The third movie in the Annabelle series, Annabelle Comes Home by Gary Dauberman stars Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Mckenna Grace, and others. The plot of Annabelle Comes Home revolves around the Warrens’ house when they step away for a while leaving their daughter Judy Warren (Mckenna Grace) with babysitter Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman). Daniela Rios (Katie Sarife), a friend of Mary Ellen, joins the duo at the Warrens’ house. In addition, Michael Cimino plays Bob Palmeri who stays across from the Warrens’ and has a crush on Mary Ellen. The accursed doll Annabelle is unwittingly set free, and all hell breaks loose. We see if the movie is worth a watch in the Annabelle Comes Home film review.
Although Annabelle Comes Home doesn’t have a narrative of any heft, that wouldn’t have been such a big deal, had the jump scares been compelling. Even after a considerably weak first half, I was looking forward to a livelier second half. Considering that the film took time to build up the story, I was expecting it to deliver some stunning scares. Alas, I was disappointed. Apart from a couple of satisfactory scares in the second half, Annabelle Comes Home doesn’t have much else to write home about.
Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson yet again light up the screen with their incredible chemistry. Although, they have minimal screen time in Annabelle Comes Home and most of the film rests on young actors like Mckenna Grace and Madison Iseman. And while they carry off some scenes rather well, towards the finale of the film, the narrative doesn’t leave them with much to do. It is so predictable that you can see things coming from a mile.
Also, it seems all too conveniently scripted to make a movie where there isn’t one. Who would be so foolish as to step inside the Warrens’ room where they keep all the demonic artifacts without thinking twice. It all seems too fabricated to be engaging. Katie Sarife has the distinction playing the dumbest character in the movie, who goes around looking for trouble and promptly finds it. Of course, Daniela doesn’t even come close to the poorly scripted character of Bob Palmeri played by Michael Cimino. He keeps popping out from nowhere in the story and seems to be an afterthought.
A saving grace amongst all of this is Mckenna Grace, whose acting is spot on as she tries to salvage the situation. She does know a thing or two about demons but cannot do much when the situation gets out of hand. The writers did not think it necessary to develop further Mary Ellen’s character, who is shown to be shy and unsure of herself while her friend Daniela is brash and impulsive. A stronger, more fully constructed Mary Ellen could have elevated the story. Instead, what we have here is an inconsistent narrative. For instance, Mary Allen, who hesitates to articulate her feelings for Bob early on in the movie, puts up a courageous fight against the demons.
Annabelle Comes Home with clichés written all over it, coupled with the fact that it doesn’t try to tread new grounds, would have still been acceptable, were it to deliver some outstanding scares through its runtime. Alas, it doesn’t do that either.
Fans of the Conjuring movies might want to have a look at this one for continuity sake. As for the rest of the horror fans, Annabelle Comes Home has nothing in it to recommend a watch. Maybe the Conjuring Universe needs a breath of fresh ideas, for which the fans of the horror franchise will have to wait a little longer.
Meanwhile, if you are craving for a good horror movie, A Quiet Place is one that I can recommend that you watch in case you haven’t already seen it. It has a tight narrative, and some craftily done scares. Something Annabelle Comes Home needed to have for it to work for me.
(1.5 / 5)
What do you think?