ANNABELLE: CREATION (2017) - Movie Review

Director: David F. Sandberg
Starring: Stephanie Sigman, Talitha Bateman, Lulu Wilson, Anthony LaPaglia, Miranda Otto
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Writer: Gary Dauberman
Runtime: 109 min
Rated: R for horror violence and terror.
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

Former toy maker Sam Mullins and his wife, Esther, are happy to welcome a nun and six orphaned girls into their California farmhouse. Years earlier, the couple's 7-year-old daughter Annabelle died in a tragic car accident. Terror soon strikes when one child sneaks into a forbidden room and finds a seemingly innocent doll that appears to have a life of its own.

Review:

If you thought that the "The Conjuring" spin-off prequel "Annabelle" told us the complete story of the possessed doll's origin, think again. "Annabelle: Creation" is a prequel to the prequel, taking us even further back in time to show us how the creepy doll really came to be. Warner Bros. also hired a new director, Swedish filmmaker David F. Sandberg, who only a year before had directed the hit horror film "Lights Out" based on his own short of the same name.

The story is set in 1955 at a children's orphanage run by a dollmaker (Anthony LaPaglia) and his ailing wife (Miranda Otto). Twelve years after the tragic death of their seven-year-old daughter Annabelle, the couple welcome a nun (Stephanie Sigman) and six girls from a shuttered orphanage to their California farmhouse. In case you were wondering, the dollmaker's portfolio also includes everyone's favorite nightmare doll, complete with demonic attachment. Batteries not included.

It's much better than the previous film and probably the best installment in the franchise after James Wan's "The Conjuring". It has a meatier story that grounds its psychological terror in themes like grief and loss, characters that aren't boring stock-stereotypes, more scares and a more polished production (aproximatively double the budget of "Annabelle"). There's also a lot more gore and the demonic attacks are much more brutal and vicious than in the first film.

Sandberg is quite good at building up the tension at a steady pace right up to the film's obligatory rollercoaster third act, relying on suspense instead of jump-scares to create a nerve-wracking atmosphere. "Annabelle: Creation" addheres closely to "The Conjuring" formula, which means it doesn't really push any creative bounds, but Sandberg uses the familiar horror elements very effectively, making this prequel a solid and consistently scary horror film that can stand on its own.

SCORE: 7.5/10