ANNABELLE COMES HOME – Review

Who would have thought that James Wan’s modern haunted house classic THE CONJURING would spawn an entire universe of evil spirits? Over the course of seven films (with an eighth entry filming right now), horror fans have been treated to evil spirits of all different shapes and sizes. Yet, leave it to the littlest demon, Annabelle, to usher in a whole slew of new demons to scare audiences. 

ANNABELLE COMES HOME is a rollercoaster ride for fans of “THE CONJURING Universe.” It ramps up playfully, and then quickly turns into ANNABELLE: HOUSE OF HORRORS. Director Gary Dauberman subverts expectations and delivers more than just the standard creepy doll film that audiences have seen before. Annabelle might be coming home, but it’s the new demons that take center stage and receive the warmest welcome.

Taking a page from John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN, Dauberman’s screenplay smartly keeps the story and the cast small, centering it around a babysitter and her button-pushing friend. After opening with familiar favorites Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) tracking down our title character, the duo lock up the possessed doll in their famous artifacts room of their home behind sacred church glass. 

In typical Warren fashion, the two are soon off on their next ghost-hunting adventure, leaving their ten-year-old daughter, Judy, (McKenna Grace) alone with babysitter Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman). Daniela (Katie Sarife), Mary Ellen’s best friend, soon learns of the Warrens being away and decides that she wants to come over to disrupt the slumber party and sneak into the locked artifacts room. Suffice to say, Annabelle gets unleashed and with her a few new friends. 

Gary Dauberman is smart enough to know that after two Annabelle films (not counting the first CONJURING film), you aren’t gonna turn horror heads by having a doll slightly move or blink. Once the initial setup is put in place and Annabelle is unleashed, she takes a backseat to a grisly group of new characters. From the Ferry Man to the Bride to even a ghost werewolf (the weakest and cheesiest of the new villains), “THE CONJURING Universe” has almost doubled the number of side-characters in just one film. By the finale, it may feel a little bit like they were trying to just create more spinoffs, but it’s hard not to grin at the fun the film is having during the process.

The female-driven cast all handles the tension and scares well, providing just enough emotion and character beats to make the scare-fest not just an empty ride. However, the dialogue isn’t the film’s strong suit. At times, it surprisingly leans into 80s cliches: a stoner pizza guy, the cute boy next door, awkward dialogue between high school crushes. Sure, there are these cliches and some cheesy dialogue about evil and demons (some of which not even Vera Farmiga can make better), but ANNABELLE COMES HOME knows when it works best and tries to keep the dialogue to a minimum in order to make more room for rolling old coins, a creepy television, a bloody wedding gown, and a kid’s game that you will not want to get your hands on.

Having previously written the other ANNABELLE films and recently THE NUN, it’s clear that Dauberman knows what fans want and delivers the most exciting film in THE CONJURING universe. The scares are unleashed at a rapid pace, and unlike many horror films, they aren’t just loud noises or fake-outs. By cleverly setting the film in one location and having it take place over just a matter of hours, Dauberman is able to create a claustrophobic funhouse effect with real scares and fun world-building. I’m not sure if this universe can last another seven entries, but it’s promising to see that the ride and the visuals keep getting better.  

OVERALL SCORE: 3 OUT OF 4

ANNABELLE COMES HOME opens in theaters Wednesday, June 26th