Not a slick scare-fest

Title : Anabelle
Cast : Anabelle Wallis, Ward Horton & Alfre Woodand
Direction : James R Leonetti
Genre : Horror
Rating : *1/2
Like : Camerawork
UnLike : Script and sound design

‘Annabelle’ is described as a horror movie and is also the name of a doll that is supposed to possess supernatural powers and seems to haunt a young couple who are about to have their first child. It is also a prequel to ‘The Conjuring’ released last year with Vera Farmagiai in the lead role.

But ‘Annabelle’ is set in the 1960s when John Wayne and Raquel Welch were doing the rounds on the screen. John (Ward Horton) and Mia Gordon (Anabelle Wallis) live in Santa Monica, California and they soon experience weird happenings – strange sounds, furniture moving. But the establishing shots are weak and director John Leonetti must be blamed for this. In due time they visit Fr Perez (Tony Arendola) but he doesn’t prove of any help. So they move to Pasadena, a suburb.

In due time Mia delivers a lovely girl but the doll that has been put in the bin strangely reappears. At this point credibility takes a beating. The pram in which the child is kept is hit by a speeding vehicle but she escapes unhurt. Strangely all these eerie things happen when John is away at work.

They then run into a nosy neighbor Evelyn (Alfre Woodland) and though this cameo plays a vital part in the end the narrative slips out of grasp by now, thanks to a lacklustre script. The only saving grace is James Kivest’s caressing camera.

Anabelle Wallis shows some talent in the lead role but the others are merely academic. The sound effects are too loud and overdone.

For me it’s a clear no-no and that’s putting it mildly.