Annabelle (2014) - Archived Review

Originally published October, 2014

The Conjuring came out last year, I read the reviews, saw that it was praised for being a proper ghost horror story, and decided to go see a horror movie in the theater. I don't typically go to the theaters for my horror movies, considering how expensive it can be. Not to mention, the last horror movie in theaters I to since Alien: Resurrection was Woman in Black for the sole reason that my girlfriend wanted to see what other movies Daniel Radcliffe was in post-Harry Potter. Nonetheless, I saw The Conjuring when it first came out, and it was good. It wasn't great, it certainly had its moments that were cliche, boring, and cringe-inducing with it's melodrama and dialogue, but I enjoy horror movies for some of the same reasons I criticize them. It's fun to poke at their flaws and pick apart their issues. While still flawed and arguably 'dumb', The Conjuring was better than an average haunting film, so when I heard that a movie was being pumped out to give background to the 5 minute doll story at the beginning of The Conjuring, I had low expectations but was still interested.

Having seen the film, it's a run-of-the-mill haunting movie with a budget boosted by left-over Conjuring money. It's not bad, but it's not great. In the end, it had a few moments that were particularly memorable like its predecessor, but it still played it safe and predictable.

Simply put, its a story about a young couple with a child on the way in the beginning of the film and one in the crib by the middle who go through a traumatic experience of home invasion from some crazy cultists who manage to curse one of the woman's dolls in the process. After the trauma, they experience some spooky hauntings before packing up their things for a new life. Unfortunately for them, the scares keep happening and get more and more intense till the finale. Aside from a particular moment in the middle that was genuinely creepy and reminiscent of a Silent Hill scenario, Annabelle is not going to blow you away, but you may leave entertained.

Pros

• The Basement scene is very tense and well done; highlight of the film

• Creature design was pretty cool.

• The climax had a few good creepy moments.

Cons

• Showed [monster] too much

• Dumb jump scares

• Cliches galore; characters were boring and annoying at times (the typical bullshit of a wife being upset that her husband is working too much to provide for them

Additional Notes

• The [monster] was well designed and its introduction came in the best part of the film, but it was used a little too much by the time the movie was over and would have been better off as a single image/moment.

Worth Seeing and where?

• Yeah, it'll entertain you. Don't pay money to see it in theaters.