Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

Personalized picks at your fingertips

Get the mobile app on iOS and Android

Parents' Guide to

Annabelle

By Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Bloody "Conjuring" prequel is scary, if not too original.

Movie R 2014 98 minutes
Annabelle Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 14+

Based on 27 parent reviews

age 14+

It’s good for ages 14+

There is some gory parts like a character gets stabbed. There is many frightening moments. But my 12 year old watched this and she was fine after.
age 11+
People need to know that this movie is not as bad as Common Sense Media says. When it comes to violence there is only like 1 or 2 violent scenes but nothing worst then something you would see in a PG-13 horror movie. When it comes to the sexual content in this film there is actually none not one bit except when he kisses his wife but you see that in everything so it’s not bad at all. When it comes to language there’s really nothing except the word hell or crap. There’s no drugs or alcohol except wine. Overall this movie is not that bad with violence there’s no sexual content and no language. This movie is fine for people 11 or older

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (27 ):
Kids say (114 ):

This movie is probably fairly forgettable, though horror fans will get a quick kick out of it. The Conjuring was an excellent horror film that introduced two real-life ghostbusters, the Warrens, who seemed poised to be the subjects of many good sequels. But instead/in the meantime, this quickie spin-off/prequel was devised, directed by the cinematographer of the previous film, John R. Leonetti, without any of the original cast. Annabelle doesn't bring a single new idea to the screen, and most of the scares are of the jump-shock variety.

But some of the old standbys still work, and Annabelle is certainly well-made; it's directed with patience, a sense of space, and incredible period detail. The performances are fine, especially Woodard as a grieving mother who runs a helpful bookshop, and the characters are sympathetic and intelligent. (The husband could take offense to his wife's experiences, but he chooses to support her.)

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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.

See how we rate