Annabelle

Do you remember the collection of horrific supernatural artifacts belonging to husband-and-wife ghost-hunting team Lorraine and Ed Warren in 2013's The Conjuring? One was a demonic doll named Annabelle, which was kept in a locked cupboard. Now she's front-and-center. Set in Southern California in 1969, the story has pregnant protagonist Mia (Annabelle Wallis) giving birth to a baby girl named Leah. Mia is married to medical student John (Ward Horton), who gives her Annabelle because of her love for large and garish vintage dolls. When they're viciously attacked (and their elderly neighbors are brutally killed) by members of a satanic cult, they're also saddled with an errant demon that the invaders leave behind, forcing the young family to move to a new apartment…along with spooky, telekinetic Annabelle. Eventually, occult book store owner Evelyn (Alfre Woodard) clues in helpless Mia, but do they ditch the doll? Well, John tries, but Annabelle miraculously shows up in one of the moving boxes and assumes a place by Leah's bed, and even their parish priest (Tony Amendola) seems unable to help. Implausibility aside, filmmaker John R. Leonetti just never manages to make the killer doll concept all that terrifying in this superficial fright-flick. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the behind-the-scenes featurette “The Curse of Annabelle.” Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are deleted scenes (21 min.), the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Bloody Tears of Possession,” “Dolls of the Demon,” and a “A Demonic Process” (15 min. total), and bonus DVD and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a lame horror film.] (S. Granger)