Annabelle
Warner Bros. | Release Date: October 3, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
37
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
12
Negative:
12
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
38
Philadelphia InquirerTirdad DerakhshaniOct 3, 2014
Sadly, Annabelle, a cheap, sleazy, low-budget prequel meant to explain the origins of that particular doll, is as undistinguished, uninteresting, and unscary as the worst of the Chucky films. Read full review
38
USA TodayClaudia PuigOct 2, 2014
Annabelle invites unflattering comparisons with scary movies that came before, but its disparate parts never coalesce into a genuinely fearsome thriller. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineChristopher GrayOct 2, 2014
It's all a far cry from James Wan's The Conjuring, which embraced the thrill of the paranormal even as it respected its frazzled, earthbound characters. Read full review
38
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsOct 2, 2014
Annabelle is so lazily coat-tailing on Roman Polanski, they should have called it “Rosemary’s Barbie.” Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovOct 8, 2014
While it’s possible that Annabelle might give a few audience members goosebumps, anyone who’s ever seen "Rosemary’s Baby" –or pretty much any film James Wan’s had a hand in since helming 2007’s "Dead Silence", the "Saw" franchise excepted – will figure out what’s going on within the first 30 minutes. Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckOct 2, 2014
Gary Dauberman’s haphazard screenplay merely piles on the cheap scares, with director Leonetti cranking the volume up to 11 to accentuate the frequent jolts. It all adds up to a compendium of horror movie clichés. Read full review
25
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoOct 3, 2014
It offers surface level scares without the undercurrent of humanity needed to make them register. Read full review
25
The PlaylistDrew TaylorOct 2, 2014
If "subtle" horror movies are going to be this devastatingly boring, maybe it's time to bring back the buckets of blood. Read full review
25
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanOct 2, 2014
Despite its deficiencies, Annabelle is not without a modicum of verve. It has its unnerving moments, but they’re outweighed by the sheer stupidity and predictability of the story. Read full review
20
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriOct 3, 2014
Familiarity is not always a bad thing, though. "The Conjuring" breathed new life into old clichés; it showed that those creaking doors and possessed closets and white-robed figures still had the power to scare us. But that was a movie made with sensitivity and purpose. The blunt, lifeless Annabelle, on the other hand, sucks that life right back out. Read full review
20
New York Daily NewsGraham FullerOct 2, 2014
Wallis is commendably restrained and Alfre Woodard adds class as Mia’s wise ally. But Annabelle is a vortex of visual clichés beyond rescue. Read full review
0
Entertainment WeeklyKyle AndersonOct 2, 2014
For a superior experience, go buy a disturbing-looking doll that says ''Don't go see Annabelle'' when you pull its string. Read full review
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