Annabelle – review

Annabelle is the spin-off and quasi-prequel of The Conjuring. Unless you happen to be terrified of dolls and predictable plots, this movie will not scare you much. There are moments that are shot well but they don’t make this movie anything beyond rent worthy. It is pretty puzzling how a movie like this even gets made. Was anyone asking for a story about the demonic doll from The Conjuring?

Annabelle takes place in the 1970s with Mia and Ward Gordon, a young couple who are expecting their first baby.  They are attacked one night by a pair of insane satanic cultist for no reason other than that they happen to be home. The cultists are killed, but not before one of them draws a symbol in blood and bleeds all over the creepy Annabelle doll. This makes the doll an anchor for the devil and causes all sorts of problems for the young couple.

The acting is pretty good. Annabelle Wallis plays Mia Gordon, the young mother who is tormented by the demon. She seems to at least be trying her best to make this silly material seem realistic.  The best thing the film has going for it are the small scares that sometimes work. For example, there are clever cutaways and quick jumps in editing that really work to this movie’s advantage. What this movie lacks in originality, it makes up for in creating a creepy atmosphere.

Annabelle is not a very scary movie. At its worst it feels lazy and clichéd. There are so many movies that have done the “haunted family” better.  It might have been interesting if it took risks, but it played it safe. The whole film was a set up of the story, so that you pretty much know the family will be safe and all will be well. The demon doesn’t even kill anyone- he just scares folks like a jerk. 

The film is worth a rental if you are fan of The Conjuring. If you are looking for a scary movie then try something else. At its core, Annabelle is just another disappointing horror cash-in. Perhaps the writers should have put more care into the script. If only more horror movies rolled the dice and took chances with scripts that were bold and new.

The Conjuring – review

The Conjuring is the latest horror film from director James Wan.  The film has a great score and an incredibly creepy atmosphere.  For the most part it is a fun and scary film with really decent acting. On the other hand, there are a lot of aspects to movie that will be familiar to anyone who is a fan of the supernatural horror genre.

The Conjuring takes place in 1971 when the Perron family buys an old farmhouse in Rhode Island.  Carolyn Perron, played by Lili Taylor, and Roger Perron, played by Ron Livingston, slowly find their home and family are being terrorized by several supernatural entities.  They request the aid of supernatural investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga.  Together they attempt to rid their family of the horrors plaguing their lives.

The acting is pretty solid for this movie.  Everyone is believable in all their rolls and it makes the film pretty enjoyable. The music is very eerie and it works really well to the benefit of the movie and the overall chilling atmosphere.  The filmmakers took a great deal of care into making this look authentic since it takes place in the 70s to make it look like it was filmed with 70s film. 

If you are a nitpicker this movie does have some things that will make you think a little less of it.  For example, it seems to borrow a lot of concepts from other films. The Amityville Horror, The Entity, Poltergeist, The Exorcist, and even Evil Dead just to name a few that seem to have borrowed items of sorts.  Still, if you can look past this it is still an entertaining movie worth seeing.  It does a lot with very little in terms of visual and doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares, which makes it a pretty fun change of pace.

If you are a horror fan I recommend this film. If you look past the massive amounts of borrowed material it really is a good chiller.  If you are a not a horror fan you will likely be terrified by the ghastly images or the demonic doll.  It’s worth seeing as a matinee or rental if you are into a good ghost story.  If that is your thing you will not be disappointed.