I don’t have as big a soft spot for the Conjuring shared universe as some; in theory, I like the idea of a big shared horror universe, because I think all manner of skeletons, spirits, and haunts can co-exist with one another, and I also think that Ed and Lorraine’s basement close full of terrors is a neat little Cryptkeeper-esque gateway for spinning off individual terrors into their own movies*. But The Conjuring 2 is a watered down remix of The Conjuring, Annabelle is garbage, and Annabelle: Creation gives away far, far too much mythology for its own good**.
So imagine my surprise when Annabelle Comes Home*** actually worked on me! It’s creepy. It’s occasionally scary. It’s mostly just a whole lot of fun, and if I couldn’t review one evil doll movie**** in June, at least I got to review the other one.
The full review is up at Paste Magazine.
*Within reason. I mean, the wind-up monkey toy and samurai armor? They aren’t standalone material.
**Though it’s still packed with a few effective scare sequences and Lulu Wilson is a fucking hoot.
***Someone with a better sense of the franchise’s timeline, correct me if I’m wrong as to where this movie occurs in that timeline?
****That Child’s Play reboot didn’t screen here in Boston, so I bet it’s great.
A Constant Visual Feast 