Publications
Partners
OUR RATING
4/5 Stars
WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
Several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home. Soon, they become the target of the dollmaker’s possessed creation, “Annabelle.”
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
Let’s just be honest, any kind of doll/toy having a life of its own or coming to life, and then being evil AF is probably the scariest thing in the whole world ever. Think Chucky from Child’s Play or Billy from Dead Silence etc.
So when I went to watch Annabelle: Creation, I sort of knew what I was in for - a jolting jump-from-your-seat scary fest. And to be honest, that is exactly what this horror flick delivered.
Part of The Conjuring series, and a prequel to Annabelle (2014), Annabelle: Creation is exactly what the title entails; it tells the story of how Annabelle the doll became possessed by an evil entity.
The story follows a group of orphaned girls who, together with Sister Charlotte (Stephanie Sigman) are taken in by Sam (Anthony La Paglia) and Esther Mullins (Miranda Otto) when their orphanage closes down. The Mullins live in a massive old super-creepy house in the middle of nowhere. Once a happy couple, they’ve become quite reclusive after the loss of their daughter Annabelle when she was hit by a car 12 years ago. Sam also looks after Esther who is ill and bedridden.
Janice (Talitha Bateman) and Linda (Lulu Wilson) are best friends when they arrive at the Mullins. Due to a recent bout of polio, Janice has to wear a leg brace and walks with a crutch. And of course, evil preys on the weak. It’s Janice who discovers Annabelle’s room, which is off limits to everyone, unlocked one night. Of course she goes in. Of course she opens the closet with the possessed doll in it, and of course she unleashes the demon.
Director David F. Sandberg (Lights Out) is spot on with creating such an intense build-up to the scary parts that you feel like you’re literally there with the characters who don’t know what’s going to happen next. The set, the sound and the lighting all contribute to the old-school horror fest that is the film, and it totally scares the shit out of you.
While the storyline feels a bit like it’s dragging, the last 30 minutes totally make up for it, as that is when shit goes down. If you’re a Conjuring series fan, then this film will not disappoint.
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
