Annabelle: Creation (PG)

 Bewitched!

Toys are a fixation of youth. In the best Chucky tradition Annabelle: Creation connects. Looks like the folks at Warner Brothers made the right choice by green lighting the not so child friendly horrific follow-up to the smash first edition triumph. See bad things happen to all that comes Annabelle’s  way at Cineplex theatres across B.C.

Better timing would have seen this nearly two-hour spectacle brought out at Halloween. Still the chills are present as we see the danger faced by a group of female orphans holed up in A somewhat haunted house. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn the deep dark secrets of a religious couple who suffer a loss.

Inside their home things of the past are best left alone. Kids being kids a very dark secret gets unlocked spelling big-time trouble for the girls. To make a good horror movie or thriller you need convincing actors and a chilly atmosphere. Unexpected events can also lead to a rise. Well Annabelle: Creation scores the Triactor as all these elements are present.

Good on director David F. Sandberg and producer extraordinaire James Wan (Saw).  For never giving too much away as the use of music and subtleties to convince observers of bad things on route are particular and to the point. On screen talent including James Bond beauty Stephanie Sigman (SPECTRE) and child stars in the making Lulu Wilson and Tabitha Bateman give lots of soul to the gut-wrenching wicked things about to get under your skin.

Alan Samuel