 Perhaps this is just my perspective, but the 'Conjuring' franchise has about as much hit-or-miss quality as the 'Star Trek' franchise. While one can expect a lot of horror cliches to play out through the series, sometimes those cliches are executed poorly, and sometimes, really well, like here in 'Annabelle: Creation'; arguably one of the better movies in the collection, and a far cry from its predecessor. This film may be a prequel to a prequel, in pure cliche fashion, but it makes up for the boredom provided by the last one.
Not only are the scares much better executed here, along with the suspense, but the acting is also well done. It provides us with at least a couple of characters we genuinely care about, and it offers more than just a doll sitting there with weird things happening around her. But before we get into it, for a touch of "spoiler," it is revealed in 'Annabelle' that the doll is assumed to have been inhabited by the spirit of a girl named Annabelle, however the reality is that it's actually a demon of sorts, and this chapter tells of that origin story, answering any unanswered questions as to what exactly Annabelle is. We get introduced to doll-maker Samuel (Anthony LaPaglia) and his wife Esther Mullins (Miranda Otto), who, circa 1952, twelve years after a family tragedy involving their daughter, Bee (Samara Lee), open their home as a shelter for a nun named Sister Charlotte (Stephanie Sigman) and six other girls, when their orphanage closes. Two of these girls are outcasts from the other four, and provide our primary focus for the film: Linda (Lulu Wilson) and her polio-stricken best friend, Janice (Talitha Eliana Bateman), who have a sister-like relationship. Since the tragedy involving their daughter, the Mullins' have kept Bee's room sealed, and warned the girls not to go exploring in there. But of course, we can't have a horror movie if someone doesn't get curious. Sure enough, when Janice is left alone while the other girls, including Linda, go exploring the grounds, she does just that. She also comes upon a key in the room that unlocks a closet leading to nothing but Bible pages posted all over the small space, along with an eerie porcelain doll, made by Samuel, whom we know very well by now as Annabelle. In unlocking that door, Janice unknowingly unleashes an unspeakable evil on the house, which terrorizes essentially everyone. However, no one wants to speak about it for fear of being seen as crazy. As the film unfolds, it's full of great atmospheric tension, decent jump scares, and even a bit of dark humour that may relate to any average horror fan. As an example, the exchange of "What is that?" / "Who cares? Run!," contradicting the typical "let's check it out" idea. While not a knee-slapper, it's appreciated as one of the smarter, subtler lines I've heard in a horror movie. As I mentioned earlier, this is a far cry from the first 'Annabelle,' so if you, like me, weren't a fan, don't let that deter you from checking this out if you enjoy some of the other movies in this franchise. The scares are much better, sure, but what this movie also has is a certain amount of heart and empathy for the lead. Janice provides us with a character who has a lot of trouble being mobile, and this adds a bit of extra vulnerability to her character, especially in one particular scene involving a stair lift. Her situation reminds me of Nica's in 'Curse of Chucky,' which was also part of what made that film good. What really matters to Janice, though, is her friendship with Linda, and how much they love and care for each other, no matter what happens throughout the movie. Their connection to each other is where the real heart of the film is, and it provides a lot of good to fight against the evil that's stalking them. I'm also big on the idea that everyone experiences these weird goings-on, and these happenings don't get secluded to a couple of characters no one believes, as that would be typical. The way this is executed overall makes for one of the better chapters in this franchise. 4/5
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