The month of October has ended, and typically we move on from horror films and back to current releases and whatever film suits your whimsey. This week however falls at the end of October and beginning of November and the current releases are still of the horror variety...plus they suit my whimsey. Thus, even though Halloween has passed, I bring to you a bonus week of horror reviews, so this week I review a film that is a few months old, having release in August. One we at Red Moon honestly overlooked because it is a sequel to a much worse film, and it’s name alone truthfully generated disinterest. This film is Annabelle Creation.

 

A prequel to the first Annabelle film and a part of the Conjuring universe Annabelle creation surpasses its predecessor in every way. The Conjuring and its sequels are both exceptional horror films that are spawning more spinoffs and sequels. The first was Annabelle, based on the doll seen in the first Conjuring, that is haunted by a demonic presence. This film tanked hard and even casual audiences weren’t too impressed. Yet somehow it garnered a second. Annabelle Creation tells the story of a doll maker named Samuel, played by Anthony LaPaglia, who surprise, surprise, makes Annabelle for his daughter, who soon perishes in a tragic accident. When strange things begin occurring around his home, Samuel and his wife Esther, played by Miranda Otto at first believe the spirit of their girl has come home. To their horror something evil has arrived instead. Years of peace go by and Samuel soon takes in several orphaned girls and Sister Charlotte, played by Stephanie Sigman, a nun who is the caretaker of the orphaned girls. Their arrival reawakens the once dormant presence.

 

Annabelle Creation does what all good sequels do, build upon the story and world set up in previous movies. It however goes one step further by also being a good film. With superior acting from a truly talented cast, and true scares Annabelle Creation is everything its predecessor wasn’t. Directed by David F. Sandburg, director of Lights Out, another acclaimed horror film, Sandburg uses subtlety to create the scares, masterfully letting the suspense build. With creative use of lighting, it is often what you don’t see that is scarier than what you do. This doesn’t mean it’s without its flaws. It does contain some plot holes that could easily be explained away if they had taken the time, they are however minor bumps that don’t take away from the horror experience.

 

All together though Annabelle Creation is a solid film that actually builds upon the world of the Conjuring. For being a truly chilling sequel to the dud that was the first Annabelle,

 

I give Annabelle Creation 3 out of 4 stars.