Also, sound and image constantly working in perfect balance to create pure terror! Simply the perfect origin story A creepy barn with a lifelike scarecrow and an old well out back. Most importantly, Annabelle: Creation is classic horror in a way everyone should enjoy. And in this story, there’s a brief cameo and teaser for the next spin-off in this crazy James Wan horror universe: The Nun. Oh yeah, and the fact that she’s a nun, which – besides dolls – is the horror element of The Conjuring universe is no coincidence. She has such warmth and sincerity without being gullible to the girls’ tricks. I also want to mention Stephanie Sigman, who plays the young nun taking care of the girls. She just fits in perfectly with these origin stories that take place decades ago. In Annabelle: Creation she’s dealing with a very different character, but she’s just as intense and impressive as she was in Ouija 2.
Her best friend is Linda, who’s played by Lulu Wilson, who most will probably recognize from Ouija 2. Even if you haven’t bothered to watch the movie (which you should!), she’s featured prominently in all the promotional material. Bateman was also in the sci-fi adventure The 5th Wave which starred Chloë Grace Moretz. A young girl struggling with the aftermath of polio, which has her in leg-braces. Talitha Bateman portrays the character of Janice. Experienced horror-stars at a very young age And of course, these are also the victims of the evil forces at play.
And with the upcoming feature film version of Stephen King’s It (the previous adaptation was a TV mini-series), it’s very much a current trend.Įspecially the two youngest girls are giving amazing performances in Annabelle: Creation. There’s the aforementioned The Orphanage and (of course!) It, but also the recent Netflix smash hit Stranger Things. And really, this is exactly what works well with horror movies: Putting the kids front and center.
In this case, it was actually a pleasant twist.
Whenever well-known names are part of the cast, you expect them to play big parts. This isn’t to say anything bad about the adult actors, I was just surprised they didn’t have more prominent storylines. I actually expected Miranda Otto ( Lord of the Rings) to have a much more prominent role, but the young girls are at the heart of the story. Anthony LaPaglia does have a bigger role than Miranda Otto, but it’s still very limited compared to Lulu Wilson and Talitha Bateman. The girls are scene stealers in the best way!Īnd let’s be completely honest, the girls in Annabelle: Creation are the stars. We get to know the sweet and innocent orphan girls to make the contrast that much bigger when the evil and darkness enters the story.