Annabelle: Creation Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: A group of orphans stay at a house seemingly haunted by a demonic doll.

Review: Since I was pretty much the only person who liked the first "Annabelle," it was tough to understand why everyone all of a sudden likes this prequel. I mean, I did like this entry too, but what was really done differently? The main complaint I heard with the first movie was people expecting a female Chucky running around. Well, you still don't get that with the exception of maybe one scare; a great scene by the way. I'm assuming the relentless nature of the scares is what made the real difference since "Annabelle: Creation" simply does not let up. The audience has little time to breathe in between set pieces, and there comes a point where they just keep coming in quick succession. That was especially impressive to accomplish. As much as I was loving this film, everything comes crashing down at the end as we learn about an unbelievable series of coincidences and contrivances that will blow your mind.

Where this installment succeeds is in those engaging and unrelenting scares. There is little down time between scares as almost each scene leads into one. The filmmakers really did go balls to walls with trying to scare the viewer and it works. On top of that, many ideas felt original and were executed considerably well. Oh, sure, there are plenty of cliched frights and jumps, but, for the most part, there is a strong buildup of tension to keep you at the edge of your seat. To bring this tension to life were great child actors; though, the Jan actress is actually 16?! Typically you will want these characters to die, but they were believable in their roles. Also, I liked the subtle inclusion of the demonic nun from "The Conjuring 2." Lastly, as with the first "Annabelle," these movies always have a certain, polished look to them that I enjoy. I understand many genre fans are coming to hate this aesthetic, but I think it helps to have a quality-looking product.

As for the film's faults...the lighting isn't as effective as the previous "Annabelle;" there were times when it was difficult to even see what was happening. The characters, while likable, did plenty of stupid, walking-into-danger hijinks that appeared forced. The explanations for how the doll was possessed and how feebly it was contained are weak as hell. Yeah, okay, you just prayed to "whatever" and it turned out to be a demon that wants to go into a doll...? What? And tossing it in some closet with bible pages keeps it at bay for 12 years until one peek inside the closet is enough to awaken it again? And what's with the 12 year intervals anyway? This leads me to the preposterous ending. Soooo...the demon possesses the one little girl, is somehow adopted, lives a normal childhood, starts a cult, kills her adoptive parents, then kills herself to put the demon back into the Annabelle doll that just so happens to have been bought by the next door neighbors?! HUH?! This ending is beyond contrived...it's outright absurd and makes no sense. What exactly is the goal of the demon if not to possess people? Why would it want to go back into the doll? Everything is simply too unreal and contrived for me to accept.

In many ways, I think this entry is way better than "Annabelle" due to the increased quality of scares and the sheer amount of them. The setting and characters are more interesting too and keep the audience invested in the action. Overall, this is an effective horror movie perfect for date night. Unfortunately, the ending takes contrivances to a higher plain of bullshit that should defy any person's sense of what's possible. Also, the writers have officially boxed themselves into a corner with this plot line as they cannot possibly go back further, and Annabelle's whereabouts are pretty much all accounted for at this point. Nevertheless, if you liked the first "Annabelle" then you should definitely enjoy this one as well.

Notable Moment: When Annabelle is thrown down the well and tries to get back out. I liked the line where Sister Charlotte asked what that was, and Linda says something along the lines of, "Who cares? RUN!" It's just hilarious delivery.

Final Rating: 6.5/10