Movie Review: Annabelle Comes Home

Annabelle Comes Home *** / *****

Directed by: Gary Dauberman.

Written by: Gary Dauberman and James Wan.

Starring: Mckenna Grace (Judy Warren), Madison Iseman (Mary Ellen), Katie Sarife (Daniela Rios), Vera Farmiga (Lorraine Warren), Patrick Wilson (Ed Warren), Emily Brobst (Rory), Samara Lee (Bee), Steve Coulter (Father Gordon), Stephen Blackehart (Thomas), Michael Cimino (Bob Palmeri).

 

Up until the last year, the Conjuring universe of films have been a fairly solid lineup of supernatural horror films – the first Conjuring being the best obviously, but The Conjuring 2 and Annabelle: Creation were solid entries as well. The first Annabelle spinoff was weaker than the rest, but passable. Then came two films that were both quite bad – The Nun and The Curse of La Llorona since last fall, and you may have been right to suspect that perhaps this series had run its course. I’m not quite sure Annabelle Comes Home is quite the reset necessary for the series – but I think it at least points them in the right direction. It’s a fun little horror film – a little on the light side (it’s not bloody at all, and I don’t think anyone even dies in it). But it’s fun and full of atmosphere – and is different enough from the other films in the series so far to let you know they haven’t run out of juice just yet.

 

The film takes place in the 1970s – so somewhere in the middle of the Conjuring timeline (don’t ask me to tell you just where, or I’ll have to diagram everything out, and frankly, I don’t care that much). While the film opens on the Warrens – Lorraine and Ed (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) – they are basically glorified cameos, setting everything up in the creepy opening sequence – where they pick up the Annabelle doll and bring it home, locking it behind glass in the room full of other possessed and demonic stuff. The film basically focuses on their daughter – Judy (the very talented Mckenna Grace), her teenage babysitter Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman) and her best friend Daniela (Katie Sarife). The Warrens are going away for the night, and leaving Mary Ellen in charge. Daniela, whose dad died recently, wants to come over and explore the house of the famous paranormal investigators she has read about in the papers. You know where this is going now don’t you – she will find Annabelle, and let it out of her glass case. And then, the trio is in for a very long night – as that doll be crazy.

 

Gary Dauberman is making his directorial debut with this film – he wrote the previous Annabelle films, but this is first time in the director’s chair. He has made a solid haunted house movie here – gradually increasing the scares, as the film progresses from day to night, and then of course a fog rolls in, and the lights go out. There is a lot of stuff lurking in the background of shots, a lot of jump scares when Annabelle – or some other possessed item – turns up where it shouldn’t be. There is nothing here all that original – not the writing or direction – but it’s all done well enough to be entertaining.

 

And that is what Annabelle Comes Home has over both The Nun and The Curse of La Llorona (and the first Annabelle movie for that matter) – it’s fun. Those movies were dull and boring, and took themselves very seriously – although, since they contain child murder, they kind of had to. Here, the film focuses on three appealing female leads – all of whom buy into the premise, and have fun with it, and basically just try and goose you along a little. It’s a horror film I think mainly for newbies – young teenagers, who want to have fun with a horror film, but aren’t ready for anything at all hardcore. It’s a fun little film while you watch it – you won’t remember it, but you won’t be bored either. And given the last two entries in this series, that’s enough.