Last summer's scarefest breakout, The Conjuring, barely missed the cut of my top 10 movies of 2013. It's a thrilling movie that's terrifying to behold and fun to witness. It pays homage to classic horror movies, while also crafting new ways to scare you. It's actually a good film- a rare feat in the usually shlocky horror genre.
One of the most disturbing elements of The Conjuring was the Annabelle doll, which appeared in the first 10 minutes before disappearing until the film's final act (and even then only showed up for a few moments). The focus wasn't on her, but she was hardly forgettable; in fact, many people cite Annabelle as the scariest part of the movie. Warner Brothers felt strongly enough about her apparently though, because shortly after the critical and commercial success of The Conjuring they announced a spin-off starring the doll. Suffice it to say, fans of the original film like me were curious and excited for the prospect of having an entire film dedicated to the smiling toy.
Unfortunately, Annabelle is about as wooden as it's titular doll.
The acting is second rate, the story is uninteresting, and the visual effects are sloppy. But worst of all, the filmmakers completely did away with all the components that made The Conjuring so terrifying. Much like Psycho and The Exorcist, director John R. Leonetti take a fantastic concept and turn it into a disaster.
Set a few years before the Ed and Lorraine Warren get their hands on the doll, Annabelle tells the story of a young California couple dealing with freaky occurrences. It serves as a sort of origin story for Annabelle, as we learn that she originally was a rare doll that the pregnant Mia (Annabelle Wallis) has been seeking for her collection. The doll gets imbued with supernatural abilities when a group of satanic cultists invade the home of Mia and John. The devil (not just the more believable evil spirit in The Conjuring) himself takes over Annabelle, and as its powers grow, so too does the level of terror inflicted on Mia, John, and their baby.
The Conjuring mastered the art of keeping things hidden, letting the audience imagine their own nightmares taking place in that particular household. It never shows actual demons like Annabelle does, nor does it give into tired plot devices to progress its story.
Not to mention The Conjuring had great performances from Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, while Annabelle features C-level talent from people who I'm pretty sure failed out of acting school. Alfre Woodard and Tony Amendola do their best, but they're not working with much help from either the cast or the crew.
Granted, nobody goes to a horror movie expecting a work of art. They go to get the living daylights scared out them, right? Well, that's another strikeout on Annabelle's part. Other than really two moments, the movie is just not scary. The doll seems silly by the end, and a lot of that has to do with how poorly the director uses her. A lot of times, she's just sitting there staring, and does nothing to elicit a reaction from anyone other than the wimpiest of viewers.
The Conjuring certainly merits a sequel. And perhaps Annabelle is just a fluke, meant to tide us over until The Conjuring 2 comes out next October. But I wish they would have just waited to actually create a good movie. Annabelle's character works really well in the original because she's in it so infrequently, and isn't the driving force of the film. She's there just to freak you out, and reference other horror creations like Chucky in the picture.
The Conjuring had such great potential as a franchise starting point, with James Wan at the helm and Farmiga and Wilson returning film after film as the Warrens- real life paranormal investigators that have inspired generations. Annabelle is their most infamous discovery, and her inclusion in The Conjuring worked as a minor role. As evidenced in Annabelle, however, we learn that she cannot hold her own as a major star.
If you want a good horror movie for this Halloween, go check out The Conjuring (or see it again, because as I learned this past week, it's still great fun and scary as all get out). Otherwise, ignore the box office receipts and pretend Annabelle doesn't exist as anything more than a placefiller for AMC's FearFest from 2:00-4:00 on a Tuesday afternoon.
No comments:
Post a Comment