As this fall’s spooky season draws closer, more and more horror films are popping up. One that has been particularly well-received is the new Annabelle movie. However, since I had neither the time nor the money to go see this hot new film, I decided to watch the original Annabelle from 2014 first.

Directed by John R. Leonetti, this movie follows a young couple, John and Mia, who are tormented by the demon manifesting itself in a doll.

This all started because for some reason Mia is an avid doll collector. Rather than being slightly creeped out or even a little apprehensive about it, John decides to buy possibly one of the creepiest looking dolls in existence as a gift for his wife. This, unsurprisingly, is when things begin going south.

Misfortune seems to follow this doll, who in turn follows the couple. They are caught up in a whirlwind of demons and homicidal cult members who seem to take pleasure solely in tormenting innocent families. Not surprising for that kind of crowd. What the demon really wants is the soul of John and Mia’s newborn baby, Leah. So, like any good mother, Mia is prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for her child.

Overall, this movie was not great. The only slightly frightening parts were the jump scares, which were used excessively. The plot line was uninteresting and undeveloped. They hardly scratched the surface of the story behind the demon and how Annabelle was involved in all of this. Instead, they relied solely on creepy images to make this “horror” film scary.

I was really looking forward to being spooked by this movie, but all I got were a couple of heart attacks and a truck load of disappointment. The film didn’t even feature my favorite paranormal investigating couple, Ed and Lorraine Warren. These two starred in both of the Conjuring movies and I was under the impression that they would make an appearance in this film as well. Sadly, they did not. All I got was the stale relationship between a normal American couple who happened to be followed by a demon.

So, all in all, I did not enjoy this movie. It was a pretty big disappointment, but hopefully the newer movie will make up for this. I would not recommend you watch this unless you want to have a casual laugh with some friends. If so, be my guest.