Annabelle Comes Home

REVIEW:

Annabelle Comes Home is the third instalment in the Annabelle series and yet another chapter in the expansive Conjuring universe. Going into it, I had high hopes, especially with the tagline “Welcome to the home of The Conjuring universe,” which instantly set the stage for what could have been a chilling and intensely frightening experience. Annabelle, the Warrens, their daughter Judy, and the infamous occult museum – count me in! With the setting itself practically begging for a series of terrifying encounters, this movie had all the pieces it needed for success. However, the potential quickly fizzled out as the film failed to fully embrace the horror goldmine it was sitting on.

The biggest letdown here is how little is done with the Warrens’ museum of haunted artifacts. Each object in that room is “either haunted, cursed, or has been used in some kind of ritualistic practice,” and with a premise like that, you’d expect chills at every corner. Unfortunately, the filmmakers never go all-in with this concept. There’s a lot of setup about the eerie items inside the house, but rather than leveraging them for scares, they’re simply shown off in a predictable manner, missing an opportunity to build a truly unique atmosphere. What could have been a nightmarish funhouse of terror instead becomes a tour of missed chances.

Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by the always-brilliant Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, only have brief roles in the film, which is another disappointment. Despite their short screen time, they still manage to bring gravitas and warmth to their characters, reminding viewers why this franchise is so beloved. Lorraine’s line about Annabelle being a “beacon for spirits” perfectly sets the tone for how dangerous the doll is, with the other artifacts seeming to awaken in her presence. It’s a great moment that promises more scares than the film ultimately delivers, but it’s one of the rare highlights that captures the eerie potential.

While Ed and Lorraine are pushed to the sidelines, I appreciated the film’s focus on their daughter, Judy. We get to see more of her isolated life, bullied by classmates and grappling with her parents’ paranormal work. Judy’s quiet resilience and budding clairvoyant abilities hint at a character who might one day follow in her parents’ footsteps. Her unique perspective within the haunted house is a refreshing touch, adding a bit of depth to an otherwise formulaic plot. However, it would have been even better if the filmmakers had leaned more into her psychic abilities, using them to heighten the suspense rather than simply hinting at them.

The third act is where Annabelle Comes Home finally begins to live up to its potential, with a few well-executed horror scenes that nearly redeem the slow buildup. Here, we see some truly unsettling moments that finally start to leverage the house’s paranormal history, giving us a taste of what could have been if the scares were more spread out across the runtime. But unfortunately, these moments are too little, too late, reserved only for the final 20 minutes, leaving the rest of the film feeling uneven and lacking in suspense.

The film does feature a few promising horror ideas with unique artifacts like the Ferryman, the cursed wedding dress, and even a werewolf, which add to the eerie ambiance of the Warrens’ house. However, these elements never come together cohesively, and none of them are particularly terrifying. Daniela’s exploration of the occult room, for instance, has a great build-up with absolute silence, drawing the viewer’s eye to every corner of the screen, waiting for something to strike. Yet, like much of the film, this moment of tension falls flat, ultimately feeling more frustrating than frightening.

In the end, Annabelle Comes Home lands somewhere between the first and second Annabelle movies in terms of quality. Annabelle: Creation remains the best of the three, with its richer storyline and genuinely terrifying sequences, while Annabelle Comes Home only barely edges out the first film. It has some good ideas and memorable characters but fails to deliver consistent scares, leaving it a middle-of-the-road addition to the Conjuring universe.