IMDb RATING
5.6/10
4.6K
YOUR RATING
Using reenactments and home videos, this dark documentary investigates the apparent possession of a young boy and the brutal murder that followed.Using reenactments and home videos, this dark documentary investigates the apparent possession of a young boy and the brutal murder that followed.Using reenactments and home videos, this dark documentary investigates the apparent possession of a young boy and the brutal murder that followed.
Carl Glatzel Jr.
- Self - David's Eldest Brother
- (as Carl Glatzel)
Maximos McIntyre
- Self - Russian Orthodox Priest
- (as Father Maximos)
Debbie Glatzel
- Self - David's Sister
- (archive footage)
Judy Glatzel
- Self - David's Mother
- (archive footage)
Carl Glatzel Sr.
- Self - David's Father
- (archive footage)
Ed Warren
- Self - Paranormal Investigator
- (archive footage)
Lorraine Warren
- Self - Paranormal Investigator
- (archive footage)
Alan Bono
- Self - Debbie's Boss
- (archive footage)
Merv Griffin
- Self - Host, The Merv Griffin Show
- (archive footage)
Walter Flanagan
- Self - State's Attorney
- (archive footage)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
The Devil On Trial might be interesting for people that liked The Conjuring. I'm one of them that enjoy that kind of stories. Do I believe all those things really happened? To be honest, not really, and this documentary turns more towards that way towards the end. Overall it's well made, the re-enactment looks believable, but I doubt that The Warrens are what they say they are. To me they look like conmen in this documentary and because of that all The Conjuring movies look more unrealistic from now on. The Devil On Trial is just for people that like easy entertainment, in this case a horror story based on true or false events. That's up to you to decide.
It was a very interesting and beautiful documentary. I really enjoyed watching it. When you watch it, you think you're watching a documentary, but you think you're watching a horror movie. In my opinion, this is the first documentary that brought the world of summoning into question. I want to say that this documentary was one of the beautiful supernatural documentaries that I saw. I wish they would make a documentary about the rest of the Summoning series so that the world would be more aware of supernatural events and realize that demons and demons exist just as we do. And finally, if you think that there are no demons and that the movies that start with a lie to make more money, watch this documentary, that all these movies are not like this, and some of the movies and series are really true stories.
The entire first hour of this documentary plays out like a horror film, and when I realized early on that it's a re-imagining of the third Conjuring film, the events were less impactful. I'd read about the Glatzel case at the time, and while it seemed interesting from a cinematic perspective, I doubt there was enough material for it to be explored as a matter-of-fact documentary. But here, the makers chose not to go that route and spent almost 55-60 minutes detailing supernatural events that may or may not have happened, with scenes re-created in the style of a typical horror flick (replete with jumpscares).
It's only the final 20 minutes or so, that the titular case comes under question. The demonic possession plea was never accepted to begin with, and therefore, it really has no value in any of the proceedings. What did surprise me is how Netflix also decided to question the Warrens' approach to media and money-making when it has several films from The Conjuring universe in its catalog. That, to me, was an interesting take.
It's only the final 20 minutes or so, that the titular case comes under question. The demonic possession plea was never accepted to begin with, and therefore, it really has no value in any of the proceedings. What did surprise me is how Netflix also decided to question the Warrens' approach to media and money-making when it has several films from The Conjuring universe in its catalog. That, to me, was an interesting take.
If you enjoy documentaries and especially about themes like this you will probably really enjoy it. It's an eerie documentary about a case of the Warrens. You have family members talking about what happened from their perspective with reenacted scenes in between to give the viewer a good look what was really going on in this case. The movie is able to generate a whole new perspective on the whole scene and what took place and actually brings some realism to the whole case. That being said it's definitely not a bad movie I would say, however I personally am not the biggest fan of truecrime or documentary movies and since I never really took a deeper look in this specific case of the Warrens I have say that I felt bored at times. The movie is only 81 minutes long which for me was a plus, but I can't say that I had a an amazing watching experience. It's definitely a decent watch though. [5,2/10]
A young boy is apparently being possessed by a demon. David sees visions, hears things, sounds demonic, and needs an intervention from the Catholic church. A murder happens, and an interesting defence is put forward.
I'm not totally convinced here, it was a watchable hour or so, but it didn't really have a lot of meat on the bone as it were. Sure it's out in time for Halloween, but the wonderfully imagery doesn't quite tell the whole story, yes it's about possession, but it's very talky.
Your enjoyment level is going to depend on where you sit on the whole debate of demons and possessions being real or not. I looked for a plausible solution, for me it felt as though were presented with a very credible one.
Let's applaud it for not being made into a six part series, it's pretty brief, and there is some interesting content, and some startling footage. You will see heavy influences for horror films, those were interesting to spot.
Sominex, wow that advert was quite something, that was a pretty unexpected twist.
6/10.
I'm not totally convinced here, it was a watchable hour or so, but it didn't really have a lot of meat on the bone as it were. Sure it's out in time for Halloween, but the wonderfully imagery doesn't quite tell the whole story, yes it's about possession, but it's very talky.
Your enjoyment level is going to depend on where you sit on the whole debate of demons and possessions being real or not. I looked for a plausible solution, for me it felt as though were presented with a very credible one.
Let's applaud it for not being made into a six part series, it's pretty brief, and there is some interesting content, and some startling footage. You will see heavy influences for horror films, those were interesting to spot.
Sominex, wow that advert was quite something, that was a pretty unexpected twist.
6/10.
Did you know
- TriviaThe Warrens are the couple that The Conjuring are based on.
- Quotes
David Glatzel: [Possessed speaking to the priest] Fat dick, pork chop
- ConnectionsFeatured in Zodiac Killer Project (2025)
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- The Devil on Trial
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime
- 1h 21m(81 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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