Annabelle - The Conjuring Universe
Quick Background
The movie Annabelle is the third chronologically in The Conjuring Universe, although it was released in 2014, making it the second movie released. This movie takes place in 1967 and follows a family of three that found the Annabelle doll for the wife’s doll collection. This is the movie where we are introduced to Father Perez, played by Tony Amendola; you will see him again in the series. We also meet Alfre Woodard’s character Evelyn; sadly, this is the only movie she is in, but she is fantastic in everything she does, and she does everything. Seriously, go check her out on IMDB.com.
Annabelle Wallis and Ward Horton play the married couple that we follow around; I have to say I laughed a little, finding out that the actress’ name was Annabelle. Their chemistry on set feels like a real married couple; they are going through some tough times, and finding Annabelle only makes it worse.
About the Movie
There may be a few spoilers, so if you haven’t watched the movies before and including this one, stop now.
The movie does not actually start with the family; it opens on two nurses talking to the Warrens about Annabelle. They received her as a gift; this is also the beginning of the 2019 movie (fifth in chronological order) Annabelle Comes Home. This means that Annabelle starts in 1972 and then backtracks to 1967. I feel like this is to make the audience aware that this family will not get to keep this doll; it gives us a better understanding that Annabelle passes through many homes before she gets to “come home” with the Warrens.
The family we follow is pregnant and appears to be due soon. They carpool to church with their neighbors, the Higgins family. If you watched Annabelle: Creation, you will recognize this as the family who adopts Janice, who had introduced herself as Annabelle, at the end of the film. There is a brutal break-in one night at the Higgins home, and as John, the husband, goes over to see what is happening, the break-in now includes his home with his pregnant wife inside, calling 911. The family survives but moves out of the house and neighborhood as quickly as possible.
The movie gets crazy, and of course, the non-believer husband thinks the wife is seeing things, so she goes elsewhere for answers. A bookshop in their new town, owned by Evelyn, where the wife Mia befriends her, and they research the strange happenings in their new apartment together. John, of course, takes Mia to church to talk to Father Perez, and he reassures them that you don’t survive that kind of trauma unscathed.
The crazy things start getting worse; no big surprise there; at this point, we know what Annabelle really is and its true intentions. Father Perez tries to remove the doll from their home, we assume to eventually bring it to the Warrens, but he does not make it into the church with the doll. The movie ends with a sacrifice and Annabelle disappearing until the next time.
Yay or Nay
Ok, so let’s be serious here for a minute. I’m clearly a HUGE Conjuring fan and a James Wan fan girl. I obviously want you to watch all these movies; I don’t care if you decide to do so chronologically or in the order they were released, but seriously WATCH THESE MOVIES! Grab your favorite snacks and drinks, turn off the lights, and just watch them. The scares are so much more than jump scares; they have you on the edge of your seat, begging for more. As I write this, I’m debating on rewatching them, but I may wait until I write all the reviews first.
So this absolutely is a YAY!