Annabelle Comes Home Movie Review for Parents

Table of Content

• Parent reviews for Annabelle | Common Sense Media
• James Wan, Gary Dauberman Tackling Stephen King's Vampire Tale 'Salem's Lot'
• Annabelle Comes Home Parents' Guide
• Parents Guide
• Home Video
• Why Annabelle Comes Home is an Actually Scary High Point of The Conjuring Sequels
• Henry Cavill Addresses Whether He Wants To Be Next James Bond Actor

She finds friendship in Mary Ellen, her babysitter, and Mary Ellen’s friend Daniela. The three are the primary characters in the film and must deal with the repercussions of Daniela opening Annabelle’s case and unleashing the evil spirits. Annabelle Comes Home will continue in the tradition of previous movies in The Conjuring universe of being R-rated. The Motion Picture Association of America has officially handed down their rating for the third entry in the successful spin-off series and yes, it's been given an R rating.

While Ed and Lorraine head out on assignment, their daughter, Judy , remains at home with her babysitter, Mary Ellen , whose meddling friend Daniela makes her way into the room of cursed and haunted artifacts the Warrens keep under lock and key. While Annabelle Comes Home may not suit every horror fan’s taste, it’s still an engaging and exciting addition to The Conjuring series. As the scary high point of the franchise, it ties together the previous movies and provides a thrilling story with excellent pacing. The addition of new spirits and top-notch performances make Annabelle Comes Home an overall enjoyable watch. First debuting in 2013, The Conjuring has quickly become one of the most iconic horror franchises of the decade.

Parent reviews for Annabelle | Common Sense Media

Gary Dauberman, who has penned several entries in The Conjuring universe, as well as IT, makes his directorial debut with the movie. James Wan, who directed the two main entries in the franchise, serves as a producer. What's especially appealing about this movie is that Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga will make their return as paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren for the first time since The Conjuring 2. Though, it's expected that their roles will be relatively small. However, the two are set to return once more in next year's The Conjuring 3, which is being directed by Michael Chaves, who made his directorial debut with The Curse of La Llorona.

So don't expect the possessed doll to tone down the violence this time around. A door inside a darkened room opens to reveal a large doll and then slams shut and locks and a picture card of a key is slid out from under the door. The full-head helmet of a tall Samurai suit of armor turns and frightens a teen girl twice; she approaches and we hear male and female Japanese voices inside the armor, screaming fast and we hear swords clanking inside the helmet and then silence . A young man rushes into a room with a broken guitar and a crucifix as weapons, but the fight has already ended and he says a werewolf attacked him outside . I am actually a bit surprised by the rating for this movie. As far as R rated horror goes, Annabelle Comes Home is comparatively innocuous.

James Wan, Gary Dauberman Tackling Stephen King's Vampire Tale 'Salem's Lot'

In what is essentially a haunted-house film, Dauberman creates an atmosphere of incredible tension as the three young women tangle with spirits, ghosts and ghouls. Dauberman’s control over the camera and mastery of suspense is impressive, especially for a first-time director. But the film is strung too tightly, rarely breaking bad, denying the cathartic chaos one craves in this kind of film. Strangely, “Annabelle Comes Home” needs more jump scares — or maybe this jaded critic has just seen it all by now. Director Gary Dauberman clearly knows his way around the genre, having already written over a half-a-dozen horror flicks, and I will admit to having gooseflesh during several of the haunting sequences.

The studio is developing further entries, including The Nun 2 and The Crooked Man. It's also possible that this movie could wind up introducing figures that are worthy of a new spin-off as well. Gary Dauberman penned the screenplay, working from a story he cooked up with James Wan. Richard Brener, Dave Neustadter, Victoria Palmeri, Michael Clear, Michelle Morrissey and Judson Scott serve as executive producers. Annabelle Comes Home is set to arrive in theaters on June 26.

Annabelle Comes Home Parents' Guide

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In a summer of sequels, third and fourth films in a series have to prove the worthiness of their existence, and some this season haven’t risen to the top. But while it’s easy to scoff at another killer-doll film in the Conjuring Universe, the spooky franchise is stealthily successful and steadily consistent. “Annabelle Comes Home,” the third “Annabelle” film in the CU, marks the directorial debut of writer Gary Dauberman, and could actually be the best in the trilogy.

