Annabelle 2 : La Création du mal

I'm not sure if you're like me, where every new horror feels as if someone is flogging a dead horse, but that's exactly how I felt about Annabelle Creation. Here we go again, it's a prequel to the original. That doll is dug out, sat stationary, and all manner of nasty events happen.

It's a very nicely made film, it's very well acted by the largely young cast, it's a good, if sad story, and there are a few decent scares. The trouble is, those scares have been done so many times, even, dare I say it throughout the franchise.

It lacked the interesting side story that was present throughout the Conjuring films. As I say it's a good movie, but come on, give us something other then doll scares girl.

Many good horror movies rely on a gimmick - the clap clap from the first Conjuring, Freddy existing only in your dreams from Nightmare on Elm Street etc. - and clear rules that the monster/creature/killer follows. The gimmick entices the viewer and gives us a hook or perspective on the story and the rules creates the foundation of this world and this is where Annabelle struggles.

First of all there's no clear hook or gimmick and much like how the second Conjuring decided to throw in the crooked man this movie decides to throw everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. It's also very unclear what the rules are since the "presence" (we'll call it that) is sometimes prohibited by mere physical obstacles but teleports around at other times as well as somehow being in two places at once with no explanation. I'm fine with a creature essentially teleporting but you can't mix and match features the way they do in this film without it losing some of what makes it endearing.

The child actors are mostly fine as are the whole crew but the writing does little to necessitate such a large amount of kids. We get to know very few of them and it's not like they're treated like cannon fodder for the presence either. Actually I think having so many kids somewhat subtract from the horror since I subconsciously know that are major studio won't run around killing children in their movies.

The ending of the movie is perhaps the worst part. It doesn't work because of three reasons. Since there's no set rules there's no clear end game scenario and the horror just kind of fizzles out because the run time needs it to, secondly the very last part of the movie just don't make sense to me and thirdly the beginning of the first Conjuring movie don't add up after what is set up in this movie.

With that said you'll get a few scares out of Annabelle: Creation and it's a perfectly passable horror movie that is going to rake in money and put further faith into The Conjuring cinematic universe even if it does very little to add any depth to said universe.

A prequel of Annabelle, which was the prequel of The Conjuring. Absolutely nobody asked for this. Nobody wanted this. No one. But, thankfully (surprising, right?) we got it. 

Annabelle: Creation has no business being this good. Funny enough, the same can be said about 2016's Ouija: Origins of Evil. It is strange that these two bizarrely similar films were released within a year of each other. Both follow up on terrible first films. Both are prequels of those terrible first films. Both shouldn't have been made. Both are extremely effective horror films. Oh, and both star the excellent child-actor Lulu Wilson. The similarities don't even end there. 

After the film ended and I saw who directed this, everything made more sense. David F. Sandberg has the reins here–who you might remember from directing Lights Out, another surprisingly great 2016 horror flick. The work done in that movie with the use of lighting and repetition is just as suspenseful here (if not more so, in some scenes). Sandberg thankfully stamps what could have been run-of-the- mill horror scenes with his signature creativity. Horror largely relies on the talent of the director, and this is a case of the direction only elevating the film. 

While Lulu Wilson is a definitely a standout in her second straight horror movie role, her counterpart Talitha Bateman also gives a great performance. As in most horror movies, most of the scares are seen through the eyes of the children in the film. Luckily, the two youngest actresses here–Wilson and Bateman–practically act circles around the rest of the cast. In fact, there were quite a few moments when I felt as though these two actresses deserved a better script. The pair definitely do the best they can with what they are given however, adding a great deal of character to this film. 

The bar is low when it comes to horror film scripts. Even the best of the genre still have the occasional cringe-worthy line or plot hole (The Conjuring 2, I'm looking at you). All this to say, I'm going to go easy on the faults of Annabelle: Creation's script. The writing here is not bad by any means. There are cringy lines here and there, but that is to be expected. The characters make extremely poor choices, but even that is to be expected. The problem rests almost solely in the dull first 30 minutes of this film.

Look, I'm all for slow burn horror movies. But when the star of your horror film is an inanimate object, you just can't afford to have a slow opening act. However, once this film starts picking up with the scares in the latter half of the film, much of that first act can be forgiven. The film goes in some unexpected directions towards the end of the film which adds some surprising creativity.

No spoilers of course, but the way the first Annabelle is tied in to this film is outstanding. So outstanding that it almost makes up for the 90 minutes I wasted sitting through the garbage that was that first film. Almost. 

Credit to director David F. Sandberg for rescuing this franchise from a tedious first film. Annabelle: Creation is legitimately scary, which is all you can really ask for from a horror film.

Annabelle: Creation is a massive step-up from Annabelle. With great performances by the young cast, and some excellent scare sequences, Creation has more than enough to keep you up at night.

The Mullins (Anthony LaPaglia, Miranda Otto) suffer a tragedy when the daughter Bee is hit by a passing car. Twelve years later, they open their home to abandoned girls. Janice is handicap and Linda is her best friend. There are four other girls and Sister Charlotte. Their world is turned upside down after Janice finds the doll Annabelle locked in the closet.

This is a nicely made horror movie. It has nice set pieces and individual scenes. The doll and the entity serve as nice horror villains. Whether I like or love this depends on the girls. The young actresses are fine but the characters need more individuality to stand out. Janice and Linda are the main lead. While they have more screen time, they should be given even more. One of them should be in every scene. The horrors are too scattered among the girls. It would be more horrifying if Janice and Linda suffered while the others disbelieve. That should hold out as long as possible. The other girls lack individuality which make them too much like cannon fodder. I do grow to care for the girls but it should happen sooner. Overall, it's better most horrors and it's well executed.