Ahead of the release of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Warner Bros. brought the devil to Los Angeles with a transformative premiere on Wednesday night.
Held at Franklin Canyon Park in Beverly Hills, the intimate event, dubbed “The Devil’s Woods Experience,” featured a screening among the trees and a Devil’s Woods Tour, where flashlight-equipped guests were led through movie-inspired scenes featuring priests and the possessed. Chainsaws, tombstones and the supernatural were also part of the tour, running alongside a more traditional but horror-tinged premiere reception with snacks and tarot card readings.
Billie Eilish was among the star guests, as well as director Michael Chaves, who ahead of the screening shouted out James Wan, director of the first two franchise films, for creating the paranormal universe. “This is totally a horror movie but it’s also a story of love and a story of faith and there’s a lot of people here who took a big leap of faith on me,” said Chaves, whose previous work includes The Curse of la Llorona and Eilish’s “Bury a Friend” video.
Guests watched the film in a wooded amphitheater and were given The Conjuring-branded capes to keep warm. After the screening, Eilish was among the first to take on the Devil’s Woods tour, which started with a candlelit seance and wound throughout the property.
Temperatures were taken upon arrival at the outdoor event, while signs advised attendees to “wear a face covering over your nose and mouth while you (or the demon inhabiting your body) are here.”
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It hits theaters and HBO Max on June 4.
