Reviews

If you're like me and you enjoyed "Insidious" 1 & 2 and "The Conjuring", then you were probably thrilled at the thought of a movie about Annabelle, that evil doll alluded to in the Conjuring and part of the Warrens' legendary case files. Having read up on the famous demonologists, and knowing the "true" story of Annabelle, I was excited to see the idea continued from that brief tease of them interviewing the hapless nurses at the beginning of "The Conjuring". Well, I was wrong. Instead, I got yet another even briefer tease that launched into one of the lamest most boring horror films since "The Apparition". If the writer(s) had just stuck with the Warren's story, they would have had ample material for a good horror flick. Instead, they cooked up some prequel crap following a boring couple in the 1960s. In many scenes it's as if they forgot the doll was a key component of the movie and would cut the camera over to her face as if to say, "Oh yeah, the doll...she's evil and stuff...right?" The actors seemed like cardboard cut-outs with no dimension or points of interest. It's not all there fault as the script seemed like a first draft from a middle school creative writing class. Even the great Alfre Woodard was wasted, given a cliché role (the spiritualist occult bookstore owner with a past that knows more than meets the eye), and no good dialogue. There was very little conflict save the female protagonists supposed decent into madness which came off like she was just a little agitated and would benefit from a Valium and a nap more than being bogged down by the forces of evil. There was literally nothing scary about this film...nothing! I recall only one uncomfortable moment toward the end involving the couple's baby which was more disturbing and turned out to be a red herring anyway. The rest is pretty tame. The entity which "appears" for a split second in the film (À la Captain Howdy) isn't A fraction as terrifying as the lipstick demon in Insidious. Frankly, Ned Flanders playing the Devil in one of the Simpsons Tree House of Horror segments was scarier. As a viewer, I could tell the filmmakers were going for a "Rosemary's Baby" meets "The Exorcist" vibe, but they failed miserably. Don't waste your time with this, just read the account of the Warrens and Annabelle at night alone and use your imagination. Whatever you come up with will be 100 times better than this steaming turd of a movie.

I'm putting a possible spoiler alert at the beginning of this, just in case, though I have no intention of doing so as this one needs to be watched and experienced frame for frame. I took a chance on this film having greatly admired Rutger Hauer's work in Blade Runner, Sin City, Batman Begins, and essentially anything I'd seen him in. I'm a fan of Duel and many other desert thriller/horror flicks, so this seemed right up my alley once I'd read some very brief points about the setting and genre. I knew absolutely nothing about the plot, which served me well as I experienced this amazing story scene for scene. Though critically lambasted in its time by over-hyped critics and a less than receptive public, this film simmered for a while attaining cult status and the inevitable crappy sequel and remake, so there had to be something there. This film starts the plot ball rolling very quickly with our young "hero" encountering the superbly played title character less than 30 minutes into the film. The uncomfortable silence, stares, and awkward exchanges between the two men make the scene as tense and uncomfortable to watch as the scene in Deliverance when Ned Beatty and Jon Voight meet the woodsmen. Seeing the rain-soaked Hauer brought back memories of the formidable Roy Batty from Blade Runner (another brilliant Hauer performance). The viewer is kicked over the edge immediately to confront a disturbing turn of events that happened off camera and would foreshadow a chase driven journey into murder and near madness in the never ending American desert. C. Thomas Howell, though not really regarded as the best actor of his generation, gives a decent performance as the young and naive Jim Halsey just driving a "drive-away" car back to a guy in San Diego. Hauer is menacing playing the role with perfect economy making his smile seem much more dangerous than any grimace. Jennifer Jason Leigh effectively plays the only female character in the piece with a sort of jaded small-town girl approach. She apparently sought out the role just to work with Hauer again (they had starred in Flesh & Blood together) There are some great portrayals of Texas police that make one wonder, are these real cops? The whole thing becomes this Duel meets Vanishing Point hybrid with veins of Hitchcock pulsing through it. It's the type of film that deserves discussion regarding its themes and interpretation. The filmmakers morph the desert into a character all its own as they make excellent use of the Mojave's highway and Route 66 stop-over buildings. One of the complaints I read about it was the "gore" aspect of it, which is ridiculous as the film seems genuinely restrained in its portrayal of violence. There are a few scenes where they could have "gone there" with regards to the level of blood and guts, but they didn't. The viewer is left to guess about what has happened and what they have just not seen. It's a more effective tool as we always imagine something more disturbing than what they could have conjured up on film. So, don't approach it as a gross out horror flick from the 80s, it's much headier than that. The plot unravels and evolves into a conceptual cat-and-mouse game that causes the viewer to question what he/she is seeing and the reliability of the character's point of view. Here are some points to think about as you watch: Why is everyone wearing heavy coats in the obviously warm and dry desert? What is the significance of the match (recurring)? What did he see in the station wagon? Is the desert just a desert? Was the pick-up at the beginning destiny, or was Jim just in the wrong place at the wrong time? So, having that to mull, please watch the film; in the dark, at night, and alone. Enjoy.