Annabelle Comes Home (2019) Review

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Annabelle: Creation gave a new spark for the Conjuring franchise because it was a story worth telling compared to the spinoffs that were released before. With it being generally good and also making its money back, a follow-up was abound. 


PLOT


2019’s Annabelle Comes Home begins when the infamous doll was retrieved by demonologists Ed & Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson & Vera Farmiga). Seeing how powerful it is, they sealed in a scared glass case surrounded by other artifacts. In 1972, the couple hire teenager Mary Ellen to babysit their young daughter Judy, while they travel overnight to investigate another case. Judy however struggles to fit in as she has her own clairvoyance and saw the ghost of a priest following her. When Mary Ellen goes grocery shopping to celebrate her birthday early, her friend Daniela invites herself to see what the Warrens have sealed. She gifts Judy rollerblades as a distraction to see the possessed artifacts in the basement. First, she finds the keys in the office and once inside, she asks for any spirit to give her a sign, hoping to reconnect with her father who died in a car accident; She’s felt responsible for his death recently due to driving that day. Instead, she opens the sealed glass of the Annabelle doll after hearing it thud on the glass and she forgets to lock it before Mary Ellen & Judy return. With handmade cake being burnt, they compromise for pizza and the haunting starts beginning when Mary Ellen notices a girl in the front porch for asking for Annabelle. When Judy bonds with Daniela at the chicken coop in the backyard, the latter would assumed she spot her dad in the house from afar, which the former sees a ghost bride. She would then see the Annabelle doll in one of the bedrooms only for it to vanish. Daniela would continue snooping in the office and find files of past files like the Ferryman, the Black Shuck and a haunted wedding dress. When she asks about Annabelle, Judy discourages the idea to talk about it. The girls then play the board game, Feeley Meeley, but get interrupted by Mary Ellen’s crush Bob Palmeri, whose nicknamed ‘Bob’s Got Balls’ off of being basketball equipment manager. Having similar feelings towards her, he later tries to woo her, under the advice of the pizza delivery guy, with the use of music and he sings to her from outside, which impresses the rest of the girls as well. Just before Mary Ellen can express she’s flattered, he runs away being chased by the spirit of Black Shuck. Daniela then goes back to the basement still hoping Ron contact her dad’s spirit, but she instead encounters a demon who blames her for what happened. The other spirits in the basement start wreaking havoc simultaneously as they trap her inside. Mary Ellen would see the doll tucked in with Judy, but doesn’t notice its significance until being attacked by the ferryman from the office. She wakes up Judy who realizes Annabelle has been the perpetrator and after regrouping, the girls agree putting the doll back would put all the spirits back to rest. Judy gets protected by Bob from Black Shuck while she retrieves Mary Ellen’s asthmatic inhaler, whereas Daniela gets possessed by the bride. When Judy gets back inside, she gets guided by the ghost priest to guide them back to the office to get the keys and the doll from the Ferryman. They barely survive the demon’s doll that attacks the girls through Feeley Meeley, and they save Daniela by playing the video of Ed performing an exorcism. After that happens, the girls are able to put the doll back in the case and cease all disturbances. When morning arises, Ed & Lorraine return and they’re caught up on what had transpired. They do brush it off understanding it was all an accident and when Judy’s birthday comes around, the girls & Bob show up with kids from school to officially befriend her. The film ends with Lorraine gifting Daniela with a message from her dad, who tells her it wasn’t her fault for what happened.


THOUGHTS


We sure got what we wanted when it came to giving us the origin of this creepy doll, but it did seem that fans also wanted to see how chaotic the basement of artifacts owned by the Warrens really is when left unchecked. Writer/Director Gary Dauberman knew this and delivered in making a horror film that knew how to go from moderately suspenseful to downright bonkers. Joseph Bishara has been composing each film since the beginning and I felt it quite effective here because he knew exactly when to put us on the edge and then bring us back to relief that the terror is halted. Because of that, the jump scares are well timed with the various demons that get unleashed. However you rank between the Black Shuck, Ferryman or bride ghost, you know they’re gonna get under your skin. Add these with that possessed samurai gear, you got a basket full of spinoffs to bank on and I’m surprised it hasn’t happened yet, not that I want it to. The fact they’re unleashed thanks to one doll puts an emphasis that Annabelle is the most powerful that the Warrens have ever encountered. With a plot that’s well engaged, I think this follow-up is just as solid as its predecessor, Creation, because it is another solid take that good can conquer evil, but it reinforces the importance of empathy & teamwork. With the Warrens out of town, we have other characters that have to deal with this scenario and it goes without saying they sure figured it all out. The only returning character from the franchise is Judy Warren, who is this time recasted and now portrayed by McKenna Grace. With respect to Sterling Jerins who go to play her three times, Grace stood out more because we get to understand she’s a sensitive one since being the child of local demonologists is the ideal nepotism to live with, as it led to having bullies before gaining friends. The fact she still got friends in the long run proves there is no shame to the roots you come from. And because she realizes this, she’s able to put her intelligence & resilience to good use when the going gets tough. Since she gained friends unconventionally, she at the very least didn’t have to go through the terror alone. Madison Iseman was awesome as Mary Ellen because she’s the idealist who accepts Judy’s background and respects what her parents do, and nothing else. She doesn’t see babysitting as a job, but instead a chance to build new friends even when she has her hands full with Daniela. Enter Katie Sarifie who does a great job portraying the latter as one who is chill but desperate to find content with the past that she gets too adventurous for her own good. That does lead to her finding out the hard way she should’ve not snooped around with things she didn’t understand but at the very least, Lorraine was able to give her what she wanted. She never asked her straight up to contact her dad because she felt that was too much to ask, which is why you respect it for happening the way it did. Lastly, I thought Michael Cimino was a delight as Bob because he really broke out of his shell as well to prove he’s a nice guy. Before taking on Black Shuck, he sure won over Mary Ellen when singing his heart out and it’s nice to know she still gave him a chance when the night blew over. On top of that, it was sweet of him to return to the house for Judy’s party, which makes him a keeper if you ask me. This movie is fine for what it is, but then again, there are still some things story-wise that could’ve been done better. For instance, if the demon of Annabelle possessed the truck coming Ed’s way, does that include the sound of the whole thing? I gotta ask because a 70s truck is loud as hell and it’s hard to believe Ed wouldn’t hear this. And personally, he and Lorraine should’ve locked their office if they didn’t want anyone to snoop around the basement. If I gotta get into continuity errors, I’d have to say how odd it is to see no frosting on the cake after it got burnt when we saw Mary Ellen put it on in a previous take. It then felt weird for Bob to not speak up when he knocked because knowing he’s going to Warrens’ home doesn’t mean he knows he’s in a horror movie to leave everyone in suspense. Also, Mary Ellen should’ve considered leaving the house with the girls if she knows Ferryman is starting a fuss. Then again, why is the ghost priest able to travel past the school to help the girls contain Annabelle? I’m down for a Deus ex machina, but it should make sense. I don’t even see why Mary Ellen doesn’t consider destroying the box of Feeley Meeley instead of sticking her hand in knowing what would happen. There’s not even a point for the hands to come out of the box if they can’t pull Judy in. Ignore these things however, then you’re still set for a thrilling good time. In short, Annabelle Comes Home is a better spinoff than we expect due to being the exact story we wanted the first time around. If you’re still a a fan of the franchise at this point, check this out when you can.