Reviews: Annabelle Comes Home (2019) Movie Review
Genres: Horror, Thriller, Mystery
Subgenres: Haunted House, Possession, Supernatural, Cursed, Dolls, Psychic, Religion
Exploring Annabelle Comes Home (2019) through our review, we cover its story, scares, and how it fits into the broader horror genre landscape.
Annabelle Comes Home (2019) takes a contained haunted house approach in The Conjuring Universe, centering on Ed and Lorraine Warren’s artifact room, where the infamous Annabelle doll is secured. The story follows Judy Warren (Mckenna Grace), the Warrens’ daughter, who is left under the care of babysitter Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman) and her friend Daniela (Katie Sarife) while her parents are away. However, Daniela’s reckless curiosity leads to Annabelle’s case being opened, unleashing a parade of vengeful spirits that terrorize the house.
Annabelle Comes Home (2019) – A Safe but Spooky Addition to The Conjuring Universe
Plot, Themes, and Character Development
The film explores themes of grief, trauma, and responsibility, with Judy struggling to embrace her parents’ supernatural legacy while dealing with her own isolation at school. Daniela’s personal guilt over her father’s passing adds an emotional layer to her reckless decision-making. However, while these elements add some depth, the character development remains fairly surface-level, with most of the runtime focused on escalating supernatural threats.
Acting and Cinematography
Mckenna Grace continues to prove she is a standout in horror, bringing vulnerability and quiet strength to Judy. Madison Iseman and Katie Sarife offer decent performances, but their characters lack enough depth to leave a lasting impact. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprise their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren but have minimal screen time, appearing only in the film’s opening and ending sequences.
Visually, Annabelle Comes Home delivers moody cinematography, using dim lighting, shadowy corners, and unsettling camera movements to create tension. The artifact room’s design adds to the ominous atmosphere, filled with cursed objects that hint at untapped horror potential within the Conjuring universe.
Directing Style, Strengths, and Weaknesses
Directed by Gary Dauberman, the film leans heavily on jump scares, some of which are effective, while others feel predictable. The film introduces several new supernatural entities, such as the Bride, the Ferryman, and the Werewolf, creating a haunted house thrill ride but without much narrative depth. Dauberman succeeds in delivering creepy set pieces, but the film lacks the emotional intensity and slow-building dread found in previous Conjuring entries.
A major weakness is that Annabelle herself feels less menacing compared to her previous appearances. Instead of actively tormenting the characters, she mainly acts as a conduit for other spirits, making her presence feel less impactful. The film also plays it too safe, avoiding any major narrative risks and settling for a formulaic haunted house experience.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths:
Creepy atmosphere – The Warrens’ artifact room provides a rich, eerie setting with plenty of haunted objects.
Mckenna Grace’s performance – She delivers an engaging portrayal of Judy Warren, adding emotional weight to the story.
Entertaining supernatural encounters – The various spirits introduced provide diverse horror sequences, making for a fun, if not terrifying, experience.
Weaknesses:
Overreliance on jump scares – The film lacks the suspenseful build-up found in The Conjuring films.
Annabelle takes a backseat – Despite being the film’s central figure, she doesn’t have a commanding presence.
Safe and predictable narrative – The story follows a by-the-numbers haunted house formula, lacking major surprises.
Final Verdict & Score: 6/10
Annabelle Comes Home is an entertaining but safe supernatural horror film that delivers effective scares and eerie visuals but lacks the depth and intensity of other Conjuring Universe entries. It plays more like a spooky theme park ride rather than a truly terrifying horror experience, making it enjoyable for casual horror fans but underwhelming for those seeking something more intense.
Sources Used to Shape This Review
Insights in this review are drawn from director interviews, fan commentary, production notes, and long-form breakdowns across genre-specific platforms. Content is written uniquely and reviewed for accuracy.
- Annabelle Comes Home Rating Scores
- Our Score: 6/10
- Overall Score: 5.91/10
- IMDB: 5.9/10
- MetaCritic: 5.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 6.4/10
Look here for more movies starting with A and here you can find 2019 movies to watch on your favorite streaming service.