Previously, in my The Conjuring 2 review:
“The Conjuring series has been three for three so far, and with future sequels being inevitable I wonder how long it can go before hitting a continuation I dislike.”
The answer is about one year.
The Conjuring series holds special meaning to me—the first film released shortly after I began Film Reviewer Jr., and, over the years, I’ve both seen in theaters and reviewed each of its films. I’m very fond of the series as a whole, praising The Conjuring, Annabelle, and The Conjuring 2 to various degrees. Horror series almost never have such consistent quality, yet The Conjuring films have continued defying such odds…until now. Annabelle: Creation, unfortunately, marks an end to The Conjuring series’s winning streak.
The story follows a group of orphans and their caretaker Sister Charlotte (Stephanie Sigman) as they move to temporary housing after their orphanage closes down. The home is owned by Samuel Miller (Anthony LaPaglia), a doll maker who lost his daughter twelve years ago to a tragic accident, and whose sickly wife Esther (Miranda Otto) is now confined to a bed. Two of the younger orphans Janice (Talitha Bateman) and Linda (Lulu Wilson) are best friends, though Janice’s recent crippling from polio has slightly strained their relationship. One night Janice sneaks into the Miller daughter’s old room, where she discovers a doll.
Annabelle: Creation retains elements of its series’s strengths while amplifying the previous films’s weaknesses. Similar to its predecessors, characterization plays a key role in drawing the viewers into the story. The close friendship between Janice and Linda is given plenty of screen time to both properly establish and form a connection with the audience. Both Bateman and Wilson deliver terrific performances, strengthening the characters’s bond with realistic acting and great chemistry. Several of the supporting cast are also given proper development; the Millers backstory is told up front (without giving away key details), allowing the audience to comprehend and sympathize with their antisocial behavior towards the girls. Such characterization, however, is entirely thrown out the window by the film’s last-third as it prioritizes cheap deaths, horror clichés and jump scares over previously established character development and bonds. Such decision is a devastating blow to Creation’s heart and eliminates what would have been my highest praise to the film.
Similar to The Conjuring 2, Creation’s scares are at their best when utilizing practical effects and the viewer’s imagination, and at their silliest when using mood-breaking CGI. A figure under a bed sheet steadily advancing towards Janice—only for the sheet to fall off and reveal nothing underneath—is unsettling, two creepy-looking puppets appearing behind a stage, silently motioning for Janice to walk over, is really creepy, yet a young girl sprouting a cartoony demon face while shouting that she wants Janice’s soul is really stupid. Every time the CGI demon appears the scene lost its frightening atmosphere—the hellspawn looking entirely out of place among the actual disturbing props (being far more silly than scary). The film has one of the creepiest scarecrows I’ve ever seen, yet barely puts it to use before having it transform into the wacky Loony Toons demon. Here’s a great idea, why not actually use the incredibly creepy scarecrow by placing a real person inside to practically move it around? Just thinking about said scarecrow steadily, silently advancing towards the girls is terrifying—or maybe have the scarecrow stalk the girls through the Miller’s giant field, concealed in the shadows (so the viewer can only see its silhouette) and moving only when they look away. Great ideas Creation could have easily used, yet forgo in exchange for a stupid-looking CGI demon.
Creation’s biggest issue, however, is something that hasn’t plagued its predecessors: horror clichés. The previous films’s good guys are all on the same page once the demonic activities start really picking up—comprehending what’s going on while banding together to try and fight it. Here, it’s everyone for themselves as the demon individually picks upon them while the others either disbelieve the events and/or not realize they’re occurring. Horror stupidity is in the air as a grisly death inexplicably occurs inside the house, yet Sister Charlotte decides she and the girls should continue living there rather than getting the hell out of Dodge. And dare I forget the Sister’s wise decision to have her and the children split up and search for a missing child even after she’s well aware of the demonic presence. MAJOR SPOILERS BEGIN While I’ve always praised The Conjuring series for how cool and helpful the police are portrayed, for once I wish they’d have been at least a little suspicious of Sister Charlotte after finding both of the Millers brutally murdered and their house torn apart, yet the Sister and kids safe (save for one child who has mysteriously gone missing). MAJOR SPOILERS END
Creation fails not because it lacks, but because it loses what would have helped it succeed. Every flaw I mention occurs later in the film—starting off as minor nitpicks around the film’s second-third, before growing into full-blown issues by its finale. The film has some good stuff—character development, a strong, well-written bond between two characters, some genuinely creepy/unsettling scenes—yet it all comes falling apart at the end, leaving a subpar horror flick. Annabelle: Creation ends its series winning streak, but there will most certainly be more sequels/prequels in the future where the series can hopefully pick back up on its solid quality.
P.S. There’s no reason for Annabelle: Creation to be rated R as it contains little swearing (with not a single f-word), zero nudity and/or sexual situations, and is about as grisly/horrific as its predecessors: containing only one, debatably two scenes of intense gore.