Hello everyone and welcome back to our chronological watch of the Conjuringverse films. Last time, we got to visit the dollmaker, Sam and his wife, Esther. It was a tragic story as we were able to see just how far one would go to try and hold on to a passed loved one. I mean they literally sold their souls and damned their daughter's most cherished doll to try and hold onto their daughter. Then, that even went further to damn an orphaned girl, Janice, as this terrible force took hold of her. It really was a story where Evil was able to overcome Good.
But the interesting aspect was how it had managed to explain how Creation was a prequel to the original Annabelle. Janice would later go on to be adopted by the Higgins, Peter and Sharon. But by this point, she was calling herself Annabelle. Then before they knew it, Annabelle had seemingly run off with a group of cultists. How very Manson of her. Soon, she would come back to the Higgins - just not in the way that they would have liked. This whole aspect was absolutely wonderful. It cleverly was able to explain and add some more lore to the character of Annabelle.
Annabelle was released in 2014. By this point, there had only been The Conjuring released. That film was a huge success and the studio had decided to spin-off with Annabelle. It's honestly very clear as to why. The whole character of Annabelle has so much mystery surrounding her. There wasn't much known at that point. So it's a solid second film in this series. But what makes this interesting if you watch by chronological viewing, it places this film in third and adds more context following Creation.
I remember seeing Annabelle opening weekend. It was a later showing, roughly around 5:30. So, it was able to have a pretty large audience of people. I was sitting in the second row and there was a group of high schoolers sitting behind me. They were excited about the film and were talking a lot about The Conjuring. Then the lights turned down and the film began...it led to an experience. By this point in my life, I hadn't seen many horror movies with a large group of people. I usually go early enough in the day so that then there's not many people around. However, getting to experience this with an audience was awesome. At almost every single jump scare in the film, the kids behind me were screaming their heads off. It was giving me a chance to see how well the film worked.
If The Nun was a Gothic Universal Movie then both, Annabelle Creation and Annabelle, were more akin to what I'd call a Haunted House flick. Or some would even go further to say that it wouldn't be that different from sitting beside Rosemary's Baby on the shelf. But a Haunted House flick, it's a film that moves like a roller coaster. Once it truly starts, it doesn't necessarily stop. The scares come fast and quick as if you were walking through a Haunted House. The best thing about these at times though are the use of practical effects. When we have seen lots of CGI ridden horror films, it's always refreshing just to see practical effects used. There is one jump scare that is re-used from The Conjuring that I noticed. But damn if it still is not effective. I still remember the one sequence in Annabelle with the basement from that first viewing. Whenever those elevator doors shut, the people behind me screamed and then they screamed even harder when they opened to reveal that still stuck in the basement.
Another aspect that continues to be used so beautifully are its characters. John and Mia are so wonderfully defined. John is a husband that is doing his absolute best to provide for his wife and their soon-to-be born child. He's also busting his ass through medical school. At one point, I was unsure of what to make of him. I get where he was coming from. But at the same time, it's easy to see that he's scared. He's scared of what it'll be like to be a father. Scared of what could happen to his medical career. And I wouldn't put it past him to be scared of how this all would effect his relationship with Mia. Mia is trying her best to be a dutiful wife. It's honestly a great starting off point for this story as it is Mia's story. And it's a journey of becoming a mother and what that may mean - going as far to show that a mother's love can be the most powerful thing.
Now, something I wanted to comment on is the Annabelle doll. We know that it was made by Sam, the dollmaker, for his daughter Bee. He was a well known doll maker. Mia collects dolls. So many dolls that she was trying for years to complete her set. John was able to find the Annabelle doll and gifts it to Mia. Thus, completing her set. But then after that, everything begins to go crazy for the family. My question is what happened to the Annabelle doll itself after Creation? Did it just somehow find its way to somewhere where John was able to buy it? Is that the same doll as in Creation or just shows that Sam had made more than one? Or was the doll placed by Janice/Annabelle to be found by John? Either way, Janice/Annabelle is able to repossess the doll and make life a living hell for John and Mia. And honestly with this recent watch of the original Annabelle film, I still want to know more about this cult that was featured at the beginning of the film. I feel like there's still a lot more that could be explored with that.
With the scares, Annabelle could have focused solely on the doll. That thing is so damn terrifying. For the most part, there is a version where that could have been possible. However, they blow the lore so wide open with the introduction of the Ram demon. The Ram Demon is downright unsettling in its brief appearances. Very much the less is more approach worked well. The most memorable instance being the Annabelle doll sitting up and then begin floating, then the realization that something was holding the doll. Or the appearance of it during the whole basement sequence that I mentioned earlier. From what I gathered in this watch, every time we see the 'spirit of Annabelle/Janice', it's the Ram in disguise. So when the priest takes the doll and is almost inside the church but then is thwarted by the ghost, it's the Ram disguised as the ghost. The imagery of the Annabelle/Janice ghost works also to great effect as it appears when you least expect it.
Overall, Annabelle is a fantastic installment. Yeah, there are some that could say it's a bit cheesy or has some things that may not work. But not every film is perfect. This is an extremely effective film with scares. There are some instances in the finale that I just found myself squirming in my seat this time around. It's definitely with this installment that begins to show exactly what comfort horror can be. Plus, these very much are our modern day equivalents of the old 80s franchise horrors. And then this installment pairs extremely well with Creation for a Double Feature.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
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