Yesterday I went to see the prequel of a prequel and although I had very low expectations for this film, I was actually surprised. With the success of The Conjuring came a prequel solely about the doll Annabelle (which was terrible imo) and after that came another prequel about the origin of this doll. The film opens to a slow start but does a very good job in the second part of the film to make it a solid horror flick. Here are some of my thoughts about it.
David F. Sandberg, director of Lights Out, does a much better job this time around. The doll itself is creepy as hell and Sandberg utilizes this to his best advantage. Rather than focusing on jump scares, this film manages to maintain a creepy atmosphere that keeps you trying to guess what will happen next. I didn’t jump at any particular scene and yet I felt I got more scared than any other recent horror film. The best part is no doubt the connection towards the first film. The plot is very well thought out and it didn’t felt forced like The Conjuring 2 did with the original. Horror films tend to have such bad endings that this ending was actually a refresher.
The bad parts of this film have to go to the acting. I didn’t really care for any of the characters aside from the two little girls, Lulu Wilson and Talitha Bateman.
Side note: Lulu Wilson was also in Ouija: Origin of Evil which also happens to be a prequel to a terrible first film. Both Annabelle: Creation and Ouija: Origin of Evil have been much better films than their original installments. (I recommend this film as well)
Another bad aspect of the film is the demon. All this tension builds up and when we finally get to see the demon in the shed house, it disappoints. Rather than a demon, it reminded me more of a “lagoon-ish” creature.
Overall, the film is decent. I recommend it for anyone who likes the horror genre. Leave your thoughts on the film!
Pedro's Films 