HOLLYWOOD—I loved “The Conjuring” because it introduced America to perhaps one of the creepiest looking dolls that I recall ever seeing in the movie industry. What character am I referring to? Its Annabelle, that doll that Ed and Lorraine Warren first encountered in the first flick, that eventually spawned its own series that now has a total of three entries: “Annabelle,” “Annabelle: Creation” and now “Annabelle Comes Home.”
So where does “Annabelle Comes Home” ranks amongst its predecessors? Decent scares, but didn’t leave me shivering in my seat. Now it is worth noting this flick DOES NOT follow the chronological order of “The Conjuring” flicks. It’s in between the first movie and second movie where the audience gets to see Annabelle conducing more of her evil glory.
Actors Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are part of the story, they are not the focal points in this movie; it’s their daughter Judy (McKenna Grace) and her babysitter Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman) and her pal Daniela (Katie Sarife). You know how you always have that one character in the horror movie that does the absolute opposite of what they should be doing? Daniela is that character here and she will infuriate the audience with her shenanigans.
She decides to go exploring that locked room inside the Warren’s house, and starts touching things galore including Annabelle, the one thing she should NOT touch. In doing so she awakens many malevolent spirits out for blood. Quite interesting is the fact that all this mayhem happens in a single night. It is indeed an interesting twist, but it’s quite fun at the same time. There are some quality scares here, but it doesn’t live up to the thrills that transpired in “Annabelle” and “Annabelle: Creation.” I thought the scares in those movies were indeed jump out of your seat America.
“Annabelle Comes Home” falls into the troupe of being compared to “The Conjuring,” but they are two separate entities, even though they overlap. If you’re a fan of the other flicks, you’re going to have certain expectations, and those expectations don’t fully deliver. Annabelle is the catalyst for the mayhem, but its other evil entities that really get to shine in this movie. Those evils include the Ferryman, the Bride, the Black Shuck and many others. They shine, while Annabelle takes a seat in the back, so the movie is not all about Annabelle as it is perceived.
I feel like “Annabelle Comes Home” was a precursor to get audiences ready for “The Conjuring 3” which is slated to hit theaters in September 2020. After the second installment really ramped up the scares, it has been teased that the third chapter is set to be the best yet. So I guess we’ll have to patiently wait to be scared senseless. This movie offers some scares, enough to give you sleepless nights if that doll was in your presence.
