(Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)For the first time since “Cabin in the Woods” was released in 2012, I was able to sit through an entire scary movie and scream in genuine fear rather than frustration.
“Annabelle,” the the prequel and spinoff of the 2013 film “The Conjuring,” is the perfect ice cream sundae of scary movies. The film blends the terror of satanic cults with the possession of demonic spirits, and the cherry on top is the most disturbing doll that acts as a conduit for all of the above.
"Annabelle" centers on a young pregnant couple, Mia (Annabelle Wallis) and John (Ward Horton) whose next-door neighbors’ daughter ran away to join a cult — a Satanic cult, we later find. The estranged daughter, Annabelle Higgins, murders her parents and commits suicide in the Form’s house, while holding one of Mia’s dolls she is collecting for the nursery.
The doll is left drenched in the Annabelle’s blood, thereby cursing it with Satan’s mark. A series of hauntings occur in the house that will bring you back to the “Scary Movie” films: overcooked popcorn starting a fire, an annoyingly loud rocking chair that moves on its own, phone lines cutting out, etc. Mia Form surprisingly makes the wise decision to move out after her baby is born and to trash the doll, two ideas that you rarely see in scary movies. However, as any loyal horror film viewer should know, once the devil appears he doesn’t leave without a fight — or a person’s soul.
You should see this movie for multiple reasons; the first is that the leading character, Mia Form, is ironically played by Annabelle Wallis, tormented by a doll of the same name. Secondly, the characters’ laughable amount of weakness (ex:alwaysmanaging to fall while running away from a monster) is masked by the terror emitted from Satan’s shadow that was behind the doll in every other scene. Mia forces her husband John, (Ward Horton) to promise that he will always choose the baby’s life over hersshould the situation ever arise(foreshadowing much?).
Movies that revolve around devilish cults are a hit or miss in the film industry. “Annabelle” included some humor that brought authenticity to the story and dynamism to the characters. Just because the poor people are cursed by the devil doesn’t mean they can’t be funny too, right?
The significance of "Annabelle" is based on the true story of a young girl, Annabelle Higgins, and the doll can be found in a glass case in Monroe, Connecticut.
“Annabelle” opens in theaters Friday, Oct 3.
Reach the reporter at mkthomp5@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @MariaKThompson
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