Director: Gary Dauberman
Writers: James Wan, Gary Dauberman
Stars: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Mckenna Grace
Run Time: 1 Hour 46 Minutes
Amazon Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqSmb3n0j8o
Synopsis
The couple from The Conjuring explains that the Annabelle doll was never possessed, rather it was a conduit for other demonic entities. It cannot be destroyed. They put it in the car and drive for a long ways.
The police say they need to turn around, as there’s an accident ahead. They miss their turn, and of course, the car stalls in the misty, isolated, deathlands, right in front of Maryville Cemetery. Ed gets out to work on the car while Lorraine sits inside. Soon, she hears “I like your doll.” Soon after, she sees the dead standing around everywhere. “It’s the doll, Ed. It’s a beacon for other spirits,” she explains. They get back in the car and drive home as if this was the most normal thing in the world; clearly these two have seen a lot.
They eventually make it home unscathed. They set Annabelle down in a rocking chair, and their priest says a prayer over the doll and sprays holy water on it. They put Annabelle and the chair inside a display case made of glass from a church window. “The evil is contained,” says Lorraine. Credits roll.
One year later, Ed and Lorraine go out of town for a conference or something, and leave daughter Judy in the hands of the babysitter, Mary Ellen. Mary Ellen’s friend, Daniella, wants to come over and have some fun, because their house is like a museum of weird artifacts. All Judy’s friends think she’s weird because of the ghost and demons and stuff. Daniella comes over anyway, and she wants to see some creepy stuff.
Daniella gives Judy roller skates for her birthday, and naturally, Judy wants to go outside and try them, leaving Daniella in the house alone. She finds the keys, unlocks the heavily-bolted door, and goes inside. She tries to contact her dead father, but nothing happens. She sees Annabelle fall over in her case, and opens the door to straighten her back up. Suddenly, the alarm goes off; the cake in the kitchen is burning. She shuts the display case door, but doesn’t relock it. Annabelle falls out onto the floor.
Mary Ellen answers the door, and it’s Bee. She wants to play with Annabelle. Judy comes inside and sees Annabelle sitting in a chair, then she’s gone when she looks a second time. She then is attacked by the ghost of a bloody bride with a knife. Soon after, the trio gathers together and reads the Warrens’ records, which allows for some exposition and explanation.
Boyfriend Bob stops over and serenades them from the yard, but he’s chased off by a hellhound. Daniella leaves for the night, but sneaks back to revisit the museum, alone. She puts her father’s picture in the magic locket and calls her father again, this time more effectively.
Mary Ellen goes in to tuck Judy in for the night and finds Annabelle in bed next to her. She hasn’t seen the doll before, so doesn’t think much of it. Meanwhile, Daniella is locked in the basement with her dead father’s ghost and all the various cursed artifacts, many of which have activated. Mary Ellen heads downstairs to the Warrens’ office, and weird stuff is happening down there. The lights go out, and she keeps seeing coins on the floor. The Ferryman has come for her. Upstairs, Valak and Annabelle start working on Judy. They soon see the hellhound outside and realize that they can’t leave. They head down to the basement and find Daniella down there.
Annabelle wants a soul. Daniella confesses starting all this, and she’s stabbed by the bloody bride immediately after, but not really. There’s a lot of running, screaming, and haunting until the three girls put Annabelle back in the display case. Bob runs inside, planning to save them– after everything is resolved.
The next morning, Ed and Lorraine return. Everyone comes to Judy’s birthday party. No one really died, and it was all just a creepy evening for the group.
Commentary
I said early on that this sounded like the premise of the Friday the 13th TV series with all the cursed objects, and I was more right than I expected. I didn’t expect that we’d be seeing so many of the artifacts in action. The film series could really go in a hundred different directions after this film.
The Ferryman, the bloody bride, and the hellhound were all creepy and looked really good. Annabelle herself didn’t do much this time around, she was busy delegating to the new characters. As explained in the first scene, Annabelle is really just a conduit for other demons, not a monster in herself like Chucky.