A Critical Take - Annabelle: Creation
Even before it was released, New Line Studios knew that The Conjuring would be a hit. Following positive reviews from critics, yet before the movie was even released, the studio was announced to have started planning a sequel on the famous ghost hunting couple, Ed and Lorraine Warren. Since then, a whole universe of films have been released that interconnect in some way, and Annabelle: Creation does not fail to add to this.
If you haven’t read my article on what New Line’s next scheduled movie, The Nun, that might help you understand a few key points in this universe and the general idea of what Annabelle: Creation is doing for it. I won’t be spoiling anything from any of the movies in this article though, so it’s all good otherwise. So let’s begin with what I thought A:C did really well.
The entire premise of a horror movie is like an inversion of a comedy; the director must always try to catch the audience with something unexpected. Sadly, this has boiled down to either having graphic jumpscares, as is present in many recent horror films such as the Paranormal Activity series, or having a really off-the-wall premise, like Human Centipede or Lights Out. What is beginning to become absent in the horror genre is the idea of true subtlety, which is a powerful element to have in a film. Rather than a graphic demon jump out when the audience is tense, subtlety involves making things happen that you may or may not notice the first time through the movie. A door moving, a face appearing and fading away, a figure moving across a doorway, all without any sort of audio or visual cue. What is the most terrifying thing, especially in the paranormal genre, is the idea of something creepy happening without anyone to notice it. A:C pulls this subtlety off well in a few scenes of the movie, all of which made me uneasy.
In addition to this is how the movie begins to drum up questions and hype about an inevitable sequel. Valak, a demonic spirit who was featured in a previous installment of the franchise, is featured in the film, yet is not necessarily the main villain. A few scenes in A:C relate to the questionable figure who is believed to be the focus of New Line’s, The Nun, yet is never explained to be a part of the Annabelle story arc, or if this new film is a prequel/sequel in another region of the series’ universe.
All this is not to say that the movie is perfect though, as it does have its shortfalls. One of the major issues is the inclusion of throwaway scenes, or “straw men”, who are included for a dull point later on in the film. I say this with some hesitation though, as for all I know New Line is setting up another framework to allude to in the future. I kinda doubt it though, especially with a few scenes I have in mind. There are also some plot points that seem rather under-developed. Sure, the film is nearly two hours long meaning it doesn’t have much more room for expansion, but some parts seemed as if they were thrown in for an easy explanation of something.
Furthermore, despite my mention of A:C using subtlety earlier, there are a few scenes that use more explicit visual and audio clues. Some of these scenes are rather tastefully done, demonstrating the demonic appearance or the malevolent, unworldly nature of the spirit. In contrast, there are some scenes that were more frivolous and seemed to be trying to appeal to the gore/shock seekers in the audiences. The shots looked nice, but realistically were just made as a vivid image of something absurd.
This all being said, I thought Annabelle: Creation was a pretty decent movie. It was fun to watch, yet was actually decently thrilling at points. It expanded on the franchise, and is acting as a very effective way to introduce audiences to what New Line has to offer. All in all, there was nothing that bored me in the movie, so the two hours went by pretty quickly. It was worth the cost of the ticket, and I might go see it again, but I won’t really be lining up for a DVD/Blu-ray combo.
The entire franchise of The Conjuring is proving its marketability and potential for expansiveness, especially with the entire catalogue of reports that Ed and Lorraine Warren have. New Line can use these as seeds that can branch out and keep this universe thriving for years to come. Oh yeah, and don’t forget to watch ALL of the credits on A:C. Hint, hint.
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