Annabelle Comes Home (2019)

Directed by: Gary Dauberman | 106 minutes | horror | Actors: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Mckenna Grace, Madison Iseman, Katie Sarife, Michael Cimino, Samara Lee, Kenzie Caplan, Sade Katarina, Michael Patrick McGill, Brittany Hoza, Sheila McKellan, Eddie J. Fernandez, Steve Coulter, Luca Luhan, Gary-7, Paul Dean, Alison White

James Wan is a self-made man. This director broke through with ‘Saw’, handed over the series and saw his intelligent thriller develop into a raunchy horror phenomenon that gave birth to the concept of ‘torture porn’. While other directors continued with Wan’s base, the man himself continued making new (horror) films. These attempts were well received. ‘Insidious’ and ‘The Conjuring’ became successful blockbusters after Wan’s first drafts. ‘Annabelle’ was a spin-off of ‘The Conjuring’ and revolved around the demonic doll of the same name.

After a mediocre first part that turned in good sales, a much better sequel followed that gave hope for the future. ‘Annabelle Comes Home’ is part three in the saga surrounding the diabolical toy object. Often sequels aren’t too good. But what about this movie?

‘Annabelle Comes Home’ shows how the paranormal couple Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) discover Annabelle and put it in a high-security (read: sprinkled with holy water) display case. When their daughter’s babysitter’s girlfriend opens the door to Annabelle’s prison, all hell breaks loose. Literal.

Director Gary Dauberman took a good look at Wan and that results in a well-crafted, but unsurprising horror/thriller. The tension is very tight and Dauberman aims to create a sultry atmosphere that slowly works towards a climax. Jumpscares are rare.

The controlled camera work – the action is always clearly portrayed – in combination with a strong soundtrack produces a few haunting scenes. The seasoned horror fan has seen these fragments in a slightly different form a thousand times before – sometimes better, but often less strong.

‘Annabelle Comes Home’ is an expertly crafted genre piece. The acting is decent and the cinematography also scores well. The decor with an authentic 70s atmosphere also deserves a big thumbs up. In Wan’s ever-expanding horror universe, which also includes lesser gods like ‘The Nun’ and ‘The Curse of La Llorona’, this horror film is one of the better ones.