Annabelle (2014)

"I like your dolls."

In an age where most horror films rely on jump scares and recycled plots comes ‘Annabelle'… Which, unfortunately, is no exception to the rest.

Based in the same world as the surprisingly good ‘The Conjuring’, ‘Annabelle' tells the story of a haunted doll that terrorises a family and their baby after a home invasion by satanic cultists. It basically acts as a prequel to ‘The Conjuring’ but doesn’t really deliver the same way ‘The Conjuring' does.

Before I dive into Annabelle I’d like to just say that what disappoints me about modern horror films is that they all look, sound and scare the same. Unlike classic horror films like ‘The Exorcist’, ‘Halloween’, ‘Alien’, ’Psycho’, ‘The Shining’ etc., horror films of today tend to rely too heavily on jump scares and less on the story telling and visceral horror that actually scares people. Classic horror films can scare you in a way that you sometimes can’t even explain, making you turn on a comedy and not look outside afterwards.

If you’ve seen ‘The Conjuring’ or even the trailer for ‘Annabelle' you’ll know about "the doll". Let’s face it, it’s a spooky little bitch. It’s twisted in an almost carnival/theatrical like way with piercing eyes and a long white dress.
This begs the question though, why on earth would any husband in their right mind buy this for their pregnant wife in the first place?
Gaping plot hole aside, let’s talk about the back-story. The doll is crow barred into the plot beyond belief. The entire reasoning behind it being haunted is so flimsy that it just flags up the main issue with the film for me which is that it’s not thought all the way through. It feels like the plot has been built around the fact that it’s the creepy looking doll that everyone liked from ‘The Conjuring’ so how many times can the audience jump at it in a movie of it’s own. It’s just lazy and unoriginal. It wouldn’t be so bad if the movie didn’t take itself seriously like the recent ‘Evil Dead’ remake (which smashed it out of the park) but it really underestimates the audience. The audience is just spoon-fed exactly what is expected with a few good jump scares to glaze over the fact that it’s a weak film.

What would have been a lot more interesting to watch would have been the satanic cult that the two home invaders were a part of and to see more detail about the mythology of the doll and the demon. After all it is a prequel. Instead, the back-story is rushed and not fully explained.

The cast is passable. The young couple aren’t relatable or even likable but they serve their purpose in the film. Probably the best performance comes from the baby who is adorable to watch and doesn’t even realise what’s going on.

All of this being said, what Annabelle actually delivers quite effectively is a whole lot of tension. Director John R. Leonetti has absolute control over the build up and atmosphere to the point where nearly everyone in the audience is looking through their fingers and giggling in hysteria at the immanent scare to come. Therein lies the problem, we all know it’s coming and have seen it before in another form. We aren’t scared of the movie, we are scared to jump out of our seats. I’m not saying that is a particularly bad thing but it’s not a horror in the truest sense. It doesn’t get under your skin like a real toe curling horror should.
There are a few key scenes in the film that make it a passable horror film, in particular a scene involving a broken elevator and a whole lot of darkness… I’ll say no more. Also, a scene that’s ruined in the trailer, when the little girl runs at the door as it’s closing, only to burst through it as the satanic woman who was one of the pair who invaded the couples home. This would have been great if it wasn’t so prominent in the trailer, I knew it was coming so the tension was fizzled out.

Should this be all we expect from a horror? A few good jump scares and a creepy doll?

Should we demand higher standards? The 2012 demonic scare-fest ‘Sinister’ was a real step in the right direction for horror, blending all the best aspects of the “found-footage” genre with a traditional narrative that comes together in a twisted little horror film that stays with you. This is the direction that horror films of today should be heading, back to the roots of what scares us. Visceral and nightmarish images that will haunt you even after the lights go up in the cinema.

Ultimately ‘Annabelle’ isn’t a well thought out piece of masterful horror film-making, however, it does deliver some decent scares and will keep your attention if you don’t take it seriously. It’s nothing new in the horror genre and I can’t see myself ever watching it again. Maybe take someone who is particularly jumpy for a good laugh but ‘Annabelle’ should have and could have been a better film. Despite this, I still don’t think I’d have that doll sitting on a shelf in my room… Just in case.