ANNABELLE (2014) - Movie Review

Director: John R. Leonetti
Starring: Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, Alfre Woodard, Tony Amendola, Brian Howe, Alfre Woodard
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Writer: Gary Dauberman
Runtime: 99 min
Rated: R for intense sequences of disturbing violence and terror
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

John Form (Ward Horton) thinks he's found the perfect gift for his expectant wife, Mia (Annabelle Wallis) : a vintage doll in a beautiful white dress. However, the couple's delight doesn't last long: One terrible night, devil worshippers invade their home and launch a violent attack against the couple. When the cultists try to summon a demon, they smear a bloody rune on the nursery wall and drip blood on Mia's doll, thereby turning the former object of beauty into a conduit for ultimate evil.

Review:

Following the huge success of James Wan's "The Conjuring", Warner Bros. was quick to capitalize on the supernatural craze with the spin-off prequel "Annabelle", which digs deeper into the origins of the possessed doll featured as a side scare in the 2013 horror film. This second installment in what would become a mega-franchise was directed by "Insidious" and "The Conjuring" cinematographer John R. Leonetti. I find it's never an encouraging sign when a franchise's cast or crew member are hired to direct new installments. This wasn't Leonetti's directorial debut, as he had previously directed such unforgettable classics as "The Butterfly Effect 2" and "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation".

Set in 1967, the film follows John (Ward Horton) and Mia Form (Annabelle Wallis), who have a run in with members of a satanic cult. The couple survives the attack, but Mia's vintage doll becomes possessed by an evil entity. Supernatural chaos ensues. Just for the record, I have to say that the Annabelle doll is really grotesque. That's useful in a horror film, but vintage or not, I find it grossly unbelievable that anyone would want to own a doll that ugly.

Almost immediately I started noticing parallels between this movie and "Rosemary's Baby". I believe it's no coincidence that Wallis' character is named Mia, most likely an homage to Mia Farrow who played the lead in Roman Polanski's 1968 horror classic. However, these parallels only draw attention to the fact that "Annabelle" is nowhere near the same league as "Rosemary's Baby". The Conjuring spin-off is lacking in the psychological horror department, which makes it almost imediately inferior to a lot of much better movies in the genre. The scares are mechanical, of the typical jump variety, but I will admit that there a couple of genuinely chilling moments.

They never show the doll moving or doing anything. In several scenes, the camera lingers on it, prompting our anticipation of the next big scare. The doll remains still. Annabelle is not Chucky. She's creepy, sure, but she's only an instrument in the hands of a malevolent entity. We see the doll, but the real evil remains unseen, seeding deceit and malice. Of course, Leonetti eventually reveals a few fleeting glimpses of the entity, and those are the film's best and creepiest moments.

Unfortunately, that's about all the movie has to offer. The story and characters are dull and flat, the dialogue rings hollow, and the whole production has a feeling of rushed cheapness. And maybe it's just me, but Joseph Bishara's score, while effective when setting the mood for the next jump scare, sounds completely off during scenes where the actors talk to each other. It's not bad music, but it just doesn't blend in properly, and it's something I've noticed in other films scored by Bishara. Maybe it's just a sound mixing issue.

Overall, it's not as terrible as you may have heard. It's not among the best, but also not among the worst in the franchise, or the genre. It's uneven and has a lot of issues, but it's still a fun little horror film to enjoy during Halloween season.

SCORE: 6/10