Annabelle Creation

Back in 2013 I did an initial review of the movie, The Conjuring which can be seen by clicking this link. As a part of the story which focused on real life paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren was the backdrop of a story related to a doll, Annabelle. The story of Annabelle has now gone on to inspire 2 movies of its own, Annabelle and the new Annabelle Creation. As was intended with the movie that brought about the story line, The Conjuring, along with each of the story lines in the subsequent movies has had as a surprise to many, a deep, Christian based theme dealing with good versus evil and the existence of not just God but also evil.

Horror movies for me have for years been among my favorite to review due to the overwhelming message of good versus evil, light over dark and Christ power to conquer evil and Satan like no other style of story. The irony of it all is that no other form or style of movie has generated as much controversy among my many readers and friends as the genera of Horror. In many ways, while some may not like the concept, I believe it is sad as it is an easy way for many to ignore the reality of evil in our world and if Paul was correct in his comments in his writings in the Bible, we need to remember, especially those like me who say they are followers of Jesus that:

"We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world." Ephesians 6:12. 

It seems as if in this verse and many others in the Bible there is a recognition that there are evil forces all around us that we are engaging in battle with. This isn't just a part of the Judeo Christian values, it is a prevalent theme in many religious belief systems including Islam, Hinduism and others.

Those themes are especially evident throughout the movie Annabelle Creation. While this movie is not based on a true story such as The Conjuring is, it is based on a real character, the Annabelle doll, although the doll in the museum still ran by Lorraine Warren is actually a Raggedy Ann Doll. It should be noted that a tribute of sorts is paid to the real doll in this movie despite the use of the "scary" doll and image throughout the film.

This movie is not for everyone, the opening scenes include a horrific scene of death of a child, something not seen in such graphic detail normally in movies. A part of that is the horror of the story though and one of the things that draws in the viewer to the family and characters in the movie.

In the movie a family who has experienced a horrific death of a daughter decides a number of years later to take in a group of young ladies and children in the form of offering their home up as an orphanage. While in the home a number of scary things begin to happen and the spirits which had been invited into the home earlier start haunting the inhabitants of the home. It becomes clear early on, these aren't ghosts doing the haunting but demonic forces.

From this point not much likely needs to be said other than the direction for Annabelle Creation does not disappoint. There are numerous scary sequences but it is supported with some good acting, especially among the child actors in the film including Talitha Bateman who plays a young polio victim during the early to late 1930's named Janice. The girls are supervised and given support by Nun, Sister Charlotte played by Stephanie Sigman. Another technical aspect the film excels at is its music and sound. There are few films that show the power of quality sound and music like horror and in many ways these aspects become as much of a character of the film as does any of the actors on screen.

There are many aspects of this movie which would be interesting to sit down and engage in a meaningful conversation about. For example, does evil truly exist? What forms of evil exist? How does on conquer and defeat evil? Why do horror films always seem to have as a representation on the ways to defeat evil a cross, bible or other references to light and Jesus? How has faith impacted the attitudes of those in our world regarding evil? How seriously do people of faith take evil? As you can see I could go on and on with questions of this type. 

 Annabelle Creation presents a side of evil to the extreme, a side where we see the comparisons of faith in virtually every scene in the movie, where crosses are intentionally shown, whether on the side of the road or on a doorway behind a nun.

Movies can get people to think and Annabelle Creation is no exception. This movie gets us to think about evil and the ultimate way it can impact people and the world around us. I do think that while those themes are addressed there were some issues related to the film that were a bit of a let down. The direction could have been a tad better and at times, I felt it played on some horror aspects a bit too much and I would liked to have had more questions answered. While those are my preferences, some will see this as a positive thing as they like imaging their own conclusions and answers, I understand that but I just felt it a bit lacking.

Annabelle Creation is not as scary as some make it out to be, although there are those jump out of your seat, cover your eyes moments. It is entertaining though and holds your attention and for me, even some time after seeing the movie, has me asking myself questions, contemplating my own faith and the reality of evil. That is a well worth while concept, like it or not, believe it or not. 

