Annabelle Comes Home

It's not exactly groundbreaking, but this seventh movie in The Conjuring horror franchise is crafty and shrewdly made. It whips up many good scares and has logical, accessible characters. In the complex series timeline, Annabelle Comes Home follows Annabelle (2014) and Annabelle: Creation (2017); it takes place in the 1970s, after the events of the first The Conjuring (2013). All that aside, however, the main thing that matters here is the simple fact that Annabelle is an evil demon and is after somebody's soul. Screenwriter Gary Dauberman (Annabelle, It, The Nun) makes his directing debut, following a template established by creator James Wan: spooky use of three-dimensional space, sleight-of-hand rhythm, and spare cutting. He takes to it expertly.

Dauberman also has a great deal of fun with the forbidden room and all its various, monstrous treasures. But the real trick here is the characters. 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.