ANNABELLE COMES HOME Needs to Stay in the Box

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres this Friday from director/writer Gary Dauberman, James Wan and Warner Bros. Pictures is ANNABELLE COMES HOME.

Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed (Patrick Wilson) are bringing the doll Annabelle back to their locked room of evilness. What they haven’t realized yet is daughter Judy (McKenna Grace) is having difficulties of her own in that arena when an article comes out in the paper about her parents and what they do.

Leaving town for a night, the Warren’s leave their daughter in the care of trusted babysitter Mary Ellen (Madison Iceman). When her friend Daniela (Katie Safire) learns where Mary Ellen is babysitting, she wants to see the house of the demonologists.

The sitter has other plans which are to make a cake for Judy who is going to have a birthday soon. Seeing the parents off, the two settle in for a little cake baking time but are interrupted by Daniela who barges in. Mary Ellen isn’t thrilled but when Judy wants to skate around the block, Daniela volunteers to watch the cake baking.

In fact Daniela has other plans as she finds the keys to the artifacts room. Instead of being curious, she has opened the door to a room full of things that have been waiting to get out – especially the doll Annabelle.

That’s when a night of scares begins and the reality of what has been freed means the Warrens need better locks!

Iceman as Mary Ellen is as sweet as can be and looks very responsible from the get go, but then she is easily swayed by a someone who doesn’t seem to care about a friendship. Once the evil is out, Iseman gets a chance to show her flashlight skills but not her common sense.

Grace as Judy is a kid living with parents that are demonologists – let that sink in! Judy is a moody kid but with reason yet that reason seems to disappear as quickly as it came. She seems more disturbed about her birthday party than a doll wreaking havoc on her home.

Sarife as Daniela is an arrogant, self-absorbed and disrespectful teenager who, at the era the film is supposed to represent, would have gotten an ass whuppin’. She is asked to leave – doesn’t, she is asked not to touch anything – does – repeatedly, and is given a gentle slap on the wrist for endangering a child’s life? Yea, didn’t work for me.

Wilson and Farmiga return for a bit before and after the film which saddened me. They ARE the reason for all of the films success and are whittled down to practically a cameo.

I do, however, give high fives to Bob (Michael Cimino) for his cuteness, scared tenacity in the name of love and wolves and knowing how to use a guitar properly under pressure. I cheered for Bob!

ANNABELLE COMES HOME is a sad ending to a series of films that otherwise always got my attention. I’ll be honest; it’s mainly for the story’s that included the Warrens. The characters played by Farmiga and Wilson are the very reason people crowded to the theatres. They Warren’s made us jump, scream, grab and throw popcorn in fright. Without them, there really isn’t anything left and there shouldn’t have been an attempt to try.

But this is Hollywood milking the last bit of cash from a doll that has clearly lost her mojo. The first ten minutes I thought were a peek at what the film’s frights might be but instead I got a pre-teen and teen film filled with the most ridiculous happenings. I laughed at the comedy of it all.

Yes, there were “scary” moments but nothing along the lines of what we have seen in Wan’s prior Warren-based THE CONJURING stories. The tease of what could happen shows up and then falls flat. It’s like this story was thrown together with everything but the kitchen sink and the only reason they didn’t use that is because it was full of unwashed dishes.

There was so much more than could have been done in this film, the artifacts are there for the telling and yet it gets the slight of hand and the odd remark here and there. The ending is ridiculously pat and layered on thick like the icing on Judy’s cake.

Let’s hope the doll stays in her case – permanently – or at least until someone takes THE CONJURING/ANNABELLE genre a little more seriously and remembers what made us all jump and cheer in the first place. Get back to that, get back to the basics and for gawd sakes bring Wilson and Farmiga back into the game coach!

In the end – she comes home to stay!