GrimPrecise I'll tell you why so serious

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

ShangLuda Admirable film.

Josephina Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

bravosiguenza They try so hard to creep you out with the doll's face (personally I don't find it scary at all) that you just get used to it. I mean, you already know the doll from the posters, trailers, previous installments, etc. But still they insist on relying on the "creepy" doll to engage -and try to scare- their audience. The problem with so much emphasis on that prop: a forsaken story whose linearity fails to build tension, and also makes the plot easily predictable.Acting was bad (specially that of Mia). Additionally, we have plot holes. For instance, there were no solid basis on why Anabelle decided to possess that specific doll and haunt that specific family. Would have she attacked the Forms had not John enterd her parents' house that night? If the demon's ultimate goal was to "devour" (?) a soul, why waste so much time haunting a mother and not just take away the baby as soon as possible? Also, why on earth would Evelyn get so deeply involved with that family to the point of taking her own life to save the baby?Maybe there are more unanswered questions, but my point has been made.

areatw As someone who loved the original 'Conjuring' movie, and 2016's sequel for that matter, 'Annabelle' was a must-see for me. After reading some scathing reviews beforehand, I wasn't expecting much from this film. Whilst I didn't think it was as bad as some have suggested, 'Annabelle' certainly doesn't come close to reaching the same heights as 'The Conjuring' did, which was a seriously scary film.The scares in 'Annabelle' are few and far between and quite predictable, but there are a few scenes that do make you jump. Unfortunately, one of 'Annabelle' main flaws is its failure to build up any sort of tension, which is partly down to its thin plot. Most of the film felt quite tame, even the ending which was something of an anti-climax. Maybe this film has been judged too harshly by comparing it to 'The Conjuring'. It's not a bad horror film, but I expected more.

swilliky The creepy doll gets its own horror movie and somewhat of an origin story. Mia (Annabelle Wallis) is an expectant mother and doll collector who is given the porcelain figure as a present from her husband John (Ward Horton). He doesn't believe her when she says she hears a scream from the neighbors but investigates to find the neighbors bleeding. Mia is attacked by followers of a satanic cult and the woman cultist, Annabelle Higgins, kills herself when the cops arrive, bleeding into the doll's eye. Mia recovers from a stab wound to her stomach, though her child is still alive inside her. Strange noises start to sound in the night and weird occurrences like the sewing machine coming on as the doll shifts.John throws the doll in the garbage when Mia is disgusted by it being held by the murderous woman. When all the stoves mysteriously turn on starting a fire and something grabs her leg, Mia is taken to the hospital and has the baby. They move to a new apartment and attend a church service with a congregation led by Father Perez (Tony Amendola). Somehow, the Annabelle doll shows up again much to John's concern but Mia wants to keep it. She meets her neighbor Evelyn (Alfre Woodard) but is also haunted by a strange woman walking around her house while she sleeps. She sees strange things and tries to convince her husband who turns to the church.Check out more of this review and others at swilliky.com

Wuchak RELEASED IN 2014 and directed by John R. Leonetti, "Annabelle" stars Annabelle Wallis & Ward Horton as a young couple in Southern Cal suburbia in the aftermath of the Manson murders (1969-1970). The focus is on the former who's pregnant and gives birth in the first half. Meanwhile their house and, later, apartment is cursed and it's somehow linked to their creepy-looking vintage doll and a couple of Manson-ish occultists who invade their home in the first act. Tony Amendola plays their priest while Alfre Woodard is on hand as a concerned book store owner. This movie surprised me. I thought it was going to be a silly killer doll flick, like the Child's Play franchise, but that's not the case. While there are elements of a ghost story, this is more a demon tale; and the details to this effect are commendable. The movie's austere with a couple of genuinely scary episodes, particularly the basement/stairwell sequence. The CGI 'monster' is effectively realized and wisely not overdone."Annabelle" shows how the Manson murders were the death knell of the 'peace & love' counter-culture movement. Hippies would never be viewed the same after the horrific Tate murders of August 8, 1969. The drug-addled Woodstock took place just days later and it was indeed 'three days of peace & music,' but The Altamont Speedway Free Festival in early December (less than four months later) put the kibosh on the hippies' idealism forever. It's a shame too, as they had a hold of something real underneath their drug-obsessed fog (not that all hippies were druggies, but it was certainly the norm). If I may put forth a slice of personal philosophy, this movie illustrates how demons are viewed as the epitome of what is scary in modern culture. Yet the bible shows them SHRIEKING IN HORROR at the mere sight of the Mighty Christ. More than that, they BEG HIM not to torture them and throw their filthy backsides into the Abyss! Read it for yourself in Luke 8:26-31. THE MOVIE RUNS 99 minutes and was shot in Los Angeles. WRITER: Gary Dauberman.GRADE: B+