Go on, admit it. There is something inherently creepy about dolls. Well, clowns too. But that emotion will come to the fore when It whips out its bag of tricks in a few weeks. Meanwhile, Annabelle’s eponymous doll churns out a crafty solo performance, as she racks up several bone-chilling moments in a creation story that will eventually go on to play a bigger role in The Conjuring cinematic universe.
This prequel has all the makings of a mighty good scare — innocent, winsome orphans, a derelict old house with locked rooms and dark corners, an unspeakable tragedy that rocked the foundations of the creaky abode and a wee dolly with a countenance that is crying out to be possessed.
Once you move past the clichés and the sheer foolhardiness of the characters who come out to play, little Annabelle makes for a formidable addition to the neighbourhood dollhouse of horrors.
The film opens with Sam Mullins (Anthony LaPaglia), a small-town toymaker who’s just created a limited-edition of his Annabelle dolls (named after his seven-year-old daughter), when a tragedy befalls the family. Flash forward a few years and we see a busload of young orphans making their over to the Mullins family home, which, if you know the drill, is located in the boonies.
Sam’s wife, a bedridden Esther (Miranda Otto), sprinkles some seasoning of supernatural secrets to the potluck simmering away in this isolated home. It all starts like clockwork when little polio survivor Janice (a lovely Talitha Bateman) is the first one to suspect the house is alive to the sound of eerie music playing out of the woodworks; it doesn’t help her cause that she strolls through the very door that everyone is forbidden to enter.
You want to cry out in frustration as she enters the room again; then once again for good measure. Not to be left out, best friend Linda (Lulu Wilson) decides to follow suit, because... well, that’s how these horror movies roll. Poor Linda doesn’t stand a chance, what with curious Janice already setting in motion a chain of events that will eventually explode to encompass caretaker Sister Charlotte (Stephanie Sigman) and the gaggle of giggling orphan girls.
Moral of the movie: hell hath no fury as an Annabelle scorned.
Directed by the current whiz kid of the horror movie genre, David Sandberg (Lights Out), Annabelle: Creation plays it safe in his sophomore outing with a formulaic plot that just about redeems itself with some genuine scares. Agreed that The Conjuring franchise is a tough act to keep up with, but the tight ship that Sandberg steered when he created Lights Out springs a leak with this current venture, missing that much-needed snip at the editing table.
What works for Annabelle: Creation is the crafty way Sandberg uses the visual of the doll alone to jolt us out from the lows. That first moment, when Janice stumbles across Annabelle in the darkened room, is the stuff of childhood nightmares that probably had us running into our parents’ room. The growing discomfort only builds up, as Annabelle lurks out of the shadows just when you’ve managed to catch a breath.
Cinematographer Maxime Alexandre’s visual effects and the understated score by Benjamin Wallfisch simply lends to the haunting of Annabelle, while fans of The Conjuring universe will delight at several sneaky breadcrumbs that tie in to the other storylines in this money-spinning franchise — especially if you stay put in your seats for the mid- and post-credit scenes.
Child stars, Bateman and Wilson are a delight to watch, shifting through the emotions of hope, confusion and raw fear with an innocent appeal. Bateman is definitely the one to look out for, who has this year’s Geostorm to chalk up as well to her acting credits.
Overall, Annabelle: Creation cooks up a wily fright with the ingredients it’s been handed but watch it only if you like your dish served lukewarm.
Don’t miss it
Annabelle: Creation releases across the UAE on August 17,
