Annabelle Comes Home is the third film about the possessed doll and the sixth film in The Conjuring universe, right in the middle of the timeline. The Annabelle doll has established her story as something as pure evil, possessed by a demon with a never-ending hunger for souls. The doll now resides in the Warren residence artifacts room under lock and key with special sign warning that her case should never be opened. So this film is naturally about the case being opened by an overly curious teenage girl. The evil spills out and not only do they have to deal with the Annabelle doll but also the other items in the artifacts room which were infected by the evil. The babysitter plus friends is a fun new area for The Conjuring universe to explore, and the 1970s nostalgia trip is fantastic. 

 

Like many of the other films previous knowledge isn’t required, this series is pretty forgiving on the audience, not relying too heavily on your mental capacity - you’re here to have a little thrill. They are the kind of film where you enjoy your ride and not think too much about anything. Like why the Warren’s left their daughter home alone with a babysitter in a house that has a whole room of evil items and not call in at any point? The Conjuring universe has a flavour style, simple plots with scares you could almost set a watch too. One flaw from it which is frustrating after half a dozen films is the slow pacing of the first two thirds, all the action happens in that last part of the film and in Annabelle Comes Home it feels like a deserved pay off. 

 

The more I watch of The Conjuring universe the less I have come to expect, Annabelle Comes Home certainly meets these lowered expectations but has a more polished feel than the last couple of instalments and the Annabelle predecessors. The budget feels bigger than the other Annabelle films. The creative team behind this film also have worked on the other Conjuring universe films, so the styling is the same. 

 

The exciting part is the Warren’s artifact room. We finally have a deeper look at all the kind of haunted items and some of the evil hidden away. There are some jumpscares and the classic anticipation thrills, but not a lot of explicit violence or deaths. Which would broaden the appeal of the film. 

 

Annabelle Comes Home shows that The Conjuring universe still has a lot to offer.