ANNABELLE: CREATION is the prequel to ANNABELLE which chronologically is prior to the THE CONJURING franchise in the James Wan (SAW, INSIDIOUS)  universe.

The film starts with a bang and it’s surprisingly grim. We have just gotten the lay of the land in one of those signature shots that reveals everything you need to know to set the scene in one fell swoop. We are introduced to Samuel Mullins(Anthony LaPaglia), a Geppetto of sorts, wife Esther (Miranda Otto)  for their young daughter Bee (Samara Lee). Bee dies in a horrific accident, leaving the Mullins heartbroken and longing for the days when there was the laugh and life of a child to fill the home. This desire to relive the happier times of this now broken family comes with its own set of problems that all seem to relate back to Bees favorite doll in one way or another.  To quell the chaos the Mullins decide to put the doll in its own makeshift tomb by boarding her up in a closet, wrapped by scripture and locked away.

This seems to work just fine until 12 years later when the Mullins welcome a group of female orphans into the home. As young girls typically are, the curiosity of the “locked room you are forbidden to enter” gets the better of one of them and she unleashes a demon unlike no other.

In a game of “pros and cons” for the film, lets start with “pro’s” because they definitely outweigh the cons.

The film is refreshingly better than the first, an unusual outcome for a sequel or prequel. This film employed a lot of the scares and tricks we have come to know and love about the films in the James Wan wheelhouse and since they are still incredibly effective I don’t view that as a bad thing. The tension in the film is real highlight for me.  I LIVE for tension in films and ANNABELLE CREATION kept my nails firmly dug into the seat.

Another thing that this film had that was a lacking from the first were some really strong performances.  the two lead girls ( Lulu Wilson  and Talitha Bateman) were fantastic and held the film together because the rest of the cast seemed like a bit of an afterthought. The biggest afterthought of all being the Mullins themselves who I forgot were there half the time.

Lets address the few “cons” of the film for me. One: The run-time. I know I harp about run-time regularly but that should be telling of something…..cut back on the run-time! I think we could have lost about 20 minutes in the film and it would not only have been just as effective, it would have ramped up the pacing which can only ramp up the tension and scares.  There was also too many characters that served little to no purpose. They were superfluous and unnecessary.  I like my run time succinct and my cast of characters short.

I could go on and on about the film and what I enjoyed so much about it. You know what? I did! I did so with film director Matt Campagna as we talked about the James Wan universe (aptly named the Conjurverse) and ANNABELLE: CREATION.

Check out the part two to this review below on YOUR GEEK NEWS!

” ANNABELLE: CREATION provides nail biting tension, great performances and a few laughs sprinkled on top of a wonderfully classic demon”