This here is the sequel to the Annabelle film from 2014. It starts with Ed and Lorraine (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) bringing the Annabelle doll home in the early 70s. They secure the doll in a glass box that is blessed by a priest. Everything is fine. This is fine.

Ed and Lorraine leave on a trip and leave their daughter, Judy, in the care of their local babysitter, Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman). Mary Ellen’s friend Daniela (Katie Sarife) pays them a visit. In true dumbass fashion, Daniela goes into the Warren’s cursed artifacts room to look around. She’s driven by the possibility of reconnecting with her dead dad. Well, of course she lets Annabelle out of her box so that good times can be had by all! It’s definitely believable, because teenagers do dumb shit all the time.

I want to talk about Judy, because as soon as I saw the character, I was convinced I had seen her before. She is played by Mckenna Grace, a.k.a. Phoebe from the new Ghostbusters movies. She is wonderful and pretty much steals the show.

What I liked most about this one was how it tied in nicely with the Conjuring universe, but managed to be fresh enough that it didn’t seem like yet another retread of the haunting/demonic possession. There managed to still be a rather likable human story amongst the scary stuff.

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