Better Than Average Bear
The seventh film in the Conjuring Universe franchise, this back-to-basics approach brings plenty of atmosphere and scares even if the shopfront is familiar. Warning: positively do not open.
The barrier sometimes seems high for entering the Conjuring Universe. Following the release of The Conjuring in 2013, Annabelle served as a spin-off and prequel for the doll introduced in that original film. A few sequels and sidebars later, Annabelle: Creation (2017) acted as a prequel to that prequel. Now in ANNABELLE COMES HOME, we have a sequel to that prequel set after the prologue of The Conjuring.
Still with me? The TL; DR version is that there’s a creepy doll and several people have contended with her over the decades. In this latest instalment, which could just as happily be a standalone, paranormal investigators and eliminators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) bring the titular doll home and lock it away in their basement of ill-advised keepsakes.
Cue the babysitter Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman) arriving to look after the Warrens sweet but outcast daughter Judy (Mckenna Grace). However, when Mary Ellen’s friend Daniela (Katie Sarife) unlocks a door that she probably should have left closed, all hell breaks loose in casa del Warren.
If the other films in The Conjuring Universe have harked back to 1960s and 1970s British and American horror themes, the ANNABELLE COMES HOME (or The Conjuring 1.5 if you prefer) goes straight for the something closer to the early 80s. Take out the stylish trappings and ghouls from the previous entries, what we’re left with is the basic shell of a teen slasher/spam in a cabin genre. Which is just fine and dandy, really.
That genre territory means relying partly on shocks derived from reveals, disappearances, and gross-outs. Yet debut director (and series screenwriter) Gary Dauberman and cinematographer Michael Burgess (The Curse of La Llorona) fill every frame with a misty haze and soft lighting that gives the picture genuine atmosphere, something that’s been a series staple. Particularly effective is the use of spinning coloured light in Judy’s room, cleverly edited together with the appearance of various nasties that are drawn to Annabelle.
At times it feels as though Dauberman and co-writer James Wan are merely filling the kitchen sink thriller with more characters for potential spin-offs. There’s even a scene where the kids go through case files with intriguing names like The Ferryman and The Black Shuck, teasing their later appearance. Yet for a franchise that’s had its ups and downs, ANNABELLE COMES HOME is a back-to-its-roots win for the creators and a fun bit of horror with some cool surprises.
2019 | US | DIR: Gary Dauberman | WRITER: Gary Dauberman, James Wan| CAST: Mckenna Grace, Madison Iseman, Katie Sarife, Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga | DISTRIBUTOR: Roadshow Films (AUS) | RUNNING TIME: 106 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 27 June 2019 (AUS)
