Annabelle Isn't That Bad But John Can Suck It!
Oh, Annabelle….
This movie gets a lot of hate and while I’d only seen it once, back in 2014, I was curious to watch it a second time. Was this hate justified? Are people right that the movie is hot garbage?
So, for #HBH31 Day Two I decided to watch Annabelle for the second time after purchasing the cool holograph cover version from Walmart. And I definitely don’t agree with the hate. I do have a few complaints, but I felt overall it was pretty damn effective. My only major quip though is John Form.
John Form is a total problematic douchebag.
Welcome to my Annabelle review!
Let’s dive in…the story is simple but strong. A young pregnant couple are attacked by two cult members one night and a doll in a room of many dolls, gets possessed. The house becomes haunted and the couple decide to move an apartment. Unfortunately, the haunting comes with them because the doll is the problem.
Directed by John R. Leonetti, it stars Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, Alfre Woodard, and Tony Amendola.
I really loved the scares set up in this flick. All the background work is phenomenal in keeping you on your toes and watching the background of every scene with total paranoia. One of my favorite scenes being when Mia is asleep on the couch as her daughter Leah is sitting in her crib. In the background at the end of the hallway you see the spirit of the cult woman walk past the nursery door. Then instantaneously she appears walking in front of the screen up the crib. It’s so shocking, terrifying, and incredibly well done.
Of course, one of the most famous scenes from this flick is the elevator scene. Mia is stuck in the elevator in the basement, the door keeps sliding open and close. The first few times there’s nothing there but you’re so worked up expecting something at that point that it doesn’t even matter. Then when Mia stumbles up the stairs she looks behind her to see a terrifying figure lurking in the shadows at the bottom of the steps.
It’s all done so well! It is shocking to me that more credit isn’t given to these.
The downside of this flick is when the devil/demon character appears it doesn’t hold up to the rest of the scares in the movie. It looks unnatural and a little fake. Once this guy showed up, my attention did wane.
The major downside though was John. GOOD FREAKING LORD. What a terrible character. The characters in this flick overall are pretty vapid but there’s enough to keep you entertained and feeling something for them. But John.
Fuck John.
Literally his only advice to every problem was, call the church. His poor wife is being tormented by an evil cult spirit and he’s like, oh honey, just get outside and get some sunshine! And OMG when we’re first introduced to him he’s complaining to his wife that her pregnancy is basically affecting his career.
Guys.
Fuck John.
It was almost comical by the end where he would come in and the apartment’s destroyed and his wife is crying and terrified and he’s like, time to call the Priest!
But, aside from John being a garbage head. And that weird demon/devil. And the fact that Mia named her baby Leah so whenever they referenced both of them, it rhymed. IT WAS FUN!
Annabelle isn’t as bad as you think it is, give it a second watch, and get spooked!
