Review of Annabelle (2014) by Patrick L — 19 Aug 2015

"Maybe the dullest horror movie ever to feature a creepy doll".

DVD Movie Review: Annabelle.

Date Viewed: January 21 2015.

Directed By John R. Leonetti (Mortal Kombat:

Annihilation).

Written By Gary Dauberman.

Starring: Annabelle Wallis, Alfre Woodard,.

Ward Horton, Tony Amendola, Brian Howe,.

Kerry O'Malley, Ivar Brogger, Eric Laden, Gabriel Bateman and Shiloh Nelson.

Really Hollywood, "Annabelle" is supposed to be scary? It is the dullest movie ever to feature a creepy doll. It is a spin-off and a prequel to "The Conjuring" which grossed $320 million worldwide and became a huge hit for director James Wan. Even though I gave a mixed review to "The Conjuring", it was one of the best looking horror movies of this decade. The man who shot "The Conjuring", John R. Leonetti made "Annabelle" and the result is a sleazy horror film that brings nothing new to this genre.

"Annabelle" also features the most boring couple I have ever seen in a movie. The movie begins in 1969 where we meet John and Mia Form (Annabelle Wallis and Ward Horton), they live in Santa Monica and they are expecting their first child. John soon gives her a present, it's the doll that she's always wanted, the creepy doll that will soon terrorize their lives. Soon, their neighbors get murdered by a satanic cult and they go after John and Mia as well. The assailants are soon killed by the police but one of them, Annabelle Higgins was holding the doll while she was dying. Why is that important? A drop of her blood causes the doll to be possessed by a demon.

Then we get your typical horror movie cliches, the elderly priest who tries to stop the evil spirit, the cat jumping out of the closet, the creaky door sounds, the white-robed figures who are always not scary, and the elderly black woman who has been through this ordeal before. The elderly woman is played by Alfre Woodard and honestly, she hasn't aged in twenty years. Alfre, You are not a grandma, you're still old enough to have sex with a thirty-year old man.

"The Conjuring" breathed new life into the scary movie genre, "Annabelle" just sucks out all of the freshness from that movie as well as 100 minutes of your life. The acting is not good, the story is predictable and the pig-tailed doll (who made a small appearance in "The Conjuring") is not scary. "Annabelle" is a cheap horror movie that only relies on jump scares, horror movie cliches and the "Before The Conjuring There Was" tagline just to make a huge profit at the box office.