By: Elisha Summers

If you are looking for a movie about creepy, possessed porcelain dolls, look no further. Annabelle: Creation has you covered . . . and by covered, I mean jumping off the edge of your seat in panic. Disclaimer: if you ever want to have children, this movie may cause some second thoughts.

     This film quickly shifts from the depiction of a seemingly normal, happy family (the Mullins) to the tragedy of their daughter Annabelle dying in a car accident, which in turn leads to their haunted narrative. This could have all been avoided if the parents had taught their daughter to look both ways before crossing the road . . . basic street safety can do wonders.

     12 years later, the family welcomes a group of girls to live in the Mullins’ home as their new orphanage. A large portion of the scariness takes place in Annabelle’s former bedroom, as the protagonist Janice can’t resist entering the locked, unfamiliar room. The audience can surely gather that Janice won’t follow the rules of the orphanage, and this renders true as she discovers a doll that’s locked away. This prompts the spooky noises, demonic attacks, shape-shifting, and physical takeovers that precede gore and dismemberment. The suspense of this movie, backed by a haunting, lingering soundtrack helps lead up to many jumpy moments, which is exactly the kind of exhilaration that many scary movie fanatics long for.

     Though the storyline is somewhat predictable, the movie incorporates many unique components that help add to the suspense and thrill of it. For instance, when Janice is trying to use the accessible chair lift to escape back down the stairs, it stops working, lifts her back up towards where the doll waits, throws her into the air, and drops her back on the floor.

     The ending of the movie is very cleverly constructed in order to preserve the name of ‘Annabelle’ and act as a segue into the next predictable narrative. There is no doubt that the same demonic presence, which so successfully haunted the Mullins family, will continue to terrorize new and unsuspecting victims.

     It is not recommended that you pair two or more glasses of wine with this movie, as it increases the scare-factor by about 10. It is also not recommended that you consume any hot beverages while viewing, as they will surely end up on your lap.