“Diabolical forces are formidable. These forces
are eternal, and they exist today. The fairy tale is true. The devil
exists. God exists. And for us, as people, our very destiny hinges upon
which one we elect to follow.”
-Ed Warren
Last year one of my top film choices was a horror film titled The Conjuring. A PG-13 haunted house possession film, perhaps the most effective PG-13 horror film I've ever seen. I typically cringe when I see a horror film receive the PG-13 rating but thanks to Director/Producer James Wan I don't worry about it anymore. The only thing I worry about is having to see the movie with a bunch of giggling, groping, loud mouthed, texting teenagers barely in high school, "ARG!" Gosh, I'm getting old.
The Conjuring opens with a scene about a doll named Annabelle. The scene has nothing much to do with the rest of the movie but, man does it set a scary tone! In this little 5 minute scene we are introduced to the doll Annabelle, told it isn't possessed but used as a conduit for demonic activity, to frighten and breakdown its victims and eventually take possession.
In the new film that opened this last Friday, ANNABELLE is a prequel story and spinoff focusing on the origin of the doll. WARNING. SPOILERS AHEAD. The film begins with a young couple, John and Mia, about to have a baby. Mia is a doll collector and John buys her a special rare doll for the collection. That night next door their neighbors are murdered. The killers head next door, knife the pregnant Mia in the belly, attempt to kill John. The police storm the house, gun down one of the killers and find the other, a woman, dead having slit her own throat while holding Mia's new doll in her arms, blood running over it. A strange symbol is smeared in blood along the wall. Mia is rushed to the hospital.
Once Mia is released from the hospital strange things start happening in the house. The sewing machine turns on by itself. The oven lights up. And the doll seems to move on its own. The detective assigned to their case arrives and explains that the couple who attacked them belonged to a cult. The act of violence was for the purpose of a summoning ritual. The woman's name was Annabelle. They call their priest to help. He attempts to take the doll but the inhuman entity attacks him. It will not stop until it takes a soul. The demonic entity steals Mia's newborn daughter coercing her to offer it her soul in exchange for the baby's life. Mia grabs the Annabelle doll and steps out onto the window ledge...
You'll have to watch to see what happens next. James Wan delivers another solid horror film. The film isn't as tension filled as the Conjuring or Insidious but when the scares come they deliver in spades. And there are scares a plenty. Perhaps the most frightening moment in the movie is the scene on the stairwell. But I'm not going to give it away. This one delivers and is right up there with the Conjuring, Insidious, and Insidious Part II. This gets the NinjaMitche' seal of approval.
Overall Ranking: 6 out of 10
Nude-O-Meter: 0 out of 10 (not surprising given the PG-13)
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