A year after “The Conjuring” (2103), the producers tried out a new idea, likely inspired by the burgeoning success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: a horror cinematic universe. It’s kind of a silly idea at first blush, but also a financially successful one. (The ninth “Conjuring” Universe film is slated for later this year.)
Expanding the universe
The first spinoff is “Annabelle” (2014), which tastily imagines the titular doll’s adventures before she ended up in the glass case in the Warrens’ artifact room. Aside from the couple getting named dropped, and Patrick Wilson’s Ed saying a line of dialog from off-screen, they aren’t here. The doll becomes the connective tissue.
Well, she and the old-school setting. It’s 1967 in this film directed by John R. Leonetti (“Conjuring’s” cinematographer) and written by Gary Dauberman, whom “Conjuring” director James Wan delegated to oversee the “Annabelle” branch. (There are now three films. The prequel “Annabelle: Creation” is the best, and the sequel “Annabelle Comes Home” is decent inasmuch as it features the Warrens’ home and their daughter.)
“Annabelle” (2014)
Director: John R. Leonetti
Writer: Gary Dauberman
Stars: Ward Horton, Annabelle Wallis, Alfre Woodard
“Annabelle” is not as flavorful as Wan’s launch to the CU, but it does capture the late Sixties via the wardrobe of Mia (Annabelle Wallis, whom Wan would later tap for “Malignant”), her concern for her unborn (and eventually born) child in this year before “Rosemary’s Baby,” and the general sense that the man (Ward Horton’s John) is in charge of the family.
Actually, “Annabelle” is like a relaxing and comforting riff on “Rosemary’s.” Yes, John – busy at work – is behind the curve on grasping that the doll is evil. But he clearly loves his homebound wife and, by movie standards, is quick to believe her. And there are no crazy neighbors in this apartment building: Alfre Woodard’s bookstore owner Evelyn is a good friend to Mia.
The connection to old-school horror is there, and the performances are good (see also Tony Amendola as kindly and intelligent Father Perez), so this is not an embarrassing entry in the CU. But we know the beats from the beginning.
No room for surprises
The opening scene finds the next owner of Annabelle telling the Warrens the doll moves around on her own. While it’s true that we already know this because we’re familiar with the haunted-doll genre, it is odd that Leonetti and Dauberman cede their chance at any suspense about the doll’s nature.
Leonetti, for his part, recovers with good staging. We see Mia in a foreground room, and the camera is positioned so we (but not Mia) can see into halls and rooms behind her. A figure moves past a doorway.
Sometimes Mia shares our awareness of the stalking figure. In a scene made semi-famous by the trailer, a ghost girl suddenly moves toward a closing door, then morphs into an adult ghost as she bursts through.
“Annabelle’s” horror playbook is well stocked, and the plays are run proficiently by the actors and director. But when one thinks of the wild ride Wan took Wallis on in “Malignant,” or the extra layers of mood found in other “Conjuring” Universe films, “Annabelle” does not stand out.
Despite being a horror film, it’s more of a dream than a nightmare – something that leaves your mind, rather than lingering. If you don’t drift into a slumber before finishing it.