Annabelle Comes Home wants to scare you, and mostly it does. The 2019 horror film is the sixth entry in The Conjuring Universe, and it leans on the familiar Warrens to carry a story about a haunted doll that breaks free of its glass prison. Directed by Gary Dauberman, it follows the pattern of the franchise: a family, a cursed object, a house full of spirits, and a child threatened by unseen forces. The film lands somewhere between competent and tiresome, a middle chapter that knows its job but doesn’t push the formula anywhere new.
Trailer, via Warner Bros..
The Doll and the Room
Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, take the demonic Annabelle doll from Debbie and Camilla, two nurses who are attacked during the drive back home. The doll summons spirits to torment Ed, and the couple decide to lock Annabelle in a sacred glass case in their artifacts room, with the help of Father Gordon. The setup is simple: the Warrens believe the glass will contain the evil. They are wrong.
One year later, the Warrens leave town overnight to investigate a case, leaving their daughter Judy, played by Mckenna Grace, behind with a babysitter, Mary Ellen, played by Madison Iseman. The film spends its early runtime establishing the normality of Judy’s life — a schoolyard, a birthday party, a crush on a boy named Bob Palmeri, played by Michael Cimino. Then the glass breaks.
Judy’s Birthday Party
Judy notices a ghostly priest following her at school, and her classmates reject her invitation to her birthday party because they think her parents’ work makes her a freak. That rejection sets the tone for the rest of the film: the Warrens are outsiders, and the world outside their home is just as hostile as the spirits inside it. Mary Ellen decides to have an early birthday celebration for Judy, and Daniela Rios, played by Katie Sarife, arrives uninvited to the Warrens’ home.
Daniela’s motive is personal. She sneaks into the artifacts room, touches nearly everything, opens Annabelle’s glass case, and picks her up, which releases the Annabelle demon. The film then introduces a parade of horrors: the Ferryman, the Bride, and the Black Shuck, all released by Annabelle’s touch. The attack on Bob Palmeri is a major scare.
The Torments Begin
Mary Ellen’s romantic interest Bob Palmeri arrives and is attacked by the Black Shuck. Judy and Mary Ellen are confronted by other spirits. Daniela sneaks back into the house to return the artifacts room’s keys, and she is locked inside, tormented by the haunted objects. Upstairs, Mary Ellen is tormented by the Ferryman, whose last victim has a striking resemblance to Mary Ellen. She escapes and runs to Judy’s room, where the young girl is being attacked by the same spirits.
Comparing the Spirits
| Spirit | Role in the Film |
|---|---|
| Annabelle | The central evil, released by Daniela |
| Ferryman | Haunts the artifacts room, torments Mary Ellen |
| Bride | Released by Annabelle, adds to the chaos |
| Black Shuck | Attacks Bob Palmeri |
The Score
Annabelle Comes Home was theatrically released in the United States on June 26, 2019, by Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema. It grossed $231.3 million worldwide and received mixed reviews from critics, with a score of 5.3 out of 10.
Our View
The film is at its best when it’s focused on Judy and Daniela, two girls caught in a situation they don’t understand. Mckenna Grace plays Judy with a quiet determination that grounds the scares, and Katie Sarife gives Daniela a genuine sense of guilt and fear. Madison Iseman, as Mary Ellen, holds the middle ground, a babysitter trying to protect a child she barely knows.
The pacing is the film’s weakness. The middle third drags, and the climax feels rushed rather than earned. The Conjuring Universe has become a machine for releasing haunted objects, and Annabelle Comes Home is a solid example of that machine working, but it doesn’t offer anything new to justify its existence. The film is watchable, occasionally thrilling, and ultimately forgettable.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
