 |
| The International Poster |
Brief Summary: In 1971, The Perron family moved into an old farmhouse with their five daughters. The girls had started to play hide and clap as one of them would discover a hidden basement. The family wouldn't expect what happened next-- as they left the basement alone, things begun to happen around the house including mysterious noises and visions. The family is terrified and goes in search for help as Carolyn runs into the Warrens, Lorraine and Ed at a school campus. The Warrens agree to check out the house, realizing there is something more to the sudden increase of paranormal activity-- research shows that a witch had sacrificed her 7 year old baby in the house and has a tendency of possessing the mothers who moved into the house to kill their own. The Warrens are nearly too late when Carolyn runs off possessed by the witch. It is up to the Warrens to perform a exorcism on her before it is too late. Based on an actual real case by the paranormal investigators, Lorraine and Ed Warren.
The Cast:
Vera Farmiga (Lorraine Warren)
Patrick Wilson (Ed Warren)
Lili Taylor (Carolyn Perron)
Ron Livingston (Roger Perron)
Shanley Caswell (Andrea Perron)
Hayley McFarland (Nancy Perron)
Joey King (Christine Perron)
Mackenzie Foy (Cindy Perron)
Kyla Denver (April Perron)
Shannon Kook (Drew)
John Brotherton (Brad)
Sterling Jerins (Judy Warren)
The Real Story Behind Annabelle:
 |
| Left: Real Annabelle; Right: Movie Version |
Be prepare because I'm about to tell you her story:
In 1970, a woman bought her daughter, Donna a child-sized Raggedy Ann doll for her birthday. Donna was just about to graduate from nursing school and she had accepted her mother's gift. Her roommate and friend, Angie was the only person to know about the doll as she would be left on the bed. Donna and Angie would sudden begin to notice weird things revolving around the doll. At first it would look like the doll had changed position, Donna would claim that she would leave its arms next to it and legs straight, just to return home that night to find them crossed.
Things would get worst down the road as the doll begun to migrate around the apartment-- one minute on the bed, then the next-- in the living room chair. Make note this all occurred when these two where out of the apartment and being the only ones with keys. Donna even told the Warrens that sometimes the doll moved to other rooms completely, leaving it on the couch and coming home to find it in Donna's room with the door shut. But it wasn't until their male friend, stated as "Lou" was involved that things begun to turn. Lou said that the moment he set eyes on the doll, he knew it was evil but the girls wouldn't believe such. But it wasn't long until they would begin to find suspicious notes written in crayon and in a child-like scribble. They would read "HELP US" and one even read "HELP LOU". The girls were suspecting it to be a prank from an intruder but Lou believed it to be Annabelle.
Although the entity seemed particularly kind to the girls it shared its space with, Lou still had none of it. Less than two months later, the girls returned home from school, not surprised to find the doll had moved from the living room to Donna's room but something was off. Donna approached the doll, realizing it was had oozing blood on its hands and chest. This is when the girls knew it was time for some help. They would call in a medium who would help them discover the truth.
The medium would tell the girls about a 7 year old girl by the name of Annabelle Higgins whose body was discovered in the field upon the property the apartments sat today. She couldn't tell them much else about the entity. The two girls were very touched by the story and told Annabelle she could stay. From then on, the doll became known as Annabelle. But that was mistake they were going to regret.
Lou asked Donna to get rid of the doll but she would refuse, saying that it would be the same as abandoning the child. But it seems Annabelle did like his thought. Lou would start to have nightmares about the doll crawling up his sheets and strangling in to death. The Warrens would state it as an attempt of choking on Annabelle's part-- being that she was actually there and actually choking him. But she wasn't done yet.
While preparing for a road trip, Lou and Angie had been going over the maps. Suddenly, a strange shuffling would come from Donna's room and Lou would be the one to face whoever it was. Lou would enter the room after it stopped and found the doll was thrown up against the wall. Lou said he felt a tingling as he approached Annabelle. Angie described this experience as terrifying as he was found to have claw marks on his chest. The Warrens have confirmed they were real but oddly, they disappeared forty-eight hours later.
The Warrens declared the doll was indeed possessed but by something worst. Their investigation revealed that Annabelle was actually a demon using the girls. She acted like a child just so the group would allow her into their lives. An Episcopal blessing was performed in the apartment. As for Annabelle, she was taken from the house by the Warrens. Today, she coincides in the Warren's Occult Museum behind glass because of how dangerous she potentially is. They claim that she moves around in her case from time to time and highly suggest you absolutely don't touch the case or talk back to her-- you may not make it home.
(Read the Full Story Here)
My Review:
Real stories make the best stories as I have found over the years of watching them. This one being no exception to the rule, being downright creepy and original. I remember sitting in the movie theater with my sister, being prepared to watch it and the first thing you see is Annabelle. Not only is she creepy looking but very realistic-- but in reality, why would you have such a doll in the first place? She had to be one of the best additions to the film despite not being the plot point. While the story does not start out with the victim being killed, it begun straight away with the Warrens who are incredible people with the brains and compassion paranormal investigators should have. I instantly starting liking Lorraine when she came on screen, being sensitive to her surrounds and amazed at everything she does. While on the other side of the spectrum, you have the Perron family who is being terrorized by the twisted force inside their home. As usual, there was a lot of screaming and the suspense just kept coming-- which is why this movie is so great. It didn't remain on the family scene for very long and kept moving along, throwing in a terror scene here and there. Of course, possession movies were always a good aspect change to the Horror genre since it became popular. You'd be surprise to know that they are a massive fan-favorite part of this genre-- including big names like Paranormal Activity. If it wasn't for these movies, the genre would of died a long time ago. But really-- who needs a genre full of slasher flicks. Now adding the fact it is based on a real event-- that is a big plus that people need to look out for became they make awesome movies. With intuitive ways and actual smart acting, it made this movie a top favorite on my horror list.
I rate this movie 5 out of 5 stars
Spotlights:
-The Intro
Although very brief, it had to be one of the creepiest beginnings yet. It stages Annabelle as an overpowering force with a damaged face and fading paint. It covers a good bit of her story but to be honest with you, doll or not, it was freaky. Intended to scare, just like it was suppose to definitely.
-Wanna Play Hide-And-Clap?
Being locked in the basement was always a bad choice. It is a known fact that they are consider the creepiest place in any house, I'm sure you'd agree. When Carolyn was locked in by an unseen force, it was just panic from then on. The spirits were restless that night, creating chaos and fear. Lucky for the family, dad came home early.
-Seeing Rory
When it comes to seeing the dead, a mirror had always seemed to help. In this case, Rory, being one of the many faces the witch had forced mom to kill, has become friends with youngest Perron, April. Even though it was suspected, Rory did appear in the mirror but very creepy like. I loved the fact they used a music box-- very unique and never seen item to use as a source of vision reply. 
-Through the Medium's Eyes
Who wouldn't be freaked out to see someone hanging from a noose? Even though, Lorraine was the only one to see such along the way, it had helped them with the case. I loved seeing what she saw directly and distinctly as if looking through her eyes. Who knew her sensitivity would pay off?
-Annabelle has a New Friend
Being one of the creepiest pieces of the movie, Annabelle was never alone in the Warren house. The Warrens' daughter, Judy had a secret interest in the doll but told numerous times to not touch her. Although, she did fear her and when the witch arrived unexpected with Annabelle on her lap, Judy's fear became overwhelming. But serious, who wouldn't be scared? A creepy doll and a child killer witch in one room would be a nightmare waiting to happen. This scene was actually one of must scariest of all.
-The Possession
The actual possession was one of the most intense scenes of all-- being the edge-of-your-seat kind. There was screaming, violence and levitating. Ah, good old possession action! But this was also the most important scene, being that the witch is revealed and things are answered more effectively. No split pea soup here! Gladly, it all ended with the witch returning to hell and the family back together.
Fun Facts:
Witch Namesake
The witch is revealed to be named Bathsheba which is from the Hebrew Bible-- it means "daughter of the oath". And she was indeed a real person.
The Real Pictures
 |
| Photo from the movie's credits. The actual Perron Family in front of their haunted home |
 |
| The Haunted Farmhouse itself in Harrisville, Rhode Island |
 |
| All Six of the Perron Girls |
 |
| Lorraine and Ed Warren |
Sadly, everyone has to die someday. As of today, Lorraine is alone inside her house/museum who still amazingly does her job as a paranormal investigator. As for the Perron family, all five of the sisters are still alive and well.
House of Horrors
There were eight generations of families that lived in the farmhouse before the Perron. Their deaths included two documented suicides, a poisoning, rape, a murder of a 11 year old girl, two drownings and four men from freezing to death. Most of the death's were in the Arnold family who are descends from Bathsheba.
(Source: IMDb)
You Can't See Me
Believe it or not but Lorraine was actually in the audience in the front row of the lecture hall scene when Carolyn was listening on the Warrens' presentation.
(Source: IMDb)
Stand By Me
Both Lorraine Warren and Andrea Perron joined director James Wan on set during the filming. They both claim the movie is very accurate.
Hope you enjoyed my very first real-story based review and find it quite fascinating. Great movie and I hope you take the time to watch it someday and thanks for joining me!
Watch The Conjuring trailer here
Happy Hunting.
Next Movie: Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron
*One of my all time favorites! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment