Movie Review - Annabelle: Creation
From director David F. Sandberg, one of the many ambitious filmmakers trying to make a name for himself in the modern horror genre, comes a prequel/spin-off that on the surface felt entirely unnecessary. Despite Hollywood's over-reliance on spin-offs and such, with his latest endeavor in Annabelle: Creation offering up an old-fashioned thrill-a-minute fright, Sandberg seems to have sustained his craft from the mildly successful Lights Out to deliver one of the most effective horror prequels of recent memory. Harboring a twisted plot of demented dolls and spooked orphans, Creation sent up an effective thriller, all while further evolving a horror franchise just waiting to take its next bite.
Following the tragic death of the young daughter of toy maker Sam Mullins (Anthony LaPaglia) and his wife Esther, years later the reclusive couple eventually open up their California farmhouse to a nun and six orphaned girls. Maintaining an air of peculiar aloofness from the girls, Mr. Mullins keeps to himself, hiding his distraught wife within the confines of their bedroom. As the girls begin to explore the house, strange occurrences arise when Janice (Talitha Bateman) stumbles upon the bedroom of the Mullins' deceased daughter. Discovering a seemingly-innocent doll locked within the daughter's closet, a dark secret from the Mullins' past is unleashed upon their unsuspecting visitors. As terror quickly unfolds at the hands of the haunted doll and its vicious host, the occupants of the farmhouse become the victims of the terrifying creation of evil.
Ever since I really began to dive into the world of movies some nine years ago, I've always had a pretty indifferent relationship with the horror genre. While franchise films like Paranormal Activity, and more recently, The Purge and its countless sequels never truly piqued my interest, the most recent blockbuster horror series to draw me in began with James Wan's 2013 film The Conjuring. While I still found the horror genre formulaic and often unexciting back in 2013, the semi-biographical, old-fashioned feel of The Conjuring managed to capture my attention. What I never expected from the film, however, would be its potential to become one of the most powerful big-screen franchises still kicking four years later. With Annabelle: Creation building off the groundwork set by The Conjuring and its mildly-successful sequel just last year, the newest chapter in what's being called "The Conjuring Universe" managed to not only maintain the timely production design of James Wan's first duo of films, but also craft a compelling step-up from its lackluster predecessor.
While Creation did do its best to sustain the hype for the maturing Conjuring franchise, tossing us plenty of easter eggs pointing towards both the past films and the future ones -- two more spin-off films are already in production -- the film in its own regard was surprisingly entertaining to watch. Even as it dropped familiar jump scares and a rather bleak plot at the audience, the cohesive direction by Sandberg and the eerie setting of the film were enough to make the film an enjoyable horror effort. With the film's production giving us equal amounts of Sandberg's intense point of view and callbacks to the antique tone of The Conjuring films, Creation, while slim on story, was effective in blending the dynamics of both its director and the other filmmakers of the franchise.
Despite not starring any major A-list actors, most of the cast composed of mostly obscure child actors, the film still retained a decent amount of performances worthy of its genre. While Without a Trace alum Anthony LaPaglia donned a part-creepy, part-cynical demeanor as the emotionally-scarred father-turned-caretaker of the story, it was the young female characters at the heart of the plot that kept the thrills alive. While it might not be all that hard these days for any young actor to put on a frightened face and scream bloody murder at a fictitious being, the performances of 16-year-old lead Talitha Bateman and the other supporting actresses that sold the terror of Creation. While the performances might not garner any major awards, the young performers lent their best to making the scares feel genuine and frightening.
Overall, while I wasn't that fascinated in the first chapter featuring the demented doll Annabelle, Annabelle: Creation was an enjoyably nerve-wracking and cohesive horror experience. With its simple plot of orphaned girls entered a strange home evolving into a thrill-a-minute chapter of slow-winding terror, Creation made for an dynamic new entry in a horror franchise that might be worth checking into.
I gave Annabelle: Creation a 7 out of 10 for its effective leap from The Conjuring films that ignited its premise, its manageable cast that sold its most frightening scares, and its cohesive production that gave its director free rein to deliver a compelling horror effort set within a maturing blockbuster franchise.
Following the tragic death of the young daughter of toy maker Sam Mullins (Anthony LaPaglia) and his wife Esther, years later the reclusive couple eventually open up their California farmhouse to a nun and six orphaned girls. Maintaining an air of peculiar aloofness from the girls, Mr. Mullins keeps to himself, hiding his distraught wife within the confines of their bedroom. As the girls begin to explore the house, strange occurrences arise when Janice (Talitha Bateman) stumbles upon the bedroom of the Mullins' deceased daughter. Discovering a seemingly-innocent doll locked within the daughter's closet, a dark secret from the Mullins' past is unleashed upon their unsuspecting visitors. As terror quickly unfolds at the hands of the haunted doll and its vicious host, the occupants of the farmhouse become the victims of the terrifying creation of evil.
Ever since I really began to dive into the world of movies some nine years ago, I've always had a pretty indifferent relationship with the horror genre. While franchise films like Paranormal Activity, and more recently, The Purge and its countless sequels never truly piqued my interest, the most recent blockbuster horror series to draw me in began with James Wan's 2013 film The Conjuring. While I still found the horror genre formulaic and often unexciting back in 2013, the semi-biographical, old-fashioned feel of The Conjuring managed to capture my attention. What I never expected from the film, however, would be its potential to become one of the most powerful big-screen franchises still kicking four years later. With Annabelle: Creation building off the groundwork set by The Conjuring and its mildly-successful sequel just last year, the newest chapter in what's being called "The Conjuring Universe" managed to not only maintain the timely production design of James Wan's first duo of films, but also craft a compelling step-up from its lackluster predecessor.
While Creation did do its best to sustain the hype for the maturing Conjuring franchise, tossing us plenty of easter eggs pointing towards both the past films and the future ones -- two more spin-off films are already in production -- the film in its own regard was surprisingly entertaining to watch. Even as it dropped familiar jump scares and a rather bleak plot at the audience, the cohesive direction by Sandberg and the eerie setting of the film were enough to make the film an enjoyable horror effort. With the film's production giving us equal amounts of Sandberg's intense point of view and callbacks to the antique tone of The Conjuring films, Creation, while slim on story, was effective in blending the dynamics of both its director and the other filmmakers of the franchise.
Despite not starring any major A-list actors, most of the cast composed of mostly obscure child actors, the film still retained a decent amount of performances worthy of its genre. While Without a Trace alum Anthony LaPaglia donned a part-creepy, part-cynical demeanor as the emotionally-scarred father-turned-caretaker of the story, it was the young female characters at the heart of the plot that kept the thrills alive. While it might not be all that hard these days for any young actor to put on a frightened face and scream bloody murder at a fictitious being, the performances of 16-year-old lead Talitha Bateman and the other supporting actresses that sold the terror of Creation. While the performances might not garner any major awards, the young performers lent their best to making the scares feel genuine and frightening.
Overall, while I wasn't that fascinated in the first chapter featuring the demented doll Annabelle, Annabelle: Creation was an enjoyably nerve-wracking and cohesive horror experience. With its simple plot of orphaned girls entered a strange home evolving into a thrill-a-minute chapter of slow-winding terror, Creation made for an dynamic new entry in a horror franchise that might be worth checking into.
I gave Annabelle: Creation a 7 out of 10 for its effective leap from The Conjuring films that ignited its premise, its manageable cast that sold its most frightening scares, and its cohesive production that gave its director free rein to deliver a compelling horror effort set within a maturing blockbuster franchise.
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