Annabelle: Creation – Unpopped Review
Quick Review:
The Conjuring universe is continually expanding and I couldn’t be happier with this most recent addition that shows how the Annabelle doll came to be. In this film David F. Sandberg (Lights Out) takes the reins and shows us even more horror tricks that he has up his sleeve.
Synopsis (iMDB):
Several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon becoming the target of the dollmaker’s possessed creation, Annabelle.
The Good:
The Scares – Every horror film needs good scares, and Annabelle: Creation is filled with them from beginning to end! Yes, there are plenty of quick and dirty jump scares, but Sandberg also uses slow looming shots that help build suspense. There are plenty of scares that take place in the background scenes and are entirely out of focus. These moments are very predictable, but somehow the music, acting, and suspense work in such a way to make them scary every time.
Tricks with Lighting – A lot of horror movies deal with lighting tricks. Sandberg’s first feature length movie, Lights Out, even showed many these tricks as the highlight of the movie. Well, you can tell that he was holding out. There are a number of scenes that use flashing/blinking lights just like in Lights Out but in an entirely new way. He even used daylight! I mean… most horror movies become predictable by simply knowing “night comes, so do the horrors.” Well, Annabelle let’s you think that… until it’s flips it on it’s head. It’s absolutely perfect and surprised the crap out of me!
Acting! – First, everyone does amazing! Obviously some do better than others and there are even two characters that probably could have been cut entirely, but every role was acted fantastically. That being said, there is one standout performance that I have to mention. Lulu Wilson! She came onto the scene a few years ago, Deliver Us from Evil & Ouija: Origin of Evil, and now she continues her amazing horror run! It’s amazing how at only 11 years old she can carry a film and stand out against other amazing actors. I hope one day she can break from the horror genre and show us what else she can do, but she’s got a lot of career left so I’m happy with wherever her career takes her.
Universe Connections – I won’t take any easter eggs away from you, but just know that Annabelle: Creation continues to build and expand The Conjuring Universe. You don’t need to see any of the other films (including the first Annabelle) to understand or enjoy this one, but it couldn’t hurt. I mean, they do make some delightfully fun hints to its past and future. Wow… It’s sad that I have more faith and joy from WB’s Conjuring Universe than I do in their DC Extended Universe. But I can’t help that it has 3 good movies under it’s belt when the DCEU only has 1 maybe 2.
R for Restricted (but with Restraint) – Annabelle: Creation is rated R and I wouldn’t change that because of the horror and some of the third act visuals. But what I loved about it was how much restraint was used. Nowadays, R means that you can go as crazy as possible in grossing out the audience. And that’s sad because in horror movies often what you don’t see is scarier than what you do. So I’m glad it was able to use the R rating to increase the horror while not going too far just for the sake of it.
The Ehh and Ugh-ly:
I’m having a very hard time trying to think of anything negative to say about Annabelle: Creation! I guess I could say the ending confused me a little, but that was more my fault than anything else. I could talk about how stupid some of the characters are, but it’s a horror movie and that’s just what you get. Honestly, it’s a great horror film so there’s no need for me to trash talk.
Verdict:
Annabelle: Creation is a ride of constant suspense and scares. A definite must-see for any horror film fan!
