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Tuesday Terror: Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
Annabelle Comes Home is like a haunted house at the carnival. There’s a lot of jump scares, creepy noises and frightened folks (kids in this case) scrambling and screaming from monster to monster. The Spookhouse gets the blood pumping but you’re at a carnaval; the knife slicing through the air gets close but doesn’t even graze the skin.
The story is thus: The Warrens bring Annabelle to their home and add her to the cursed objects collections in the basement. The demon attached to her is such a chaotic force that they must put it inside of a glass case.
In other words, sticking Annabelle in a room with these objects is like putting a lit candle in a room full of gunpowder and dynamite. What could go wrong?
After establishing that Annabelle is a bad, bad girl, the Warrens call over a babysitter and disappear from the movie. The babysitter has a friend who has just lost her father. She wants to go to the cursed room to find a way to connect with him. That is a mistake. Before you know it, all the spooks are on the loose – led by Annabelle.
Do you remember the tv show Friday The 13th: The Series (Hey Gen Xers!!)? It was about people working to track down and take back haunted antiques. Actually, the intro explains everything. There is an episode where people are attacked by the cursed objects they have taken out of circulation.
Annabelle Comes Home reminded me of that. Many of the demonic objects that have been resting idly in the background get a few minutes to shine. It’s a set up for future Conjuring movies to explore their origins. I also wouldn’t be surprised if the Warren daughter gets another movie or two: I Was A Pre-Teenage Exorcist.
My favorite bit is when potential boyfriend – of course, a boy shows up – is menaced by a werewolf of sorts. When it appears that all is lost, he digs down deep and summons the courage of El Kabong.
After a while, it’s clear that there’s no real danger here. The resolution is actually sweet. It didn’t bother me, but someone looking for more horror, gore or tension will be disappointed.
Tips:
-Doors are locked for a reason.
-Demonic objects aren’t a good way to contact the dead.
-Learn the ways of El Kabong!
Tuesday Terror – Annabelle: Creation (2017)
Annabelle: Creation is a vast improvement over Annabelle. There’s actual action, suspense and a few scares that aren’t spoiled by the trailers. The acting is solid thoughout – even if the script requires the characters to walk into harms way. I didn’t realize the movie was rated R, so I was surprised when the movie “went there” so to speak. This movie is “haunted house” style fun.
This could be an 80s sitcom.
It’s best to see the movie without viewing the trailers first. Beyond jump scares, the big “reveal” as to the how/why of Annabelle is basically explained in the trailer. I was waiting for there to be another big secret in the third act. There is a reveal that cements Annabelle: Creation to the first movie, but it didn’t feel like a big enough revelation to me. My reaction to it was “oh, okay” not “wow”.
I’m interested in finding out how the character of Mrs. Mullins, the woman of the house, evolved through the finalizing of the script. In a scene that takes place before tragedy befalls her family, a man asks Mr. Mullins a question but it’s Mrs. Mullins who gives him the answer. I don’t think Mr. Mullins even attempts to give a response. I get that feeling that she is the one who made the decisions while he went along for the ride. My guess, and this is just a theory with no foundation, is that Mrs. Mullins had a bigger role that was reduced and visual references to the demonic nun were shoe-horned in.
It’s a bit late for that…
Any way, some other observations:
*If Samara had come up out of that well…
*Did no one vet the Mullins before allowing kids to live there? The Church doesn’t keep records?
*Creepiest house decorations ever – hanging dolls, outfits just hanging on doors for no good reason.
*Nothing against Sister Charlotte, she is a faithful protector of all in her care – but the Catholic Church has lost it’s banishing evil mojo.
*Is that Annabelle? Nope, just my knees and ankles cracking.
