Produced by James Wan of The Conjuring fame, John R. Leonetti directs the spin-off prequel Annabelle, a film about an evil doll who threatens a young couple and their newborn baby.
Set in small town America is the story of John and Mia Form, who find themselves under attack from a doll possessed by an evil spirit. From the opening Manson style attack, having their first child to trying to protect their family from a demonic doll, this is a patchwork quilt of a film.
Annabelle Wallis does a solid job as Mia Form, a mother trying to protect her baby from a satanic spirit. Ward Horton is equally good as the initially sceptical (aren’t they always?) husband trying his best to save his family. The supporting cast of Tony Amendola and Alfre Woodard do the most with the little they are given and manage to bring some weight to what it a lightweight film.
Clearly cashing in on the success of The Conjuring, though directed by Leonetti, Wan’s fingerprints are all over this film. Like The Conjuring, Annabelle is conscious mishmash of previous, more successful, more original horror films. Part ‘Chuckie’ part ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ there’s nothing here, except one brilliantly executed scene, that hasn’t been done before, and been done better.
The main problem is that by revealing the back story, to this admittedly creepy doll, it actually demystifies it and takes its’ creepiness away. That anyone would want to own this creepy looking doll to begin with is a mystery in an of itself, but seeing how the doll became demonic in the first place actually undermines it.
A cynical cash-in with no original ideas of its own, Annabelle proves these kinds of films are anything but ‘Child’s Play’.
‘Annabelle’ opens in cinemas around the UK from October 10th.
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