Annabelle: Creation

La película está bien hecha, sin errores cinematográficos. Sin embargo, los niños sobre todo corren peligro aquí, mientras que en una película convencional de género no les puede pasar nada. Y es lo que mantiene al espectador en la zona de demasiado confort. (20.08.2017)

I personally think the sequel is better, more entertaining, and more original than its predecessor. David F. Sandberg is, after all, quite talented when it comes to horror themes. This movie, however, stands or falls by the house the demon is haunting. In addition, it affects mostly children, so we could easily call it a children’s horror movie. Unfortunately, everybody acts as if they belonged in a mental institute, and overall, nothing makes sense. The resulting film is thus quite awkward. From a technical standpoint, it is alright. (03.01.2019)

Taken as a whole, I could have a million reservations about it. In terms of plot/narration, it’s a very unimaginative prequel, with a course that can be anticipated by anyone who has ever watched at least one or two ghost stories. The Conjuring Universe so far is not overflowing with original themes. But at the level of the individual scenes, it does work, surprisingly, thanks to Sandberg’s being an excellent director, and I hope that he will stay in the genre and start working on more progressive ideas. In the first Annabelle, only the scary bits worked a little (in terms of craftsmanship), in the second one, not only the scary bits work, but also the interest in the characters, which is far deeper. I’m satisfied, but I think last year’s Lights Out was a bit better. The flash in the shape of the real Annabelle in the end was cool. (18.08.2017)

Apart from the main storyline, The Conjuring is more of a seedbed of clichés with a sloppy build up. The problem with the second Annabelle is that it stays with things for too long or too short of a time. In any case, how it leads the puppet figures purposefully from jump scare to jump scare is hilariously transparent and spoils all my pleasure. A toy shop without any imagination. (12.09.2018)

David Sandberg is becoming another guarantee of quality, because his sequel to Annabelle takes on a new dimension and is certainly nothing to be ashamed of. From start to finish, a solid, intense two-hour haunting with great music, solid camera work, innovative haunted attractions and solid scares. I also liked the decent performances, especially from the kids, the great retro atmosphere, the two Easter eggs and the nice callback to the first episode at the end. What disappointed me, though, is the finale, the weakest part of the whole film. The film is more or less intensely haunting throughout, but always in one wave, you don’t even realise that the finale is already there, because compared to the previous attractions it is no different and doesn't get any more intense, which is a bit disappointing. I give a big thumbs up for the chair raiding on the stairs and the small moving elevator, which created a great atmosphere. Surprisingly there was room for a bit of gore, which again I commend. So I'm satisfied, Annabelle 2 definitely won’t be missing among the this year’s top and for ghost story fans must be a high standard. PS: The scarecrow is cool and calls for a spin-off. 80% (11.08.2017)