ANNABELLE (2014 - HORROR) **** out of ***** OR 8 out of 10
(Maybe in the sequel they'll use a demonic Barbie Doll...)
CAST: Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, Tony Amendola, Alfre Woodard, Kerry O'Malley, Brian Howe, Eric Ladin.
DIRECTOR: John R. Leonetti
IT'S LIKE THIS: Last year, we reviewed the popular horror flick, THE CONJURING (review #513), in which the phenomenally-stupid Perron family bought an ugly, creepy-as-hell house that looked to be haunted as fuck - only to find out that (omigod!) the place is (no, really?) haunted as fuck. Wow. Didn't see that one coming. Anyone who saw that movie knows that the Perron family went through hell-on-Earth to save themselves (and their mortgage history) from the clutches of the evil spirits.
Anyone who saw that movie will also remember that brief mention was made of the infamous "Annabelle" doll, which the ghostbuster protagonists of THE CONJURING investigated at one time. Well, in the grand tradition of spin-offs from hit films, the possessed mini-mannequin that had a bit part before finally gets a movie of her own. And, boy, if you still have no problem with dolls being within ten feet of you after you see this flick, then you're made of sturdier stuff than I am.
The movie is, unsurprisingly, called ANNABELLE, after the demonic doll. And let me just clear up right now that it's just a coincidence that the lead actress is named "Annabelle." This movie is about the doll named Annabelle - not the actress playing its heroine. I wonder if Annabelle Wallis' family and friends think this is a biopic about her. Imagine all the explanations she has to make...
Anyhow, Ms. Wallis plays Mia, a pregnant housewife in 1960s Los Angeles who is married to a handsome doctor, John (Ward Horton). Apparently, Mia is somewhat of a doll collector and John, being a loving and thoughtful husband, presents her with one that is allegedly pretty special. Mia "ooohs" and "aaaaaahs" at this new addition to her creepy menagerie. Supposedly, this particular doll is a prized one, despite looking like a dementedly happy tranvestite redhead.
Not long after John gives Mia her this highly questionable (to me, anyway) gift, tragedy befalls them: they're neighbors, Sharon and Peter Higgins (Kerry O'Malley, Brian Howe) are brutally murdered one night by their estranged daughter who'd ran away two years ago to join a cult. Let's just say it was't the reunion that Sharon had been hoping for. To make matters worse, Mia and John are attacked by the killers when they try to intervene.
Fortunately, the cops show up in time to blast the fuckers away. But not before one of them - the psycho daughter of the couple next door - clutches Mia's newest doll to bosom as if it were her own child. Needless to say, she dies with the doll in her hands. Oh, and the daughter's name was... Annabelle.
"Ruh-Roh!" as Scooby Doo would say.
Now, if situations in horror movies could be resolved as easily as cops showing up with their ammo, then the Horror Genre would't exist. For a time, though, it appears that Mia and John are doing a good job of recovering from their ordeal. Mia even shows some intelligence by asking John to get rid of that creepy doll he gave her because it was the one that Annabelle was carrying when she died. A good husband, John complies.
Unfortunately, when John and Mia decide to move into an apartment block to start over, they discover as they are unpacking that "Annabelle" has somehow followed them - despite John having dumped her in the trash can outside their house. It's at this point that Mia ruins all the good ground she covered by being smart and having told John earlier to deep-six that fucking doll: she basically sees it as a sign that the creepy doll's place is with them - and says they should keep it.
Ugh.
So... just like their similarly stupid counterparts in THE CONJURING, John and Mia soon find themselves beset by all sorts of spooky phenomena. Mia encounters a creepy dark figure in the basement storage area of their building. Mia encounters a creepy dark figure in the nursery of her apartment. Mia encounters a creepy dark figure on the darkened stairwell outside their front door. Oh, and in the middle of all of that, she also gave birth to a lovely daughter named Lea. All in all, a very stressful time for our new mother, eh?
What exactly has taken possession of the doll? Is it the spirit of the dead Annabelle? Or is it... something else? Can John and Mia's priest, Father Perez (Tony Amendola), help them? How about Evelyn (Alfre Woodard), the bookstore owner next door who just happens to know a lot of paranormal stuff? What will that creepy-ass Annabelle doll do next?
Hopefully, not sign an exclusive contract with Mattel.
BUT SERIOUSLY: Last year, we reviewed THE CONJURING and found it to be a slightly-above-average horror flick with a few decent scares - but which also felt very contrived in certain spots, which kept it from fully hitting the mark. Now, ANNABELLE comes along to expand upon THE CONJURING's most effective element: the subplot about the "Annabelle Doll" that opened that film on strong note. In ANNABELLE, the origin of the doll's evil is the main premise - and it's a very solid one.
Unlike other "killer doll" flicks like CHILD'S PLAY and DOLLS, ANNABELLE takes a sober, slow-burn approach that pays off greatly. There are many effective setpieces here: (1) the opening murder sequence involving Annabelle Higgins and her crazed cult boyfriend; (2) Mia being terrorized in her basement storage space by... something; (3) the same "something" locking Mia in her bedroom as Lea sits under a bookcase full of heavy books; (4) Father Perez's encounter with "Annabelle" at his church; and (5) the climactic battle that pits Mia, John, and Evelyn against "Annabelle" in an effort to save Lea's soul.
Director John Leonetti stages all these sequences with skill and verve. Even though the characters make some of the usual horror character mistakes (such as keeping the Annabelle doll after they though they threw it away), at least the script gives a plausible reason why they would act the way they do. The script also gives us some nice character moments between the players that ups our concern for them. Especially nice is a heart-to-heart that Mia and Evelyn have wherein the latter talks about what happened to her own daughter a long time ago.
Ward Horton and Annabelle Wallis are relative unknowns who get a great showcase here. They're very believable as a young 1960s couple trying to start their life together and make their way through the world. Wallis, in particular, must carry this film on her shoulder since Mia is the true lead - and she does it very gracefully and effectively. Horton is also good at showing logical-minded John's slow realization that something truly evil is connected to the Annabelle doll, and that his wife may not be just suffering from post-partum stress, after all.
Alfred Woodard and Tony Amendola are also vivid and perfectly cast as the older characters who do their best to help the young couple unravel the horrific things going on that may just tear their family apart. Woodard is especially effective (and affecting) in the nail-biting climax. The reason the finale plays so well is because characters we have come to care about are imperiled - and we want to see them saved. That's a mark of not just a very good horror film - but a very good film, period.
Unlike THE CONJURING, ANNABELLE manages to hit the mark and then some. It does this by taking the time to acquaint us with the characters, and then taking some unexpected story paths that make it feel fresh and scary - unlike THE CONJURING which just gave us the same "Haunted House" tropes and expected us to be petrified.
