Review of ANNABELLE COMES HOME: Simple Successful Scares

June 28, 2019

The Warrens kept the demonic Annabelle doll inside a specially blessed glass case in the room of possessed objects in their home. One day, the Warrens had to leave their home for another investigation so they got neighborhood girl Mary Ellen to babysit their daughter Judy. Mary Ellen's guilt-ridden friend Daniela paid them an unexpected visit which eventually led to Annabelle's unfortunate release. 

The main action of this film was confined mostly within the many rooms of the Warren's house. That claustrophobic feel permeated the whole film to keep everyone watching on the edges. Every production detail needed to enhance the eerie atmosphere was employed here -- the very dim house lighting, the rolling fog outside, the labyrinthine arrangement of rooms with all those dark nooks and crannies. Like previous films in the Conjuring series, there was also a creepy game in this one, the Feeley Meeley, where you need to put your hand through a hole in the box and feel around inside.

With Annabelle serving as "a beacon for souls," practically all those spooky exhibits in the Warrens collection came to life to cause terrifying mayhem. There was a Ferryman with all those coins falling to the floor from the eyes of the dead. There was the Bride in her haunted white wedding gown. There was vicious Hellhound on the loose out in the yard. All those other things we've seen in that room before -- like the Samurai armor, the drumming monkey toy and the clairvoyant television -- all got to show off what they can do.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return as Ed and Lorraine Warren, but they merely bookend the film with their presence. The bulk of the film was carried by three young actresses. 13 year-old Mckenna Grace was the withdrawn Judy Warren, who shared her mother's third eye. Madison Iseman was a responsible Mary Ellen. Katie Sarife was the curious Daniela Rios. As always, these three intrepid girls were doing everything people do in horror movies which people will not do in real life, all to make us in the audience squirm in our seats. Michael Cimino provided comic relief as Mary Ellen's nervous suitor Bobby.

The whole concept of the film was very simple yet quite effective for its objective. Long-time horror writer Gary Dauberman (who wrote all three "Annabelle" films, "The Nun," "It" and its upcoming sequel) now also sat on the director's chair for the first time. He had Annabelle and the whole Warren collection at his disposal to generate the scares for the three girls (and his audience), and he went to town with all of them. It took time for Annabelle to get started, but when she did, the scares just kept on coming. 8/10.