MPAA Rating: R/ Genre: Horror/ Stars: Stephanie Sigman, Talitha Bateman, Lulu Wilson, Anthony LaPaglia, Miranda Otto, Grace Fulton, Philippa Coulthard, Samara Lee, Tayler Buck, Lou Lou Safran, Mark Bramhall, Adam Bartley, Brian Howe, Kerry O’Malley, Brad Greenquist/ Runtime: 109 minutes

I feel it is safe to say that dolls with a mind all of their own have always been a source of fear in the hearts and minds of audiences. Indeed be it Talky Tina from The Twilight Zone, the quippy maestro of pint-sized horror that is Chucky, the clown from Poltergeist, or even any Ferbie doll in existence, I feel that this child’s toy has always been able to lend itself to scares fairly easier than most. However, even after all the creepiness that dolls have brought to the world of entertainment, I think it is safe to say that people still hadn’t seen anything quite like Annabelle aka Raggedy Ann if she became possessed by the forces of darkness. Indeed while she made her first appearance in The Conjuring it wasn’t long before she got her own movies so she could scare for more than just simply 5-10 minutes at any given time. To that end I feel it is safe to let you know that Annabelle: Creation isn’t just one of the best spin-off films in the growing world set up courtesy of The Conjuring movies; it’s also a frightening good time period as well as a perfect showcase that its talented cast and director are truly just getting warmed up in this particular genre of movie-making.

The plot is as follows: set a solid 10 years before the nightmarish events in the first Annabelle film and way before she was ever taken in by the Warrens, Annabelle: Creation tells the tale of the Mullens family whose lives are thrown for a serious upheaval when their only child is tragically killed in a unforeseeable accident. Shortly thereafter, the Mullens attempt to fill that particular hole in their lives by transforming their isolated farm into a haven for a group of orphaned girls. It isn’t long however before circumstances turn horrifically dark as an evil presence within the house begins to develop a fondness for 2 of the girls in particular, and it isn’t long before everyone in the house finds themselves engaged in a terrifying conflict where no less than their lives and their souls are the very things at stake…

Now before anything else, I think the main thing that you should be able to pick up on whilst in the process of watching Annabelle: Creation, with the possible exception of just how much more enjoyable this one is than its 2014 predecessor, is also just how much this one actually feels like a typical film in the horror genre than the 2014 predecessor. Indeed instead of being set in LA in the throes of the counterculture movement, we find ourselves transported to Mid America in the decade known as the 50’s with an atmosphere that feels more down to earth even folksy in a sense. Thus by feeling like what we might expect from a horror film, this film is able to succeed tremendously both in its creation of a haunting sense of being isolate from the rest of the world while also setting up a never-ending atmosphere of gloom and doom as well.

Now even though this aspect might result in this film to be docked for uniqueness by a few horror purists out there, this film I assure most definitely makes amends for that in regards to the amount of skill on display. Suffice it to say that none of what is pulled off in this film would’ve been done if not for the terrific skill in filmmaking that David F. Sandberg brings to the table. Indeed this is one individual who manages to show that he is definitely a filmmaker in the horror genre to keep a close eye on. Indeed through the utilization of several hands-on and straightforward methods that he utilized to great effect in the movie Lights Out, Mr. Sandberg manages to ensure that this movie’s narrative rolling at a sufficient enough rate of speed without once trading away the movie’s pace. Indeed the genre of horror has always been a hard one to work in, and as such it is fantastic to see this movie’s director truly get the most scares out of this film possible utilizing no more than either a blurry individual that is creeping around in the shadows or the noise some footsteps make when they run up some stairs in a dark house. Indeed even though there is some instances of blood and gore in the film, this is still a film which chooses to utilize first and foremost a sense of sustained tension and dread to deliver its scares and chills and in that regard it does so beautifully.

It should also be said that a significant amount of the beauty that these chills are equipped with is thanks to the director’s affinity to utilize the main setting in this film in a way that is both efficient yet also thrifty. Indeed much like the film Don’t Breathe from a few years ago, this film is able to utilize every nook and cranny of the farmhouse where it takes place in order to deliver the highest amount of scares possible in a multi-dimensional setting. Indeed it’s not just about what’s creeping in the shadows directly behind you. In this movie, terror and horror can come from above, under, or even right in front of your horrified eyes whenever it chooses to and it’s to the movie’s immense credit that it manages to make every chill down your spine or scream from your mouth earned without ever once feeling forced in any way whatsoever.

It’s also worth acknowledging that, contained in the aforementioned instances of terror and horror, this director really truly is an expert in the art form that is working with actors of a much younger age. Thus even though the adults and their turns within this living nightmare don’t really leave the best impressions so to speak, this movie is still grounded wonderfully by a pair of dynamite turns from Talitha Bateman and Lulu Wilson. Indeed as the inseparable friends who find themselves at the heart of the terror, and then must fight to stay alive, these 2 young actresses have absolutely wonderful chemistry together, and they also both on an individual level do a terrific job of showcasing a terrific mixture of terror, toughness, and grief especially when things get really potent in the movie.

Indeed to get the best turn possible out of a kid is not even remotely close to being an easy job for a lot of filmmakers, but in my eyes it’s not difficult in the slightest to see why Warner Bros. ultimately went with this particular director for the Shazam movie from last year because he really has a wonderful knowledge of how to work alongside kids and get the best results possible out of their performances in his movies.

With all of this being said however, it pains me to tell you that not all of this film’s scares arrive in a method that truly feels like the audience has earned them. Indeed like quite a few of the films in this series, this movie manages to be set back by a dilemma in the form of the supernatural menace proving to go completely and totally out of control by the end of the film. This proves to be a problem because when the film gets to this specific point in the runtime, it makes the choice to go for scares that are more of a terror nature while also showcasing more up-close glimpses of the film’s monster rather than the genuinely terrifying sense of on the edge of your seat dread and tension that has made the movie’s beginning and middle so efficient. Indeed while this truly is a tiny issue in the grand scheme of things, it nevertheless highlights and underlines a dilemma that this franchise is going to have to address in future installments. Indeed not every scary film needs to end on a huge and blaring exit; sometimes the slower and more subtle exits are the scariest….

All in all Annabelle: Creation is without any question at all one of the best chapters to date in the blossoming spin-off world that is being set up by The Conjuring films and in fact there are several instances within this film that actually could help make this film make the claim that it is the best as well. Indeed this mini-franchise might not have gotten off on the best foot possible back in 2014, but thanks to this film’s talented cast and crew, they have managed to turn things around and, despite a few sputters along the way, make this film a truly frightening fun time. Thus should you think yourself a lover of the horror genre you should definitely give this a watch. Just keep an eye on any dolls in your house when you do because you never know…..On a scale of 1-5 I give Annabelle: Creation a solid 3.5 out of 5.