On Demand DVD New Releases Jan. 19-25 Annabelle John and Mia are expecting their first child, and her husband’s gift of a doll she has long sought is a welcome occurrence. What’s not welcome is the satanic cult that attacks the couple and the strange events that follow. A prequel to the horror film The Conjuring. Ward Horton, Annabelle Wallis, Alfre Woodard (R, 1:39) 1/20 The Boxtrolls (3-D) A community of rather odd creatures exists below the streets in a merry little town. Each is defined solely by the name on the discarded box he or she wears. But one of … Continue reading →
The post On Demand DVD New Releases Jan. 19-25 appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.
The post On Demand DVD New Releases Jan. 19-25 appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.
- 1/19/2015
- by Meredith Ennis
- ChannelGuideMag
When two violent members of a satanic cult invade the home of expectant parents John and Mia Form (Peaky Blinders' Annabelle Wallis and Ward Horton) it's only the quick arrival of the police that prevents a massacre. However, during the attack one of the assailant commits suicide while holding Mia's vintage doll Annabelle- a present from her husband - in her arms. Life seems to return to normal...
- 10/17/2014
- Sky Movies
Rosemary’s Scabies: Leonetti Does His Best James Wan Impression
Sure to take its place on future lists of cinematographer’s unfortunate attempts at directing, John R. Leonetti’s Annabelle, a sort-of prequel to a subplot from 2013’s The Conjuring, is technically assured though lacking in anything innately original or insidiously creepy. Basically another bargain basement housewife-in-peril horror film, Gary Dauberman’s script plays like another cheap Rosemary’s Baby knock-off, attempting to prove that a Los Angeles apartment complex is just as spooky as anything you’ll encounter in Manhattan. With no time wasted on comic relief as it takes itself surprisingly seriously (you can forget about all those Marlon Wayans shenanigans with ‘Abigail’ from A Haunted House 2), Leonetti leaves most of the heavy lifting to our own familiarity with the basic material and our lowered expectations with carbon copy.
It’s Southern California in the 1970s and...
Sure to take its place on future lists of cinematographer’s unfortunate attempts at directing, John R. Leonetti’s Annabelle, a sort-of prequel to a subplot from 2013’s The Conjuring, is technically assured though lacking in anything innately original or insidiously creepy. Basically another bargain basement housewife-in-peril horror film, Gary Dauberman’s script plays like another cheap Rosemary’s Baby knock-off, attempting to prove that a Los Angeles apartment complex is just as spooky as anything you’ll encounter in Manhattan. With no time wasted on comic relief as it takes itself surprisingly seriously (you can forget about all those Marlon Wayans shenanigans with ‘Abigail’ from A Haunted House 2), Leonetti leaves most of the heavy lifting to our own familiarity with the basic material and our lowered expectations with carbon copy.
It’s Southern California in the 1970s and...
- 10/4/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Annabelle starts out with a bang. Soon-to-be parents John and Mia think they have it all. John's a successful doctor, they have a child on the way, and they live next door to their best friends, Sharon and Pete Higgins. Everything in their lives is serene and solid. That is, until one night, when they are maliciously attacked in their own home by members of a satanic cult, and barely escape with their lives. As if being targeted isn't traumatizing enough, both of the assailants die inside John and Mia's house. Mia's always been a fan of vintage dolls, but the image of her female predator holding her newest prized possession as she took her last breath is just too much to bear. John agrees that they need to put this event behind them, so they throw out the doll, move into a new home, and attempt to make a fresh start.
- 10/3/2014
- by Ryan Turek
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Annabelle, an effective prequel to horror pastiche The Conjuring, surpasses its predecessor simply by virtue of occasionally being scary.
Both films are over-reliant on deafening sound effects and side-eye glimpses of underwhelming ghosts. But Annabelle's scare scenes are better paced and more thoughtfully lensed. Its hokey, funhouse-worthy spooks -- a satyr-like demon and nightie-clad cultist -- aren't more frightening, but they are presented in a superior light.
The films are stylistically similar but are only narratively related by a common prop: a haunted, Lady Elaine–esque doll. That goofy-looking toy is one of several formerly inanimate objects that pick on expecting couple John and Mia (Ward Horton and Annabelle Wallis) after Sa...
