Let’s just say the prequel to the Conjuring will make moviegoers think twice about keeping their old childhood dolls around the house as keepsakes.
John R. Leonetti directs the new horror film and has also directed the thriller The Butterfly Effect 2 and Mortal Kombat 2. Leonetti is also known for his work on The Conjuring, Insidious, and The Mask. He has directed a new horror/thriller television series called Nowheresville that is expected to premier sometime in 2014.
Leonetti has a knack for adding a lot of jump scares into his movies. When you expect something to jump off the screen, nothing happens. But then, when you least expect it, he gets you. Boom! The worst jump scare that freaked most of the audience out happens within the first ten minutes of the movie. But don’t worry there are more to come!
Annabelle is an insanely, creepy-looking doll that is possessed by demons and haunts a young married couple after a gruesome incident occurs in their neighborhood and home. Annabelle spends a lot of time rocking back and forth in a rocking chair in a baby’s nursery. She also likes to play terrifying tricks on the couple using sounds of slamming doors, turning on a sewing machine in the middle of the night and popping popcorn that starts an explosive fire in the couple’s home.
Mia is the main character that Annabelle and the demons try to possess. Mia is a doll collector, and her husband gave Annabelle to Mia as a gift before their baby is born. Mia becomes psychotic and crazed because of the tricks that Annabelle plays on her. Mia really does go through a lot in the movie, and I started to feel sorry for her as I watched her life be destroyed by a doll. English actress Annabelle Wallis plays Mia, and is known for her acting in X Men: First Class and Body of Lies.
John, is Mia’s husband and tries to protect her, but the demons are too powerful. John also is in residency to become a doctor so he is not home when a lot of the terrorizing is happening to Mia. I felt like John was a decent role, but there were not a lot of opportunities in the movie for him to challenge himself professionally as an actor. I don’t think he will be remembered professionally for this particular role.
This movie will leave moviegoers with an eerie feeling as they walk out of the theaters. For a few minutes, it made me think of my childhood dolls that are stored in the basement, and how they’ve got to go! But after a while, the eeriness wears off and life goes on.