Annabelle (2014) Review – It’s Worse Than I Thought

Welcome to Knockout Horror and to day 25 of our 31 Days of Halloween 2026 review marathon. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of catching up on movies I hadn’t reviewed. The Conjuring, 28 Days Later, Sinister. It’s been pretty fun, but man did that ever come crashing to a halt last night. Today we are checking out the surprisingly dog shit Annabelle (2014).

Honestly, I Completely Missed This One

Hands up, I didn’t watch Annabelle back when it released. I feel like I have said this a lot when it comes to some of the major horror releases from the recent past, but unfortunately it is true. I just wasn’t a fan of Hollywood horror and, to be perfectly honest, I’m still not.

“This movie is utterly dismal… I’m talking The Curse of La Llorona dismal.”

Just because something like The Conjuring or Insidious was getting a lot of buzz doesn’t mean I would have gone out of my way to watch it. There was probably a 4/10 found footage flick or some indie horror that I was checking out instead. Annabelle completely slipped under the radar, for me.

Interestingly enough, I did go to the cinema to watch Annabelle: Creation and I went again a few years later to watch Annabelle Comes Home. I actually really enjoyed both of those movies and thought they were far more watchable than they had any right to be.

I’m sure you can Imagine my surprise when I decided to add the original movie to my watch list this October, having had absolutely no clue of whether or not it was good. This movie is utterly dismal… I’m talking The Curse of La Llorona dismal.

The story follows a couple who purchase a very bizarre looking doll and begin to experience strange events after Satanic cultists break into their house and attack them.

Absolutely nothing here works

After really enjoying The Conjuring just a few days ago, I was expecting much more of the same, here. After all, Annabelle spins off from the Conjuring universe and features some cross-over talent.

James Wan is attached in a producer role, The Conjuring’s cinematographer John R. Leonetti is in the director’s chair, and Joseph Bishara was set to score the film. This was a talented crew that, at the least, should have a decent grasp on the DNA and feel of a proper supernatural horror film.

Annabelle is a strong example of how important a director’s vision is to a film and how underrated a decent screenplay can be.

Everything about this film falls apart immediately. The visual style is drab, dull, and unimaginative, the script is laughable, the story is slow and tired, the acting is terrible, and the scares are both ineffective and unintentionally funny.

The movie opens by introducing us to our protagonists John (Ward Horton) and Mia (Annabelle Wallis). These two are the horror equivalent of brown bread. Perhaps the most boring protagonists in a horror movie ever. You better settle in, though. You are going to be spending a lot of time with them.

Mia is apparently a collector of creepy dolls. One such doll is the titular Annabelle… Only, it isn’t Annabelle until some bad shit happens and an evil entity seemingly begins using the doll as a conduit for mischief.

The rest of the film is basically a slow, mundane series of horror set pieces featuring strange stuff happening to the couple as Mia screams. There’s absolutely nothing else to it, at all.

It’s extremely bland

All of the visual DNA that had been established by The Conjuring is diluted down to the point of being almost completely unrecognisable, here. It’s a massive surprise, really, given that this movie wasn’t made with someone who was unfamiliar with how that style of movie should feel.

“You will see everything coming because the direction doesn’t afford you an opportunity not to.”

Leonetti worked directly with James Wan on constructing The Conjuring. He wasn’t trying to imitate, he was basically creating within the same framework.

Outside of the retro aesthetic, nothing that made that film so visually captivating has been harnessed. The separation between director and cinematographer has never been clearer than how blandly Leonetti has shot this picture.

The basic principles that apply to this type of supernatural horror are there, but it is like he has absolutely no idea how to actually make the shots work. The very important nuance that goes into making a simple shot of a creepy room actually effectively scary has been completely lost.

Leonetti has no idea how to work with negative space, when to obscure something in the shadows, and when to let the viewer’s mind fill in the blanks.

This is just a horribly bland shoot that places every character in the centre of the image and immediately rushes to frame every potential scare so you don’t miss anything. It’s horribly basic and the scares suffer for it tremendously.

Leonetti is so eager to foreshadow everything and then draw your attention to it that anything that might be considered a bit spicy or frightening becomes eminently predictable. Just wait for the protracted periods of silence. You will see everything coming because the direction doesn’t afford you an opportunity not to.

Mercilessly slow and boring

It doesn’t help that this is a movie that takes a hell of a lot of time to get going. The Conjuring was relatively slow paced but it kept the creepiness cooking under the surface to keep the viewer off base. That’s just not the case, here.

If we aren’t slap bang in the middle of a horror set piece we are watching Mia doing something mundane. You’ll see her sewing, you’ll see her making popcorn, and you’ll even see her watching TV in scenes that go on far too long with far too little payoff.

The story is woefully generic and there is absolutely no buildup to anything. It’s just a collection of jump scares set against a backdrop of retro drama nothingness.

The characters are almost impossible to care about, as well. They have virtually no personality at all and even their relationship doesn’t feel developed or all that authentic thanks to a distinct lack of chemistry. Compounding that issue is absolutely horrendous performances by the main cast.

Annabelle Wallis has two facial expressions that she alternates between continuously throughout the film. She looks disinterested and consistently unconvincing. Ward Horton is similar, but doesn’t even really try to act scared when the shit hits the fan.

I suppose I shouldn’t be so harsh because they are working with one of the most painfully uncreative scripts in Hollywood horror. There is a prevailing sense throughout this film that almost everyone was coasting along with very little intention of making something truly great. It is a cash-in in the most literal sense of the word.

Any positives?

This is a tough one because I found this movie offensively dull, but I do think there are a few positives. I thought Joseph Bishara’s score was pretty great. It is very fitting and somehow manages to build tension even when the onscreen stuff doesn’t manage to.

“There’s nothing too graphic here, and if you find Annabelle the doll creepy you will likely find it easier to buy into the story, as a whole.”

The Annabelle doll is suitably creepy and a pretty fantastic horror prop. Naturally, this would be proven true in later films and it would be utilised much more effectively, but here it is wasted.

I thought Alfre Woodard was pretty decent, as Evelyn, despite her character’s contribution to the film’s finale being one of the more hilarious in recent horror history. I also thought Tony Amendola was pretty fitting as Father Perez.

I do think this movie has an audience, I just don’t think that it is veteran horror fans. I have said this a lot with many different films, but this would work well as a sleepover horror.

There’s nothing too graphic here, and if you find Annabelle the doll creepy you will likely find it easier to buy into the story, as a whole. It will probably appeal to non-genre fans who aren’t already overexposed to the tricks of the trade. It won’t feel as formulaic, then.

For everyone else, however, just skip Annabelle and go and watch one of the sequels. Hell, go and watch The Nun, instead. They are far more effective when it comes to jump scare horror and far more interesting, to boot.

Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight

Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.