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Movie Review: Annabelle

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Last summer, audiences were captivated by the first ten minutes of James Wan’s The Conjuring and its centerpiece, a creepy doll named Annabelle.  Now, the doll has her own movie, the appropriately titled Annabelle.

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Set one year before the events of The Conjuring, Annabelle is the story of a young married couple named John and Mia Form (Ward Horton and Annabelle Wallis) who are expecting their first child.  Late one night, their home is invaded by two members of a religious cult who viciously attack Mia.  Mia and her baby survive, but one of the cult members commits suicide while holding one of Mia’s vintage dolls.  Soon after, Mia starts to notice weird things happening around the house, with everything seeming to point back to the doll.  When the baby is born, the activity surrounding the doll intensifies.  John and Mia enlist the help of their priest (Tony Amendola) and the owner of an occult bookstore (Alfre Woodard) to figure out what is going on, and they learn that the cult raised a demonic force that is now using the doll as a conduit in an attempt to steal the soul of their infant daughter.

Because Annabelle is essentially a spinoff of The Conjuring, comparisons between the two movies are inevitable.  They are similar in tone, but different in context; while The Conjuring was a The Amityville Horror type of a movie, Annabelle owes more to Rosemary’s Baby.  James Wan takes on the producer role on Annabelle and passes the directorial duties over to his longtime cinematographer John R. Leonetti.  Because Wan and Leonetti have so much history working together, Annabelle looks and feels like a James Wan film.  It’s got the same darkness and dread of The Conjuring and the Insidious movies, and even uses many of the same devices; there are plenty of long, drawn out takes with lots of camera motion, as well as wide shots that always seem to be hiding something in the corner shadows.  It exists within the same universe as The Conjuring, so it adheres to a consistent mythology.  Toss in a creepy KNB EFX demon design and a suitably atonal Joseph Bishara musical score, and Annabelle accomplishes its objective; it becomes part of the James Wan canon without feeling like a direct rip-off of an earlier film.

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

The focal point of Annabelle is, obviously, the doll.  What’s interesting about that fact is that the doll is a secondary character; it’s a necessary plot device, but the real story is about the family and the demon who wishes to destroy it.  The Annabelle doll is basically a prop, although it is one with its own definite arc; she starts out new and innocent looking, but gets more and more worn down and ugly as the film progresses and the demon gains more of a foothold within her.  The doll is a symbol of a greater evil rather than being the central antagonist, which is great; Chucky from Child’s Play is fun, but no one needs another one.  There are more sinister forces at work in Annabelle.

Like The Conjuring, Annabelle has several scenes of maddening suspense, where the audience knows exactly what is going to happen, just not when.  For example, in one segment, Mia is using her sewing machine while watching television.  The camera cuts between shots of her fingers, the machine’s needle, and her distracted face, creating a sense of tension within the viewer that is nothing short of cringe-worthy.  In another scene, Mia is attacked by the demon while in the basement of the building, and the resulting cat-and-mouse chase becomes one of the scariest elevator scenes ever committed to celluloid.  One thing that Annabelle does better than The Conjuring or Insidious is deal with the demon.  Basically, Leonetti barely shows the demon at all, so when the audience does get a quick glimpse, it’s absolutely terrifying.  What the audience imagines is always scarier than what a filmmaker can show, and Annabelle understands this.  When it comes to showing demons, less is more.

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

There are points in Annabelle where the film falls back onto stereotypes and tropes of the horror genre: an empty crib here, a spooky little girl ghost there.  But, for the most part, Annabelle is a pretty original movie.  And, unlike most of the movies about demonic possession that flood the theaters these days, Annabelle does not end with an exorcism.  The bottom line is that Annabelle fits in perfectly with the rest of James Wan’s movies, and fans of his catalog will be fans of Annabelle.

 

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New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

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Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

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‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

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Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

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How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

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Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

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