On a scale of 1 - 10, for the perfect number, or so some say, I give it a deserving and entertaining 7

To see the trailer for the film, click on the following video, if the video doesn't appear, try the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KisPhy7T__Q



The Virtual Pew and our other work is supported solely by the kind contributions of others. You can click on the donate button below to give any amount to this work that does so much more than just post articles on the net; I draw no ongoing salary from the church I pastor, Mosaic Wichita which is predominantly a homeless church; I am grateful for any small amount you can contribute to help with this ministry.  Believe me, there is much more going on than most realize. I will also provide information to verify the ministry and income that comes into this ministry and work.  Thanks and feel free to share any material from The Virtual Pew, I only ask that appropriate credit is given and a link to the original site with the materials provided.

Click here to read about, and order the book, The Keystone Kid

You can also order the book at all major retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and so forth. It is available via e-book for .99 Cents or if having a way to download, can download the full audiobook at soundcloud.com and simply going to Mike Furches / The Keystone Kid. The audio version of the book is available for a free download.


Click here to visit the web page The Virtual Pew

Click here to follow The Virtual Pew on Twitter

Mike Furches on Faceboook.

Click here to visit Mosaic Church where Mike is Pastor

The Keystone Kid/Virtual Pew Message Boards

Click to subscribe to my blog

There are hundreds of postings so make sure to check out the archives. You can also contact me for a free audio book link of The Keystone Kid at mike@furches.org You can visit http://www.thevirtualpew.com/.

Hopefully, you will consider a gift to The Virtual Pew.

Now I get asked this quite often, Can we repost your blogs or articles? The short answer to that is, what an honor that you would ask, and by all means, spread the word. Here is our contact information

The Virtual Pew
1249 N. St. Francis
Wichita Kansas, 67214
Email: mike@furches.org

Click on the following links to learn more about The Virtual Pew

Donations to The Virtual Pew

The Virtual Pew Blog

Personal Furches Web Site

Hollywood Jesus

Reviews With Mike

The Virtual Pew Sermons

The Virtual Pew News

The Conjuring 2

One of the things I get blasted for more than anything in regards to movie reviews is my willingness to review Horror. There is  no doubt, horror of all genres, is often the most misunderstood, and most unliked, especially among the Christian crowd. This is largely not true among the regular person attending movies though as is evidenced by the large box office numbers put up by Horror Films. One of the baffling concepts of this to me over the years has been the reality that most Horror Films address spiritual themes like no other genera. This is especially true in the realm of possession movies which include the influence of the Demonic within haunting types of movies whether it be possessions or poltergeist forms of a movie. The difference being a haunting can and usually does involve possessions of people or others that last over  a period of over a year, and normally poltergeist types of movies lasting for no more than a few months.

The Conjuring 2 is a continuation of sorts from the initial Conjuring which involves a haunting of a home, and family and its investigation by popular researchers, Ed and Loraine Warren. The Warren's are among the only people who were not Catholic, ever recognized by the Catholic Church for paranormal investigations. This story takes place after their investigation of the popular Amityville case in the United States. After what some has said is the most researched case in history, the Warrens are called to research a family and haunting in London England, known historically as, The Enfield Haunting which involved a mother, her two daughters, and a son in a flat in London. The family begins to experience paranormal activity and the uniqueness of this story, as in real life, the family immediately goes to neighbors once the events start happening and the neighbors see and experience the same things. The family calls in the police that night who also report in their documentation of the case that they as well experienced paranormal events that were unexplainable.

One of the things that make the Conjuring 2 in some ways better than the original Conjuring is that there is better story telling. Don't get me wrong here, the Hayes Brothers, responsible for the script in both the Conjuring and Conjuring 2 did an exceptional job in the first movie, but there is much more plot development and especially character development in this story which at times is as much of a love story between the Warrens as it is a haunting experience. It is clear though the Hayes Brothers who are both unapologetically Christian, have a lot of material to work with regarding the real life Warren's and their work due to their own Christian-oriented beliefs, whether they be traditional beliefs or not. Another aspect they have to work within this film is a film that depends on more on its characters than it does its scary moments, of which it also has ample moments.

The cast in the Conjuring 2 is terrific!  Patrick Wilson, (Ed Warren) and Vera Farmiga, (Loraine Warren) are both back and as terrific as ever, especially Vera Farmiga in this film, but the scene stealer for the film is Madison Wolfe who plays the part of young Janet Hodgson.  It is unfortunate that this movie falls into the Summer Movie category and is a Horror Film, otherwise, this young actress, in my opinion, does such a terrific job that it would be horrific if she is not at the very least considered for numerous awards in the supporting actress category.  She plays the part in such a believable way that it does nothing but adds to the intelligence behind this movie.  There is also a haunting and at times, a funny sound score for the film along with terrific editing and direction by James Wan. The film has received such critical praise prior to release that there is already talk of a sequel to the film, of which there would be no problem as there are numerous stories involving Warren's research. Word is that the Hayes Brothers have already signed on for the sequel and that Wan is considering it.

