the conjuring spinoff, Annabelle

[Primetimeloser]

I had a press, screening ticket for this last night but didn't go because I promised my daughter I would take her. So just bought 2 tickets for the 7pm showing this Friday night.
Daddy/daughter horror movie night at the theater

Awwww you are such a good daddy

[moregore]

I will see this film Sat nite at the Drive In looking forward to it

[hacknslash]

I got a say this looks better than the Conjuring will be hitting this soon. In the trailer when the creepy lil girl tears ass at her through the door an turns Full Size Fuckin Creeptastic

[Macready]

I just got back from seeing it with my daughter. I'm tired so here is a cut and paste from my Facebook:

And the verdict is Annabelle is scary as fuck! The movie is what it is. Had more effective and unnerving scares than The Conjuring. Sold out show, screams throughout, standing ovation at the end. Great time at the theater. I give Annabelle a 7.5/10. One scene in particular will stay with me for a long time!

[CountOrlok]

I might see it next week. I fucking hated The Conjuring, but at least this movie doesn't feature the Warrens in it. Probably be lame as fuck though, that trailer was hilariously stupid.

[Macready]

I might see it next week. I fucking hated The Conjuring, but at least this movie doesn't feature the Warrens in it. Probably be lame as fuck though, that trailer was hilariously stupid.

If by lame as fuck you mean it being a mainstream horror flick that delivers on exactly what it is supposed to, yes you are 100% correct. There wasn't a seat left in the theater and not only was the audience screaming, laughing, and having a great time through the entire film...they gave it a standing ovation once the credits rolled.

Will this win any awards, of course not. Is it a damn fun movie that provides enough chills and scares with some great camera work, fuck yeah it is.

[CountOrlok]

Well if it's fun then that's enough for me. The greatest sin a film can commit is to be boring.

[Macready]

It starts off slow but quickly gets going and once it does it's balls to the wall. Leonetti knows how to set up his scares, his track record with Wan speaks for itself. There are certain scenes in this that show he has the talent for this body of work. As I mentioned above, one scene in particular ranks up there with the scene at the end of Lovely Molly as ones I will always remember.

[CountOrlok]

Not a fan of James Wan at all. I don't like the Saw movies and The Conjuring did nothing for me. I never bothered checking out his other work.

[hacknslash]

Dead Silence an Death SentenceJames Muthafucksin Oriental Aussie Wan! Its Like the Young Brothers all over again

[Necromancer]

This movie is an example of what Hollywood can produce if they really wanted to put some effort into the project. Strong storyline, great atmosphere, sets and set pieces reflected the time period rather well. Those that have bits of nostalgia in their blood or maybe live through that time recognized the black and white television with all the common problem they had with them. The one program I recognized right off the bat was Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in which put the events of the film in the late 60's early 70's. Coverage of the Manson murders places it more like early 70's.

If Hollywood can put out quality films like this regularly I may have to start going back to the theaters more often 7.5 / 10

[TonyVato]

Thanks for the feedback Mac. I have to wait till this Friday to go.

[CountOrlok]

I still say the best possessed killer doll flick is Trilogy of Terror and I doubt this would even come close. But I'll probably still check it out.

[Macready]

The main disconnect here with Annabelle is people thinking she runs around killing people like Chucky. She is merely an object that a demon is attached to. She doesn't move.

[Macready]

For those that saw this...

Spoiler...

At the end, in the shop did you notice the real (not REAL, but what it actually looks like) sitting on the shelf in the background?

I that was a nice touch.

[moregore]

http://2coolghouls.blogspot.com/2014...ie-review.html

I wrote a short review on my blog I saw it last Saturday night I enjoyed drive inn was packed

[Primetimeloser]

The main disconnect here with Annabelle is people thinking she runs around killing people like Chucky. She is merely an object that a demon is attached to. She doesn't move.

I'll admit i was expecting that. I could have used less loud music and more creepy doll but i still enjoyed it.

[Necromancer]

The main disconnect here with Annabelle is people thinking she runs around killing people like Chucky. She is merely an object that a demon is attached to. She doesn't move.

Agreed, but the way they shot the film they did mislead you into believing that you would see Annabelle running around at some point in the film, and that is what pissed people off. Or at least that's what I am assuming pissed em off. Me I thought it was close to brilliant the way they got into your head to get you to think she was going to move which added to the tension.

[woodenheart]

Let's see, how many jump scares and slamming doors can fit in a movie?!? Alot!
As soon as you were introduced to the bookstore owner, I knew how the film would end.

4/10.

[BurnetRhoades]

Agreed, but the way they shot the film they did mislead you into believing that you would see Annabelle running around at some point in the film, and that is what pissed people off.

If that's the case then these people are also likely bored, mystified and pissed off by all kinds of things that reasonably intelligent people wouldn't be. They're seeing this film, a lot of them, because of the sequence featuring the doll in The Conjuring. That said, they shouldn't have expected to see it move, or walk or do anything physical or be Chucky.

Now, the length of time the doll appears in that other movie is just about as long as it would be reasonable to sustain any kind of tension with the thing at all before becoming repetitive. It's really only a short film's worth of material but they decided to milk it. Okay, but the whole trick to making this thing creepy and scary isn't the idea of it moving it's the idea or realization that it's moved. You throw it away, the next day you find it right back in your house. You put it in a draw or cabinet or box, you find it sitting on the couch, or in your car, or in your office at work. That's creepy. That's alarming. Chucky isn't. Chucky is campy as hell. With this thing the danger is in whatever is inside the doll possibly getting into you, or driving you mad. Not any kind of physical threat. It's totally psychological and spiritual.

The Conjuring didn't imply this thing was Chucky and neither did the trailer. You just can't dumb shit down enough for some people, I guess.

edit: think about that wonderful scene in Poltergeist in the kitchen + dining room (a film that gets this shit right where films like this and The Conjuring and other modern attempts at supernatural horror mostly fail). We see the chairs in disarray; Mom straightens the chairs and camera pans with Mom to the kitchen, framing out the table + chairs; moments later Mom walks back towards the dining area and shits a brick because the chairs are in a pyramid formation on top of the table.

No sound, no cut, nothing jumps out at you. Mom gasps at the same moment 99% of all first-time-viewers do as well so it doesn't really or only half qualifies as a "jump scare" but it's one that sticks with you long after cheap, K-Mart jump scares are long forgotten (usually before you get to the next jump scare) and it wouldn't have been nearly as effective if we'd even seen blurry movement over Mom's shoulder. One of these newb horror directors would have likely dropped back to a wide shot so we could totally see the chairs fly around and form the pyramid and been lame like that.