Annabelle: Creation

photo courtesy of christianpost.com

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

     Annabelle: Creation, directed by David F. Sandberg (Lights Out) is the most recent entry in the budding Conjuring-verse and a prequel to Annabelle (2014), which was itself a prequel to The Conjuring (2013). As the title promises, this installment goes deeper into the history and origins of the creepy Annabelle doll. Though it’s not exactly the most original horror film of all time, Annabelle: Creation relies on Conjuring standbys to deliver jump-scare-tastic, spooky thrills.

     Set mostly in 1957, Creation follows a group of orphaned girls and their nun caretaker, Sister Charlotte (Stephanie Sigman), as they take up residence in the country home of Samuel (Anthony LaPaglia, Without a Trace alum) and Esther Mullins (Miranda Otto, Eowyn in the Lord of the Rings trilogy). At first Janice (Talitha Bateman) and Linda (Lulu Wilson) enjoy exploring their new digs, but things quickly sour when they discover that the ghost of the Mullin’s dead daughter still haunts the house.

photo courtesy of mirror.co.uk

     Creation is an effective scary movie, but I wouldn’t recommend setting your expectations too high. For the most part, it’s exactly what you’d expect—which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, if you’re into it. It may not be high art, but the filmmakers certainly know how to construct a jump scare and build tension.

     On the positive side, the film manages to capture the best features of the Conjuring series thus far. It’s atmospheric, with cinematography and camera-work that far exceeds your typical b-movie horror options. One of The Conjuring’s strengths is knowing how to make the most out of everyday activities (like hide-and-seek), dark corners, and slamming doors, and Annabelle: Creation inherited that gene, even if it isn’t quite as fresh this time around. And though it starts out slow, it builds enough steam to produce a few terrifying moments.

photo courtesy of joblo.com

     The characters, too, are a plus. No one gets honestly fleshed out, but in a movie like Annabelle that’s hardly on the menu. Even so, Sister Charlotte and the two main orphan girls are well-acted and likeable, so the audience has people to root for. On the villainous side, Creation introduces plenty of new creepers while maintaining connections to the larger Conjuring-verse (in other words, they really, really want us to know that The Nun spin-off movie is coming next year).

     On the less-than-positive side, the movie’s limited by the fact that its main antagonist is, you know, a doll. Annabelle spends most of the runtime just sitting in creepy places, as I have ranted previously. But she’s disturbing enough to make it work most of the time, and the movie’s actually often better when the spookiness takes place off-screen or out of focus in the background than when the monsters get the camera’s full attention.

     FINAL VERDICT: Annabelle: Creation definitely isn’t required reading, but franchise fans or anyone dying for a horror flick fix will find what they need.

photo courtesy of variety.com