 Maybe this is just my perspective, but I swear, the 'Conjuring' franchise has about as much hit-or-miss quality to it 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 may be a prequel to a prequel, but it makes up for a lot of boredom provided from the last one.
Not only are the scares much better executed here, along with the suspense, but the acting as well. It provides us with at least a couple of characters we genuinely care about, and it provides much more than just a doll sitting there with weird stuff happening around her. But before we get into it, for a touch of "spoiler," it is revealed in 'Annabelle' that the doll is thought to have been inhabited by the spirit of a girl named Annabelle, but the reality is that it's actually a demon of sorts, and this chapter tells of that origin story, answering and unanswered questions as to what exactly Annabelle is. We are 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 (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 outcast from the other four, and provide our main 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 warn 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 happens upon a key in the room that unlocks a closet leading to nothing but Bible pages posted all over the small space, and an eerie porcelain doll, made by Samuel, who we know very well by now as Annabelle. In unlocking that door, unknowingly, Janice unleashes an unspeakable evil on the house, and it terrorizes basically everyone, although no one really wants to say anything 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!," while not being a knee-slapper, it's appreciated as being one of the smarter subtle lines I've heard in a horror movie. As I mentioned earlier, this is a far cry from the first 'Annabelle,' so if you were like me and wasn't a fan, don't let that deter you from checking this out if you enjoy a lot 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. Janice provides us with a character who has a lot of trouble being mobile, and it adds a bit of extra vulnerability to her character - especially one particular bit involving a stair lift. Her situation is similar to Nica's in 'Curse of Chucky'. What really does it for 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 is where the real heart of the movie is, and it provides a lot of good to route for against the evil that's stalking them. I'm also big on the idea that everyone experiences these weird goings on, and it's not just secluded to a couple of characters no one believes. For my money, the way this is executed, overall, makes for one of the better chapters of this franchise. 4/5
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