One of the aspects of the film that challenged me was my thought process specific to how many Christians ignore or even go so far as to hate this type of movie, when reality is, especially in this film and with this script, faith, specific to the person of Jesus Christ is so strongly presented. We see for example the usage of the cross in some way in virtually every image in the film, yet we also see the difference between the reminder of the cross, to the use of the cross from a nonbeliever's perspective and the perspective of a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. It reminds me of the old Stephen King Movie, Silver Bullet when a vampire is presented with a cross and the vampire tells the person showing it that the cross only does good if the person believes in it.

The film also strongly addresses the areas of faith, calling and visions. We see the Warrens as two
people who are passionately in love with each other, have a deep faith in God, but also a deep love and appreciation for each other who happen to believe that God speaks to them via various means including at times for Loraine, visions. They see those visions as not only something that could happen but possibly as things that they are called to change and beware of. Of course, the film depends largely on people believing in the possibility of the demonic and paranormal as it is presented as a true story. That said while many choose to believe in Angels there seems to be a reluctance to believe in the Demonic, this seems to be at times especially hypocritical of those people of faith who present all a one sided good story without ever considering the reality of evil.  I can't help but bring up a discussion I had years ago with the popular Christian author Ted Dekker, he stated that "Evil painted with anything but the darkest of brushes is not a true representation of evil." The Hayes Brothers paints a dark brush, but thankfully, also understands the power of light and the ultimate power of God to overcome evil.

For me, this movie was not as scary as The Conjuring, but it was, because of its powerful storytelling and direction, better than its predecessor. I recommend that people who go see it don't just go for the scare tactics but look at the underlying themes in the movie, the love between a husband and a wife, their willingness to sacrifice for their fellow human, their desire to do what they believe God has called them to do, no matter how difficult it is to do it. Then, of course, there are the other themes, as to the power of the cross in the hands of one who believes in it, the influence of how the Demonic will often attack others to gain its own purpose and much more.  I don't think the film will be too upsetting to those attending the movie, I also expect this movie will have the potential to point people to the power of God. The Hayes Brothers have done such a terrific job of weaving a story under the direction of James Wan that one can't help but get something spiritual out of it.

One a scale of 1 - 10, for the number of letters in the hauntings' investigated by Ed and Loraine Warren, I give a very deserving 9.

 To see a behind the scenes feature from the movie featuring the real family click the following video, if the video doesn't work click on the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIGP5aMI4Wo

The Virtual Pew and our other work is supported solely by the kind contributions of others. You can click on the donate button below to give any amount to this work that does so much more than just post articles on the net; I draw no ongoing salary from the church I pastor, Mosaic Wichita which is predominantly a homeless church; I am grateful for any small amount you can contribute to help with this ministry.  Believe me there is much more going on than most realize. I will also provide information to verify the ministry and income that comes into this ministry and work.  Thanks and feel free to share any material from The Virtual Pew, I only ask that appropriate credit is given and a link to the original site with the materials provided.


Click here to read about, and order the book, The Keystone Kid


Click here to visit the web page The Virtual Pew

Click here to follow The Virtual Pew on Twitter

Mike Furches on Faceboook.

Click here to visit Mosaic Church where Mike is Pastor

The Keystone Kid/Virtual Pew Message Boards

Click to subscribe to my blog

There are hundreds of postings so make sure to check out the archives. You can also contact me for a free audio book link of The Keystone Kid at mike@furches.org You can visit http://www.thevirtualpew.com/.

Hopefully you will consider a gift to The Virtual Pew.

Now I get asked this quite often, Can we repost your blogs or articles? The short answer to that is, what an honor that you would ask, and by all means, spread the word. Here is our contact information

The Virtual Pew
1249 N. St. Francis
Wichita Kansas, 67214
Email: mike@furches.org

Click on the following links to learn more about The Virtual Pew

Donations to The Virtual Pew

The Virtual Pew Blog

Personal Furches Web Site


Reviews With Mike

The Virtual Pew Sermons

The Virtual Pew News