Please click one of the buttons below to Read Full Post, Videos, Photos
(Reuters) - There's a new demon in town, and she's hiding among the toys.
"Annabelle," out in U.S. theaters on Friday, kicks off October's Halloween offerings at the box office with the origin story of a porcelain doll that masks a sinister secret, a spin-off from last year's Warner Bros. Horror hit "The Conjuring."
Set in 1970s California, young newlywed couple Mia and John, played by Annabelle Wallis and Ward Horton, settle into a small house in Santa Monica.
Soon after pregnant Mia receives Annabelle, a gift from her husband for her growing doll collection, the couple endure a terrifying break-in, and then strange things start happening.
The couple move to a new home, but something dark follows them and haunts their baby daughter.
"It was set in the '70s at a time where movies of the genre were very well respected," said Wallis. "I think the element of truth to it, that it stems from real events and whether or not you believe in occult, there are documented things that happened."
Dolls are usually associated with innocence and playfulness, but have been distorted into dark creatures in numerous horror movies, such as 1987's "Dolls" and Chucky the serial killer in 1988's "Child's Play," which spawned numerous sequels.
In "The Conjuring," directed by James Wan, Annabelle is possessed by a twisted supernatural force, and the doll's porcelain face becomes warped into an evil grin.
"For an inanimate object, (Annabelle) really stood out and when 'The Conjuring' came out, it was validated to us how much people loved her character," said Wan, a producer on "Annabelle."
Classic horror homages are sprinkled through "Annabelle," namely Roman Polanski's 1968 cult horror "Rosemary's Baby," referenced in the couple's names for actors Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes.
Wallis said she took inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock's icy blonde leading ladies, while director John Leonetti said he was influenced by Hitchcock's use of suspense, as well as 1973's "The Exorcist" and 1976's "The Omen."
"Annabelle," made by Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros studios for an estimated $5 million, is expected to earn $27 million in its opening weekend, just behind the $31 million debut of thriller "Gone Girl," according to Boxoffice.com.
"Annabelle" belongs to a recent wave of paranormal films that have edged out gory horror offerings and drawn studios back to the genre.
The "Paranormal Activity" franchise, initially independent productions, has exemplified the success of low-budget horror that scared up big box office sales for its distributor, Viacom-owned Paramount Pictures.
Comcast Corp's Universal Pictures tested the waters with August's "As Above So Below" and this month's "Ouija."
"Back in the '70s, all the great horror, scary, suspense movies were made by the studios," Wan said, adding that he and Leonetti wanted to "hark back to that spirit."
"We believe that you can make something that's studio quality filmmaking, but retain what we love about this particular genre."
Related Stories:
The Daily Star - 1 hour ago
LOS ANGELES: There's a new demon in town, and she's hiding among the toys. "Annabelle," out in U.S. theaters on Friday, kicks off October's ...
Annabelle - New England Center for Psychic Research
www.warrens.net/Annabelle.html
Donna was then introduced to the spirit of Annabelle Higgins. ... The spirit or in this case an inhuman demonic spirit, was essentially in the infestation stage of ...
Annabelle: The True Story of a Demonic Doll | Mysterious ...
mysteriousuniverse.org/2013/.../annabelle-the-true-story-of-a-demonic-d...
Oct 28, 2013 - The smash hit motion picture “The Conjuring” -- based on the harrowing story of the Perron family's encounter with an evil entity and how they ...
Demonic 'Annabelle' draws on classic horror films for ...
ibnlive.in.com › Movies
10 hours ago - (Reuters) - There's a new demon in town, and she's hiding among the toys. "Annabelle," out in U.S. theaters on Friday, kicks off October's ...
Annabelle review: Demonic doll fails to scare up thrills
www.smh.com.au › Entertainment › Movies
Rating: 2.5 - Review by Philippa Hawker
2 days ago - This spin-off is a collage of frights, demons and flickering lights, a grab bag of set pieces, red herrings and familiar occult tropes.
The True Story Of Annabelle, The Haunted Doll From THE ...
badassdigest.com/.../the-true-story-of-annabelle-the-haunted-doll-from-t...
Jul 23, 2013 - The actual details of the demonic doll case as seen in the hit film! ... Director James Wan redesigned Annabelle for the movie, giving her a ...
Movie review: Demonic doll 'Annabelle' returns - Pittsburgh ...
www.post-gazette.com/ae/...Demonic...Annabelle.../201410030009
8 hours ago - Turns out demonic dolls do demonic things, too. Annabelle, the doll that had a cameo in 2013's “The Conjuring,” gets a largely fictional ...
Annabelle – Creepypasta Wiki
creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Annabelle
Author's note: Annabelle was the focus of a case that famed paranormal ... Donna was then introduced to the spirit of Annabelle Higgins. ... Demon/Devil.
'Annabelle' review: Demonic doll delivers satisfying chills ...
www.sfgate.com/.../Annabelle-review-Demonic-doll-delivers-5795314.p...
1 day ago - Annabelle Wallis and Ward Horton play couple Mia and John, who are a bit dense about that doll. Photo: Handout / McClatchy-Tribune News ...
Annabelle the Doll - NightWatch Paranormal
www.nightwatchparanormal.com/annabelle-the-doll.html
Doing research into other areas, I came across the case of Annabelle, the haunted ....Demonic. Ordinarily people aren't bothered by inhuman demonic spirits,
|
|
Tweet |
|
No comments: