The main character is slowly walking down the dark hallway, the music begins to increase and sharpen its tone as he/she moves closer to the half-open door. Their breathing quickens as they reach for the door handle and in 3…2…1…
Jump scare.
I’ve seen enough horror films to know when a jump scare is coming and frankly, every time I find the time to watch one, I start to count how many jump scares are being used. While I still love this genre, I’ve started to accept that most horror films are going to continue to use this method regardless of what fans like myself think about it.
Since it’s October, which in my opinion is the best month ever, I told myself that I would watch a horror film every day. There have been flops like “Curse of Chucky” and successes like “The Craft” (which I strongly recommend), but my desire to feel any sense of fear or even discomfort hasn’t been met by any of the films I’ve watched so far.
So, on Friday the 13th, two of my friends and I decided to watch “Annabelle: Creation” after we returned from walking around the Old City Cemetery. A white witch named Elizabeth Budd Graham is buried there so we wanted to pay her a visit, but that’s beside the point. Now, I’ve never been a fan of Annabelle because I can’t wrap my head around why anyone would keep an ugly looking doll like her in their house and porcelain dolls have always creeped me out. However, I wanted to end my night scared or as close to it as I can get.
It was my lucky night because I got what I wanted.
Courtesy: IMDB
Directed by David F. Sandberg, “Annabelle: Creation” is the fourth installment of The Conjuring Series and the prequel to 2014’s “Annabelle.” This movie focuses on the beginning of how the cursed doll came to be. Set in 1955, after the tragic death of Samuel and Esther Mullins daughter, they decide to open their home to a nun and a group of young girls into their home, who quickly become the target of the possessed Annabelle doll.
Instead of using multiple jump scares, Sandberg relied on creating tension and suspense which made the movie effective in creeping out me and my friends. That’s why I was satisfied with this movie because Sandberg steered away from an overused, lazy technique and focused so much on the tension. Horror films like “The Witch” and “It Follows” were successful because they paid attention to the suspense that can be built from the scenery alone and it was those moments in “Annabelle: Creation” that had me anxious. They were moments that constantly had me staring at the background looking out for the doll or anything supernatural to happen.
When I asked my friend, Aspen what scared her most during the movie, she said, “The crawling parts freaked me out the most because they make me uncomfortable and makes me think that they’re going to get me.”
I understood how she felt as I watched the movie. I felt uneasy letting my feet touch the floor because I was too scared that something was going to grab me. There were times that I wanted to look away because the slow close-ups of Annabelle’s face made a shiver travel down my spine. I was nervous and creeped out, but I loved every second of it.
“Annabelle: Creation” was fun to watch and while I didn’t have nightmares when I fell asleep, I did have to put on some funny YouTube videos on my laptop just so I can feel a little safer with the lights turned off.
There are only a few more days before October is over and I’m definitely looking forward to finding the next horror film that can make me feel just as scared or more than “Annabelle: Creation.”