Following on from the “success” of films such as Insidious (1 and 2) and the Conjuring, and yes I did use bunny rabbit ears around success, Annabelle picks up the baton in the newest wave of wannabe-Hammer Horror films. This time though, with the omission of Patrick Wilson (much to this reviewers disappointment).
Annabelle takes us back to the beginning of a story introduced in The Conjuring. Mia and John are soon-to-be parents. Rocked by the deaths of their neighbours at the hands of satanic cult members, they set out to restart their lives in the Pasadena sun. Sadly, something has followed them there. Annabelle.
Annabelle Weir plays Mia, a mother close to the edge. Her pregnancy was brought to an early end by the tragic murder of their neighbours and she’s clearly still suffering as she begins her journey in to motherhood. With a rather wooden performance by Ward Horton as her husband, John, we see Mia being left more and more alone with her new baby, Leah, as he pursues his career as a doctor. Luckily, she makes a friend in local bookstore owner, Evelyn (Golden Globe Award Winner, Alfre Woodard), a woman with her own troubled past.
Aside from some glaring errors in parenthood, leaving your baby unattended to pop to the basement being the most obvious, the film does manage to evoke that 70s horror film feeling. With long lingering scenes on dolls, doors and record players, there are plenty of times when the audience is left almost begging for something to happen. When it does, it is never the thing that the camera has led your eyes to. I, for one, spent a lot of the film whispering “Blink, blink, blink” whenever Annabelle was on the screen.
Whilst appearing relatively faithful to the 70s vibe it’s trying to evoke, the films main flaw is something that a lot of films have fallen foul of lately. As the story progresses, we’re shown the thing behind the mask. Without trying to ruin it too much, as soon as the big reveal was done I lost all interest.
If you’re a fan of the recent rush of horror films, you’re likely to enjoy Annabelle. What it lacks in sudden shocks, it makes up for in tense silences.
Rating: 5/10
The Dunwich Blogger 