Annabelle Has a Few Tricks Up Her Sleeve: A Movie Review

*there are some minor spoilers here.

Director: John R. Leonetti.

Writer: Gary Dauberman.

Cast: Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, Tony Amendola and Alfre Woodard.

Annabelle is a prequel to James Wan's The Conjuring (2013). More of a segway, Annabelle brings a creepy doll out of the closet, from Lorraine and Ed Warren's collection - to the big screen. This Devil doll likes to bring its own group of followers with it, including a few Satanic cultists. Beelzebub is ready to do battle again, in his thousandth film and one couple must seek shelter in Christianity, just to survive. Slowly paced through middle sections and offering very little direct conflict, Annabelle is a creepy horror feature, which might satisfy a few movie-goers.

A cursed doll is at the heart of this tale. This large mannequin likes to torment her new owners: John (Ward Horton) and Mia (Annabelle Wallis). This villain will burn popcorn, raze a house and stalk a little baby. The two protagonists are mostly helpless to protect themselves, until a superstitious book seller comes into the picture. However, Annabelle brings a few surprises of her own. And soon, Mia is set face to face with a gargoyle-like demon. Few will get through this film without experiencing some tragedy.

This priest has problems of his own.

Annabelle offers a very creepy tone. A rocking chair will swing back and forth offscreen. So, you know the Devil doll is up to no good. Then, the music will begin to flare up with all sorts of terrible sounds. Characters look frightened and the viewer will be surprised when Annabelle strikes next. Still, tension is mostly missing. There is only a scene or two, which holds a truly horrifying tone. In one scene, the new mother, Mia, is trapped in a darkened basement. The elevator is out and there is nowhere for Mia to escape. And, something is moving about in the background. This scene and the following one offer the only real chills, in the film. Other scenes attempt to unsettle the viewer. But, the tone here is only light on horror.

The conflict, in the film, is a typical supernatural versus physical plotline. The horror genre is rife with stories like this one. A standard horror plotline involves a haunted house or item exorcised by a priest; you can get that scene here. As well, much of the conflict in the film is indirect. A blackened demon will pop up here and there, but it does not physically accost its victims. It seems to be waiting out the requisite ninety minute film runtime, before showing itself fully. Still, this passive-aggressive demon offers a few offscreen nightmares as Mia and John do their best to fight the forces from below. Perhaps, future demons in this series of films could recruit a few more tangible followers, to keep confrontations more bloody and brutal.

This film's low budget can be seen in sets, characters and even in the film's pacing. Settings are relegated to a few interior home settings. There are few external shots and even fewer scenes of night shooting. Also, budget constraints have focused the film's story on two central characters and a couple of minor ones. Much of the film consists of Mia and her baby running about a small apartment and away from Satan's hiding minions. These repetitive action sequences become mildly tiresome over time. The pacing is another film element that is not helped by the roughly two million dollar budget. Act II is very slow. Much of the middle sections of the film involve Mia and John acquainting themselves with their new abode and lifestyle. Annabelle only teases a scare or two, through this section. The climax comes on with a flourish, but more action was required in Act II. Overall, Annabelle is a low budget feature and it does show in many scenes and sequences.

Still, this wide release has already garnered several times its budget in ticket sales and some horror fans will enjoy this outing. For this viewer, the film felt slightly stretched and lacking in any real thrills, outside of the chilling basement scene. The acting was excellent, but the character John seemed underutilized. A small doll is hardly able to offer any physical presence onscreen, while a horned demon takes its time to appear. Overall, Annabelle is a fairly solid horror film. It offers a consistent creepy tone, while amping up the conflict in the climax. Still, it would have been interesting to have seen more real-life Satanists stalking John and Mia, rather than a non-moving, non-emoting figurine.

Overall: 7 out of 10 (there are no sub-plots or red herrings to be found here, an experimental shooting style at times, conflicts are slightly predictable).

A trailer for the film is available here:

An Annabelle Trailer on 28DLA


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