Movie Information
ANNABELLE: CREATION
Release Date: August 11, 2017
Director: David F. Sandberg
Writer: Gary Dauberman
Cast: Stephanie Sigman, Miranda Otto, Lulu Wilson, Anthony LaPaglia, Talitha Bateman, Alicia Vela-Bailey, Kerry O’Malley, Philippa Coulthard, Joseph Bishara, Adam Bartley, Samara Lee, Brian Howe, Grace Fulton, Brad Greenquist, Lotta Losten, Tayler Buck, Liam James Ramos, Mark Bramhall, Tyler A. Johnson, Lou Lou Safran, Karalee Austin
MPAA Rating: R
Runtime: 109 minutes
Production Company: Atomic Monster, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros.
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Language: English
Country: USA
Budget: $15,000,000
Horror films are not my favorite by a long shot, but there was something about The Conjuring (2013) that nearly made me come around. That film stood out in a way no other horror film has even done before. When director James Wan took over the reins material, he did it justice as a thrilling scare fest that deserves all the praise and more. So, with any successful film, it’s obvious that a studio would want a sequel, but today’s film releasing a sequel isn’t enough. A surrounding universe is now the way to go and I agree on every account. Unfortunately, the rest of the franchise isn’t as great as the first and Annabelle: Creation is a part of that. The origin story presented here does something different than other horror stories though. It has all the scares, jumps, and creepy feelings, but the motivation to haunt people is never found. On top of this mishap, the characters aren’t the best, making moronic decision right after another to where you will nearly be rooting for the bad guy to end this missed opportunity.
I think it’s safe to point out that most would prefer a subpar opening to a film, for it then to end on a high note than the opposite. I’m not proud to say it, but this film is the opposite. It is a true origin story though differentiating itself from other horror films by encouraging you to sympathize with whose responsible, but it still isn’t enough to make up for the rest of the shortcomings the film has. To me it doesn’t matter what any movie has going for itself it, it doesn’t have likeable or relatable characters to gravitate to. The only portion you can latch on to the characters, is being scared of extra paranormal activity. It’s the decisions made afterward that have the film hanging on from a cliff to a passable rating. Annabelle passed away many years ago survived by their loving mother and father. To cope with their lost, they turn their home into an orphanage for girls, inviting the needy to a supposedly safe environment. The girls have every room to their disposal except for one room. And there’s only one rule too, Don’t go into the room. So what does one character immediately do, She’s goes into the room. The film presents itself to have a valid reason to make this inquiry, but the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th time there’s no excuse. Demonic activity starts to run around the house terrorizing everyone one by one, but the characters wait an eternity before they discuss it with others. When they’re being chased, instead of yelling for help they’re quite, instead of running away, they step back a few feet. It makes no sense. There’s something unnatural happening in the house, but they’re acting as if only the fan is blowing.
What the film does well. is having an absence of jump scares, but it’s still able to frighten you. The horror comes in lingering phases to where you’re forced to take it on as it sends chills down your spine. There’s no escaping either. Every time you turn the corner, there’s something there out of place that would make your skin crawl. The film does what it needs to do to make you uncomfortable anticipating what’s about to happen next. The score composed helped set the mood as well as magnifying the experience even more. You’ll cover your face, hiding behind your hand, but then it’s all diluted once a character make another poor choice.
Annabelle creation is a slightly entertaining film that has the horror with not much depth. It was a frustrating viewing containing a mixed bag or both positive and negative. The latter was more apparent which brings the film down. I want a film where the characters exhaust every option to make it to safety, but that’s not the case here. You’ll nearly be screaming at the screen as everyone does the exact opposite of common sense. Then, to top it all off, besides one-character death that was completely unnecessary the demonic force came across as just wanting to scare the children instead of taking them out. They should be scared to death, not teased to annoyance.
