Susan Granger’s review of “Annabelle” (Warner Bros.)
Do you remember the collection of horrific, supernatural artifacts belonging to Fairfield County’s husband-and-wife ghost-hunting team, Lorraine and Ed Warren, which were on display in “The Conjuring” (2013)? Among them was a demonic doll named Annabelle, which was kept in a locked cupboard. She’s front-and-center this time ‘round. As the prologue explains, dolls have been cherished objects since the beginning of time. And wide-eyed, grinning Annabelle is no exception.
Set in Southern California in 1969 and slyly referencing Mia Farrow from Roman Polanski’s “Rosemary’s Baby,” the pregnant protagonist is named Mia (Annabelle Wallis), who gives birth to a baby girl named Leah. Mia’s married to medical student John (Ward Horton), who presents her with Annabelle since she’s expressed her love for large, garish, vintage dolls. When they’re viciously attacked and their elderly neighbors are brutally killed by members of a Satanic cult (an obvious allusion to Charles Manson’s followers), the invaders leave behind an errant demon. Even when the young family moves from Santa Monica to an apartment in Pasadena, spooky, telekinetic Annabelle goes with them. Eventually, Evelyn (Alfre Woodard), who runs an occult book store, clues helpless Mia in – but do they ditch the doll? John tries – but she miraculously shows up in one of the moving boxes and assumes a place by Leah’s bed. Even calling in their parish priest (Tony Amendola) doesn’t seem to help.
Screenwriter Gary Duberman and “Conjuring” cinematographer John R. Leonetti never manage to make the killer doll concept as terrifying as it should be. One interesting touch is how they lifted composer Joseph Bishara’s theme from “The Conjuring,” making it the music on Leah’s mobile. But, in general, crude, gimmicky horror movie clichés prevail: all-too-familiar ominous occurrences like slamming doors, creaky rocking chairs, curtains fluttering in a non-existent breeze, malfunctioning electrical appliances, sporadic TV reception and an endangered baby carriage.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Annabelle” is a tedious 2, a strictly superficial fright-flick that’s teasingly rated R for “intense sequences of disturbing violence and terror.”