Both films are over-reliant on deafening sound effects and side-eye glimpses of underwhelming ghosts. But Annabelle's scare scenes are better paced and more thoughtfully lensed. Its hokey, funhouse-worthy spooks -- a satyr-like demon and nightie-clad cultist -- aren't more frightening, but they are presented in a superior light.
The films are stylistically similar but are only narratively related by a common prop: a haunted, Lady Elaine–esque doll. That goofy-looking toy is one of several formerly inanimate objects that pick on expecting couple John and Mia (Ward Horton and Annabelle Wallis) after Sa...
- 10/3/2014
- Village Voice
Sitting through Annabelle is like watching a doomed relay race where master-sprinter Usain Bolt hands the baton off to Jonah Hill, only for Hill to reenact Schmidt’s blunderous track-meet debacle from 21 Jump Street. In said metaphor, James Wan is Usain Bolt, starting things off with a record-breaking horror affair you may have seen called The Conjuring, and John R. Leonetti is the bumbling Schmidt character, floundering in every attempt to keep this haunted franchise ahead of the pack.
I know what you’re thinking, “How could the director of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation fail so valiantly,” and to that question I have a simple answer – Leonetti only wants to mimic. There’s not a single trace of the established cinematographer’s unique style, as he attempts to recreate James Wan-inspired scares with little success. If you’ve seen the entirety of Wan’s ghoulish catalog, then you’ve already...
I know what you’re thinking, “How could the director of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation fail so valiantly,” and to that question I have a simple answer – Leonetti only wants to mimic. There’s not a single trace of the established cinematographer’s unique style, as he attempts to recreate James Wan-inspired scares with little success. If you’ve seen the entirety of Wan’s ghoulish catalog, then you’ve already...
- 10/2/2014
- by Matt Donato
- We Got This Covered
As we all gear up for the inevitable onslaught of horror titles synonymous with the month of October, Warner Bros. is taking steps to ensure that its attempt to earn moviegoers’ screams, The Conjuring spinoff Annabelle, doesn’t slip out of the public eye for a second. So far, we’ve seen some creepy TV spots, a blood-curdling full trailer and a smattering of images, but today brings a full-on barrage of shots from Annabelle.
In the 24 new images, we get our best look yet at the cast of characters for Annabelle, which tells the origin story for the same possessed doll that menaced Ed and Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring. Ward Horton and Annabelle Wallis (yes, that’s her name) topline as John and Mia, a young, expectant couple whose lives take a dark turn when their house is attacked by satanic cult members. Bearing both physical and mental scars from the attack,...
In the 24 new images, we get our best look yet at the cast of characters for Annabelle, which tells the origin story for the same possessed doll that menaced Ed and Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring. Ward Horton and Annabelle Wallis (yes, that’s her name) topline as John and Mia, a young, expectant couple whose lives take a dark turn when their house is attacked by satanic cult members. Bearing both physical and mental scars from the attack,...
- 9/26/2014
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
How do you make the most of a ghost story in the age of post-meta horror films? If you're Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, you run with the idea of a fairy tale until you've copied and pasted so many tropes that "Intruders" emerges as a messy puddle.
Pint-sized author Juan (Izán Corecho) is reading his latest horror story to his mother (Pilar López de Ayala) before she tucks him in, chiding him that his story has no ending, a helpful bit of foreshadowing. Juan climbs out onto a scaffold to find his cat when a cloaked figure seems to slide up to building and into his window. Inside, Juan's mother is choked by the creature until he intervenes and escapes back out the window with the specter on his heels. After a short walk off an even shorter platform, the figure falls over and Juan is left crying in his mother's arms.
Pint-sized author Juan (Izán Corecho) is reading his latest horror story to his mother (Pilar López de Ayala) before she tucks him in, chiding him that his story has no ending, a helpful bit of foreshadowing. Juan climbs out onto a scaffold to find his cat when a cloaked figure seems to slide up to building and into his window. Inside, Juan's mother is choked by the creature until he intervenes and escapes back out the window with the specter on his heels. After a short walk off an even shorter platform, the figure falls over and Juan is left crying in his mother's arms.
- 3/14/2012
- by John Lichman
- The Playlist
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