ANNABELLE
Annabelle produced by James Wan and directed by John R. Leonetti was released in 2014. This film is a spin off of and prequel to The Conjuring.
Annabelle is a fictionalized account set in 1969. It tells the story of how a demonic spirit may have ended up possessing a doll. The story told of a husband and his pregnant wife occurs one year prior to the doll being given by a mother to her daughter as a birthday gift which is the portion based on the true story of Annabelle.
In 1970, a nursing student named Donna received a vintage Raggedy Ann doll as a gift from her mother. She took the doll back to the apartment she shared with another student Angie. They began to notice that the doll would move subtly while they were at class and within a few weeks she actually was moving from room to room. Donna and Angie also reported that they were finding notes written on parchment paper around the apartment. Donna claimed she did not keep that kind of paper in her house. Eventually, Donna and Angie contacted a medium who conducted a seance. The medium claimed the spirit of a dead child who had been killed in front of their building by the name of Annabelle had attached herself to the doll. Donna was satisfied with this explanation and decided to keep the doll. Unfortunately, the doll was actually possessed by a demon who had lied about who they were. After the doll inflicted physical harm to Angie’s fiancé, the girls contacted a priest who contacted Ed and Lorraine Warren.
The Warrens investigated and had the priest perform an exorcism on the girl’s apartment to cleanse it. Donna turned the doll over to the Warrens and it is in their possession to this day. Unfortunately, you can no longer visit Annabelle as Ed and Lorraine’s Occult Museum as it is permanently closed.
I was very discouraged prior to watching this film. I had spoken to more folks that were disappointed or didn’t like Annabelle. However, I really enjoy creepy, possessed doll stories so I went ahead and watched it. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting to hate it but I actually liked it. The acting was strong and I loved the look of the film’s brooding vibe. I’m not sure the story was as strong as I would have liked but it was entertaining.
I think there were two factors that caused disappointment with many viewers. The first is that this was not straight up horror. I feel it is a horror/drama which may be why many felt it was not scary or creepy enough. The second problem is that the film didn’t tell the part of Annabelle’s story that was based on the Warren’s account. I believe many people were expecting that as was I. I was disappointed myself when I realized the film would not be based on the experience Donna and her roommate had. I think that would have made the movie a lot scarier. As a result, if the movie is based on a true story we would rather have that than a fictional extension of that.
In spite of this, I still enjoyed the film and it kept my attention. There were some genuinely creepy moments. I must warn any potential viewer though that there is little violence. This is more of a slow burn and if you like creepy dolls I think it’s worth a watch.
LITTLE MISS HORROR NERD’S RATING: 3 out of 5
Now for some Annabelle trivia :
1. The director claims there was supernatural activity that occurred on set.
2. Annabelle is one of the most famous haunted dolls next to Robert the doll.
3. The apartment used in the film was the first apartment Ellen Degeneres lived in when she first moved to Los Angeles.
4. The film carries multiple references to Rosemary’s Baby.
5. There is a cross on top of the case the real Annabelle is kept in.
Read about the real Annabelle doll from The Warrens’ website
Tour of the Warrens’ Occult Museum:
