“Annabelle,” a prequel/spinoff to the superb 2013 throwback horror film “The Conjuring,” is filled with good and bad. Set in a 1970s farmhouse using expert pacing and mostly practical effects, it stood out as one of the better horror films — mainstream or underground — in recent memory. The production design and filmmaking style seamlessly match the era. The outstanding camera work reveals itself early, during a well-staged slaughter scene in a neighbor’s suburban house, viewed through two sets of windows with an expert’s mastery of light and action. The most noticeable shortcoming is a hastily executed script, which results in a few too many unintentional audience laughs. “The Conjuring” took care to set up a family with a strong spine in desperate circumstances, making it believable that they might stay in their haunted country home long enough to allow a demonic possession to take place. Perhaps because it would look too silly to have a ceramic figure lumbering around holding a knife, the doll mostly sits silently, letting various evil stand-ins do the dirty work.
Comment on 'Annabelle’ review: Demonic doll delivers satisfying chills
By Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: Entertainment
Wed, 10/01/2014 - 6:58pm
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