REVIEW: Annabelle

ANNABELLE

RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

RATED: R

RUNNING TIME: 98 MINUTES
SCORE: **1/2/*****

 

PREMISE: (Via IMDB) John Form has found the perfect gift for his expectant wife, Mia - a beautiful, rare vintage doll in a pure white wedding dress. But Mia's delight with Annabelle doesn't last long. On one horrific night, their home is invaded by members of a satanic cult, who violently attack the couple. Spilled blood and terror are not all they leave behind. The cultists have conjured an entity so malevolent that nothing they did will compare to the sinister conduit to the damned that is now... Annabelle.

 

THE PRO'S: Fun story, a few good scares, Annabelle remains scary, great use of the time period.

 

THE CON'S: Overall very suspense less, definitely NOT as scary as The Conjuring, underdeveloped characters, sketchy acting.

 

THE REVIEW:

 

Let me start by saying this: I loved The Conjuring. It is by far one of the scariest horror movies ever made, and ultimately one of my all-time favorites. I also know a lot about the true story of "Annabelle" (who is actually a Raggedy Ann Doll in real life, believe it or not), so I was very excited for this film. Unfortunately, I felt very disappointed at the end result, and ultimately was left feeling it should have told the TRUE story behind it. Because ultimately, the fictional story they tell here just did not measure up to its predecessor.

 

"Annabelle", which picks up a year before the events in the opening of "The Conjuring" focuses on young couple John and Mia. After a very pregnant Mia is nearly killed by a pair of psychopaths, John and Mia are trying to move on with their lives with their newborn daughter. Unfortunately, one of the dolls in Mia's extensive collection is not about to let that happen. As the night of the attack, an ancient evil entered the doll, and created the porcelain monster known as Annabelle.

 

Considering none of this actually happened, it did not pack the same punch as The Conjuring. But, that's not to say that Annabelle is a terrible movie by any means. First of all, Annabelle is a GREAT story. The plot is really well thought-out, and though at times cliché makes for a great, spooky horror tale to tell with this terrifying doll. This is only helped by the fact that ultimately, it uses the time period it was set in excellently. Though I can't go into detail there without spoilers.

 

And for that matter, Annabelle is as unnerving as ever. If you thought she was creepy in those first few minutes of The Conjuring? She only gets more and more eerie here. Which is what makes the movie so intense and unnerving about 90% of the time. And it kind of shows going by how much they seem to linger on her face. Though there are some really good creepy moments, and even moreso, there is a great and well executed scare found here that ensures it's not a "terrible" horror movie.

 

The problem here is that this is where the pro's end. As, for a well-crafted story, the characters are just beyond dull and lifeless. The actors here try their best to work with what they're given, but most range from clichéd characters, to just boring. And for that matter, the acting isn't always great either. There are some very cringe-worthy moments that just detract from even the best acting of the movie.

 

On top of this, the bottom line is: Annabelle isn't very scary, or suspenseful. The scary bits pretty much amount to one moment where everyone in the theater (including me) screamed at the top of our lungs. Whereas the others seem very predictable, and what's more? With very, very little build-up to be found. A ghost story without suspense is just not a very good move. It seems like they put all of it into that one scene and the rest of the movie there's none of that.

 

And this is ultimately why I can only "like" and not "love" Annabelle. It was truly a disappointment to me when its supposed to spin-off from something as terrifying as The Conjuring. I wasn't looking for perfection, but I definitely wanted a scarier, more suspenseful movie, with characters that didn't feel cheap and leave me feeling empty.

 

I feel as though the filmmakers are better off sticking with true stories for these movies. Because if this is anything to go by when it comes to "original" ideas out of true ghosts, then we're in for a bumpy road ahead before we ever get "The Conjuring 2".

 

IN CONCLUSION:

 

While Annabelle could have been something great, it just does not achieve it. Bland characters, acting, and a lack of suspense all make Annabelle very disappointing. I personally wish I had just rented it, but for what it's worth, other people in the theater and my friend really liked it. So it is still worth giving a chance. I just wouldn't go in expecting anything as good as what we were given before.

 

2 1/2 OUT OF 5 STARS

Very Disappointing; See It At Your Own Risk