Annabelle (2014)

The movie may have gotten harsh reviews because it doesn't meet the conjuring standard,however, it is not awful at all. The movie starts slow sure. The second half of the movie picks up and did scare me. The ending is also intriguing and horrifying and I liked it. I didn't like how they say the doll became to be possessed and there could have been a better story there. With that said its still worth your time.

Riding on the coattails of "The Conjuring" and cashing in on that horror movie, "Annabelle" succeeds when it comes to making money, but falls on its face as a horror movie. But I'm getting ahead of myself…let's start with the story. A man buys a super creepy doll for his pregnant wife — she collects dolls, even ugly, creepy ones that would give Charles Manson nightmares — and then they get attacked by cultists. A female cultist named Annabelle is killed by the police, and her body is found cradling the creepy doll. Does the couple move out? Nope. Do they get rid of the doll that was cradled by the serial killer woman during her final moments? Nope. Do creepy, evil things start to happen soon after that? Yup! The clueless couple eventually accept that they are being haunted, and after befriending a woman (played by Alfre Woodard) who has some experience with the supernatural, they figure out what is haunting them, and why. How to stop the powerful, malevolent force…well, that's not so easy.My most memorable, movie moment of "Annabelle" is the scene when Annabelle levitates, and the evil force that is making her rise is shown."Annabelle" is told with a leisurely pace — many would call it boring and slow, but I didn't mind it too much because it revealed much of the mindset of the female half of the couple, and that mindset is crucial to the finale. What I did have a problem with is that the scares were too few and far between; and the Woodard character did something at the end which I found to be out of character. Although there was a scene in the second act that was supposed to set up what Woodard did at the end, it still made no sense after I analyzed Woodard's words and actions. It just completely took me out of the movie and my mind was screaming "Shenanigans!" Mannysmemorablemoviemoments

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.

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+