Annabelle
As I took my seat at Showplace 16 on the opening night of Annabelle I was expecting to be less than amused. Being someone who did not enjoy the, 2013 supernatural horror film The Conjuring, at all I figured my reaction to it’s prequel would be about the same. I was pleasantly surprised.
Though the movie is said to be the prequel it has almost nothing to do with anyone or anything from The Conjuring. Instead, the movie follows the story of a young pregnant couple, John and Mia, in the 1960’s and a haunted doll. It’s made very obvious that Mia enjoys collecting dolls and as a present John gives her a doll that she has been having trouble finding. It’s Annabelle.
On the same night, Mia is awoken by what she thinks is a scream from the neighbors house. Mia is right. It turns out that the couple’s next door neighbors are murdered by their daughter (who had disappeared and since then joined a cult) and her boyfriend. The murders try to attack Mia and John but the police conveniently intervene and shoot the murderous boyfriend and the next door neighbor’s daughter is found dead holding Annabelle. And from then on Mia and John, for the sake of not spoiling the whole movie, are haunted by Annabelle.
Some horror movies rely solely on being scary for the sake of being scary to keep their audience entertained, but Annabelle is not like that. I can honestly say that I was thoroughly not bored for the entire duration of the movie. The plot is definitely interesting, though it does have a few holes.
One thing that some viewers may find a bit disappointing is that the movie isn’t at all “scary.” It’s a little bit creepy and there are a generous amount of jump scares, which should be enough to fill your Halloween-scary-movie craving, but the movie was simply not written for the die-hard macabre fan. The movie is more plot than anything, but it is truly an interesting plot that is worth the 11 dollars and popcorn breath.
In case you don’t get a chance to catch Annabelle, here’s a few other movies that are sure to give you a fright this Halloween season:
Dracula Untold
Though it is not a horror movie, Dracula Untold is still a great one to see for Halloween considering it tells the origin story of the man who becomes the infamous Count Dracula.
Ouija
Being one of the only actual “horror” movie coming out this Halloween season, Ouija, the story of a group of teens who find themselves encountering the terrors of an old ouija board, is a must see.
Stonehearst Asylum
Stonehearst Asylum is sure to be a treat for any American Literature fan because the movie is based on The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether by Edgar Allan Poe.
Gone Girl
Gone Girl is the story of a man who is believed to have killed his wife; perfect for anyone who loves a good murder mystery.