex and controversial issues in a thoughtful manner
Cons
- Some viewers may find the film to be too slow-paced
- The film does not take a clear stance on the issue of demonic possession
