Annabelle Comes Home Movie Review

Annabelle Comes Home (2019)

Rent Annabelle Comes Home on Amazon Video
Written by: James Wan (story by), Gary Dauberman (screenplay by)
Directed by: Gary Dauberman
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Mckenna Grace, Madison Iseman, Katie Sarife, Michael Cimino
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
While babysitting the daughter of Ed and Lorraine Warren, a teenager and her friend unknowingly awaken an evil spirit trapped in a doll.

Verdict
A tired premise that couldn't keep my interest. This strings together scares with no story to serve as a foundation. The impressive sequences are bullet points rather than a narrative.
Skip it.

Review
I thought I had seen the other Annabelle movie, but it turns out there are two and I haven't seen either. I have seen both Conjurings and The Nun. Ed and Lorraine appear at the beginning, but are absent most of the movie, making this feel like a knock off of The Conjuring instead of a spin off.

Annabelle just wants to play.

The premise is typical. An evil doll terrorizes teens. There is nothing past that setup. Scares are set up, paid off, and repeat. It's a by the numbers movie all in all, and that gets boring quickly. With no real story, the parts in between scares are just filler.

Mckenna Grace plays the Warrens' daughter Judy.

Part of the problem is that Ed and Lorraine Warren, the paranormal ghost hunters, are introduced at the beginning and then disappear. The teens can't carry the movie like the Warrens. There's an attempt at character development, but it doesn't play into what's happening well.

There are some really nice setups and good looking shots but there isn't an overall goal or direction. The girls are trying to stop Annabelle sure, but without an idea driving the plot the movie feels thrown together.