There is little direct violence against the characters, and all of the blood and gore is either in photographs or in hallucinations. The language is another concern, but by my recollection, the only character who swears is also the dumbest character in the movie and is responsible for just about every major problem so…I would read that as a cautionary tale. Ed and Lorraine Warren are getting burnt out by their attempts to contain the dangers of the occult and decide to take an overnight vacation. Confident that a cursed doll named Annabelle is secure in a box made of sanctified chapel glass in a locked room in their basement, the Warrens leave their daughter Judy home with a babysitter, Mary Ellen . But when someone lets Annabelle out, suddenly every other evil artefact the Warrens ever collected springs to demonic life and begins to inflict terror after terror on Judy and Mary Ellen.

Convinced it’s “a beacon for other spirits,” Lorraine attempts to warn Ed just before he almost gets run down by a semi-trailer. Dauberman also has a great deal of fun with the forbidden room and all its various, monstrous treasures. Little Judy, who seems to have picked up some of her mother's clairvoyance, is having trouble at school because of her parents' work and can't seem to make friends. Daniela is also quite touching, hoping to communicate with her dead father while blaming herself for his death; she's more than just a busybody poking around where she shouldn't be. And it's a welcome surprise to see Farmiga and Wilson back as the Warrens. All in all, everything clicks satisfyingly into place for a solid scarefest that's worth getting dolled up for.

The Conjuring started as the story of a haunted farmhouse in Rhode Island and grew into a series of spinoffs, prequels, and sequels, including The Nun and Annabelle. Annabelle Comes Home is the third installment in the Annabelle series and sees the Warrens take the possessed doll to their own home in an attempt to contain the evil entity. So, not only isAnnabelle Comes Homeinherently scary because of the creepy doll premise, but the film also includes traditional gore that may upset some viewers. But for those who are familiar with the horror genre, the visuals might not seem that problematic. To date, the six Conjuring universe movies have grossed $1.7 billion worldwide.

It ties the original storyline in with the new spirits and characters and seamlessly ties in with other movies in the franchise. This high point of the films makes them all the more enjoyable and adds a new level to the well-known storyline. The ending of the film, the culmination of seven horror movies, is a surprisingly sweet conclusion to this sprawling franchise. Parents need to know that Annabelle Comes Home is the third Annabelle movie and the seventh film in The Conjuring horror franchise. While the movie isn't especially original, it's well-made and has plenty of intense scares.

The 13-year-old Grace is an uncommonly mature actor for her age, and the film would not be as compelling without such a strong performer (though the “Annabelle” films have always offered excellent platforms for young actresses). Grace knows when silence and stillness are more effective than hysteria, and she portrays Judy as a girl who has seen far more than she should in her young life. Another dubious decision ends up sidelining Wilson and Farmiga, who have effectively channeled the Warrens’ devoted personal and professional collaboration over four of the franchise’s films, in favor of focusing on the trio of young women.

There are some scenes where nothing happens, but the fear and anxiety of what might happen keeps viewers on edge. Dauberman toys with the audience and keeps them guessing, generating anticipation throughout the entire film. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are reprising their roles as Ed and LorraineWarren although their characters will not be at the forefront of the story. The Warren’s daughter Judy will be played by Mckenna Grace taking over from Sterling Jerins who played the role previously. Madison Iseman will star as the cousin and babysitter, Mary Ellen and Katie Sarife will be her friend, Daniela. Preteen students belittle a classmate and a teen girl shouts at them, causing them to disperse.

Why Annabelle Comes Home is an Actually Scary High Point of The Conjuring Sequels

Writer and director Gary Dauberman develops tension from the beginning and taps into the primal fear of being a child and having your home taken over by evil. Overall, The Conjuring universe movies may not be for everyone, but the films have grossed over $2 billion worldwide and continue to draw large audiences. Let’s look at why Annabelle Comes Home is a scary high point of all the Conjuring sequels. It is, of course, the breakout star of The Conjuring series, New Line’s wildly impressive and successful horror franchise that’s set to take a dark turn later this year with the aptly titled Annabelle Comes Home.

After all, both of the previous entries in this spin-off series (not to mentioned the original THE CONJURING movies and Corin Hardy's THE NUN) were also rated R so to go PG-13 on this one would have been more than a little disappointing, I think. Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners. The R-rating of Annabelle Comes Home was granted for "horror violence & terror" according to the MPAA's ruling. It feels like this movie is hitting every horror movie checklist which kind of reduces its impact. You need to login or register to add this movie to your horror watchlist.