The ostensibly classy Conjuring series turns into a predictable haunted-house spookfest.
Annabelle Comes Home is yet another piece of the Conjuring universe, which seems to be the franchise to turn to for empty yet fairly serviceable horror. The Conjuring is still the most loved of the series and at best, it’s fine, saying relatively little about contemporary fears or even grief or family life. But it’s still a relatively tightly constructed ghost story with some good, old-school scares. Annabelle Comes Home continues this tradition, while somehow managing to say even less.
The third film in the Annabelle series and the seventh in the larger franchise, it focuses on the Warrens’ (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) daughter Judy (McKenna Grace), who spends a night home alone with the babysitter Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman) while her mom and dad are out of town. The trouble comes when Mary Ellen’s nosy pal Daniela (Katie Sarife) invites herself over and immediately tries to get a peek at Ed and Lorraine’s collection of cursed items, to which the infamous Annabelle has just been added. And, well, you can pretty much guess what happens from there.
The doll gets loose and a whole host of ghosts and demons start wreaking havoc on the young girls including everything from a murderous bride to a modern hound of the Baskervilles. While this seems like an opportunity for some spooky fun, it ends up feeling pretty lazy.
In fact, that’s how you can read most of Annabelle Comes Home. Writer Gary Dauberman (whose other credits include 2017’s It) uses his directorial debut to do little else than let us know just how much he loves other (and frankly better) horror movies. Every sound effect, shot, and scare feels like it was plucked verbatim from somewhere else, like a veritable grab bag of horror Wilhelm screams.
When Lorraine’s alone in the car and needs to pull up a map, of course she’s going to unfold the entire thing and turn just so that she blocks every window with it, priming us for a jump scare fakeout. When Mary Ellen bends down to sweep up broken glass, she’s going kneel just so in front of a large glass window where eerie fog conceals the demonic dog we know is out there trying to break in. So many characters open doors with painfully slow creaks so many times you might lose track trying to count them all.
Annabelle Comes Home is less of a ghost story and more of a carnival haunted house.
To be clear, the pages of the horror playbook Dauberman is relying on so heavily still work. The problem that keeps them from working well is twofold. First, there just simply isn’t enough being done to make any of it feel fresh. It’s less of an homage and more of a straight knockoff that keeps the hits from really landing. Second, Dauberman’s script has nothing to say.
The story isn’t really about exploring Judy’s psychic powers which mirror her mother’s. It’s not really about kids growing up. It makes a sort of hamfisted attempt to talk about grief through Daniela (mid-movie we realize she’s so transfixed by the Warrens’ spooky collection because she recently lost her father), but even that isn’t really the point.
Annabelle Comes Home is less of a ghost story and more of a carnival haunted house. It takes us into a world where goblins and ghouls pop out every so often and after a fairly enjoyable 106 minutes of startles and scares, we go back out into the world and forget about it. There’s no reason for any of the ghosts and malevolent forces at play to care about attacking any of the characters.
They’re there and that’s enough. But in an era where modern horror is finally getting more of the respect it’s long deserved thanks to critical darlings like Hereditary, Get Out, and It Follows—each of which uses the genre to explore complex and deep-seated fears in society—something as empty as Annabelle Comes Home can’t really help but be white noise.
Annabelle Comes Home spooks its way into theaters Wednesday, June 26.
Annabelle Comes Home Trailer:
Read next: The Spool's Best New Releases
Streaming guides
The Best Live TV Streaming Services With Free Trial
The praises of live TV streaming services don’t need to be further sung. By now, we all know that compared to clunky, commitment-heavy cable, live TV is cheaper and much easier to manage. But just in case you’re still on the fence about jumping over to the other side, or if you’re just unhappy with ... The Best Live TV Streaming Services With Free Trial
How to Watch Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 3
Season 3 of the hotly anticipated Power spin-off, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, is arriving on Starz soon, so you know what that means: it’s the ’90s again in The Southside, and we’re back with the Thomas family as they navigate the ins and outs of the criminal underworld they’re helping build. Mekai Curtis is ... How to Watch Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 3
How to Watch Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials
Ladies and gentlemen, we’re so back! To celebrate Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary, the BBC is producing a three-episode special starring none other than the Tenth/Fourteenth Doctor himself, David Tennant. And to the supreme delight of fans (that would be me, dear reader), the Doctor will be joined by old-time companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and ... How to Watch Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials
Which Netflix Country Has Each Movie of The Hunger Games?
For whatever reason, The Hunger Games series isn’t available in the same countries around the world. You’ll find the first and second (aka the best) installments in Hong Kong, for instance, but not the third and fourth. It’s a frustrating dilemma, especially if you don’t even have a single entry in your region, which is ... Which Netflix Country Has Each Movie of The Hunger Games?
How to watch Lost Cities Revealed with Albert Lin Season 2
After a years-long hiatus, scientist and explorer Albert Lin is coming back to National Geographic with a fresh new season of Lost Cities, renamed “Lost Cities Revealed.” In the past, Lin, who is probably the closest we’ll ever get to a real-life Indiana Jones, has traveled everywhere from the ancient Knights Templar in Israel to ... How to watch Lost Cities Revealed with Albert Lin Season 2
How to Watch Paramount Network With a Free Trial
To date, Paramount Network has only two original shows on air right now: Yellowstone and Bar Rescue. The network seems to have its hands full with on-demand streaming service Paramount+, which is constantly stacked with a fresh supply of new shows. But Yellowstone and Bar Rescue are so sturdy and expansive that the network doesn’t ... How to Watch Paramount Network With a Free Trial
How to Watch WE TV With a Free Trial
Previously “Women’s Entertainment,” We TV has since rebranded to accurately reflect its name and be a more inclusive lifestyle channel. It’s home to addictive reality gems like Bold and Bougie, Bridezillas, Marriage Boot Camp, and The Untold Stories of Hip Hop. And when it’s not airing original titles, it has on syndicated shows like 9-1-1, ... How to Watch WE TV With a Free Trial
How to Watch FX With a Free Trial
You’d be hard-pressed to find a bad show airing on FX. The channel has made a name for itself as a bastion of high-brow TV, along with HBO and AMC. It’s produced shows like Atlanta, Fargo, The Americans, Archer, and more recently, Shogun. But because it’s owned by Disney, it still airs several blockbusters in ... How to Watch FX With a Free Trial
How to Watch A&E With A Free Trial
If you’re a fan of true crime and insider docu-shows like The First 48 and Court Cam, then you’re probably already familiar with A&E. The cable channel is home to other reality TV gems like Hoarders, Duck Dynasty, and Storage Wars (they’ve moved on to spin-offs like Road Wars, Customer Wars, and Prison Wars now). ... How to Watch A&E With A Free Trial
How to Watch Unimás With a Free Trial
As the sister channel of the much bigger Univision, Unimás is home to popular Spanish-language telenovelas and talk shows (yes, including El Gordo y La Flaca), as well as a couple of sports events and programs. Most notably, however, Unimás also operates a couple of station affiliates around the country, so it also reports local ... How to Watch Unimás With a Free Trial
How to Watch TNT With A Free Trial
For many sports fans, TNT is a non-negotiable. It broadcasts NBA, MLB, NHL, college basketball, and All Elite Wrestling matches. And, as a bonus, it also has reruns of shows like Supernatural, Charmed, and NCIS, as well as films like The Avengers, Dune, and Justice League. But while TNT used to be a cable staple, ... How to Watch TNT With A Free Trial