That freaky doll is back. “Annabelle Comes Home” or to theaters this weekend, and what we get is a mildly satisfying, suspenseful, movie that covers a lot of familiar ground.
When the cursed/possessed doll is brought to the home of a family of evil spirit fighters and placed where it can’t hurt anyone, it’s only a matter of time before she finds the right moment to get free and once again terrify anyone who is unfortunate enough to encounter her power.
What you get is a few jump scares, some long builds that don’t pay off, and a plot that is fairly predictable.
The young cast is fine, and Gary Dauberman directs a competent film, but the story is limited in what kind of horror it can bring the audience. It’s an “R” rated movie, but it’s one of the softest “R” ratings that I’ve seen in sometime when it comes to this genre.
I understand the business end of this. “Annabelle” movies don’t cost a lot to make and they do well. The scary doll can get a lot of mileage from an audience, but the concept is wearing.
With three movies featuring toys currently in theaters, and two of those films in the arena of horror, Annabelle finds lagging behind Chucky and Woody in terms of a good time at the movies.
Grade: C
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hour 46 minutes
