Why Is 'The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It' Rated R?

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The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is almost here. The third film in The Conjuring series is set to release simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max tomorrow, sure to welcome in the summer with a handful of thrills and horrific paranormal activity. Ring in June by having a horror marathon, or stay up all night to catch the latest installment of the mystical series. You may want to keep your lights on this time, though — The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is rated R, meaning there could be quite a few graphic images heading your way.

The new Conjuring film jumps right back into the journeys of investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), who have been called in to unpack the case of a young murderer who claims he’s been possessed by the devil. When the boy shows up on the side of the road bloodied, injured, and guilty for murder, he pleads that he was under the spell of the Lord of Hell himself — hence the title. This case throws Ed and Lorraine into a brutal case like they’ve never seen before, full of spirits, demonic forces, and other dangerous acts of evil.

If that doesn’t explain why the film is rated R, we have some more specific reasons. Read on to find out the logic behind the MPAA rating of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.

Why is The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It rated R?

The MPAA rating cites “disturbing violence and terror” as the reason the film earned its R rating. There’s no mention of sex, cursing, alcohol, or other notable not-for-kids stuff here. This rating is good for folks yearning for super scary images, but bad for anyone who was hoping for less gore in The Conjuring 3.

How old do you have to be to watch The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It?

You have to be 17 to watch any R-rated movie alone in theaters. If you’re underage and want to watch The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It at your local AMC, you’ll have to get an adult to take you. But on HBO Max, anything goes. Anyone with a log-in can watch the movie, no matter their age… As long as you don’t only have access to a restricted account.

Are the other Conjuring films rated R?

Yep. In fact, every film in The Conjuring franchise (which also includes the Annabelle films, The Curse of La Llorona, and The Nun) is rated R. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It will most likely follow in the footsteps of its predecessors — this new film probably earned its rating for the same reasons the earlier Conjuring films were also rated R.