j* Movie Reviews 2019

Annabelle Comes Home (2019)

This is such a roller-coaster of homely, textbook horror funtimes.

First, can we talk a little about "bone-chilling." I've always considered this to just be an intellectual type phrase that substitutes nicely for "leaves you cold." And physical-physiological reactions at the movies are pretty common; laughing, crying, jumping, screaming, gasping, goosebumps, shivers... even the spreading heat of "heart-warming" is something I've experienced in the cinema. And I've had cold shivers along my spine before, or the squeams.

But during Annabelle, I had a whole new reaction I could only think must be "bone chilling." It was an intense sensation of moving cold running along the inside of my leg bones, from shin, up to just past the knee. I can't even remember exactly which scene prompted it, because the feeling was so new and intense I was quite distracted and excited. My (eye) money is probably on it being FerryMan.

Anyway, BONE-CHILLING... is it a psychogenic reaction you think you've had to film or art?

Annabelle Comes Home is the third Annabelle movie and the seventh in some Conjuring franchise. We went in cold having never seen any of the predecessors and this one was really freaking good. I'm sure there might be nods to the past films if you knew where to look, but at no point did I feel I didn't understand this film on its own terms.

It's a sumptuous early 70s period piece with awesome decor and fashion. Kind of like That 70s Show with more poltergeisting, and an excellent Milla Kunis substitute in the form of Katie Sarife. After some clear pre-story establishment (the doll is bad mmmkay) we get straight to the story. Occultist couple leave blonde babysitter in charge of their daughter. Babysitter's friend comes over wanting to contact her dead dad, breaks into the room of bad things and unleashes bad spirits. That's it, and that's perfect.

It is a textbook horror of this type... like a glossy new textbook with the new smell and better diagrams and probably some interactive animations in the ebook. It is a wonderful new tome. It rollercoasters brilliantly through light and fluffy parts that feel like a cheerleader/babysitter film, then back into the dark spooky jump-scare depths of nastiness and spirity spook. It is a really fun ride.

Most of the film centres on the three main girls taking turns to battle their particular spooks. Sometimes they team up. Huge shout out here to the kid, played by McKenna Grace (previously young Tonya in I,Tonya). She gives me all the powerful vibes Dakota Fanning or even Christina Ricci had back in their child acting days. There is this glorious token teenboy character/love interest and I was truly on board the hilarious "Bob's got balls" by the end of the film... it was kind of this delightfully meta recurring gag celebrating that really, he was just the guy with the balls. The only one with balls literally. I took it as a big joke about the celebration of male heroism... whilst our chicks are slaying unsung.

It is a film that leans, appropriately, back to the period of religious power in the framework of a good vs evil spirit horror. So you have lots of cross-wielding and prayer and connections the greater demonic underworld. It's so delightfully homely, and haunted house with pink frosting on birthday cakes. So many excellent haunting devices. And for all she's the title character, Annabelle did not do what I expected she might. Great lighting, great moods, really well paced for jumps and scares and tension and funny bits.

J* gives it 4 stars.

The only thing keeping it from 5 stars is lack of a new idea or an original premise. This is old school evil done gorgeously new. Like I keep saying, textbook rollercoaster of well done horror fun.