For all the long-running horror movie franchises out there, the most popular one currently going is The Conjuring. The first film debuted in 2013 and immediately spawned several sequels and spin-off movies. The first of those was 2014’s Annabelle, centering on a demonic doll who first appeared in the original The Conjuring.
The universe is still going strong today, with The Conjuring: The Last Rites just hitting theaters. Most films in the franchise have been met with positive reviews and while there are a few misses, there’s one hidden gem among them all. This movie is everything audiences love about the franchise, even if it was one of the lowest-grossing entries.
Annabelle Comes Home Is A Great Conjuring Sequel
The vastly underrated Annabelle Comes Home is actually one of the better sequels in The Conjuring Universe. Released in 2019, this marked the third installment in the trilogy focusing on the тιтular demonic doll. It sees Annabelle locked away in the home of the Warrens, who are the protagonists of the entire franchise.
However, when the Warrens go away on a case, Annabelle is accidentally let out, leaving their daughter Judy and her babysitter to fend for themselves. Annabelle allows other horrors trapped in the room to escape as well, meaning the overmatched humans must face off against what’s basically a haunted house filled with terrifying enтιтies.
Annabelle Comes Home may not have received the strongest of reviews, but it was a step up in quality for the series. The two years before its release saw an ᴀssociated film, The Curse of La Llorona, be poorly received and another spin-off, The Nun, get a negative response as well. The Conjuring Universe needed this.
The Annabelle Sequels Are All Better Than The First Installment
As noted, the first spin-off in The Conjuring Universe was 2014’s Annabelle, which is actually a prequel that tells a past story surrounding the doll before it landed with the Warrens. While it was an interesting concept, the film was met with negative reviews as it was inferior to the well-received The Conjuring.
Then, The Conjuring 2 was another mᴀssive success. It was followed by Annabelle: Creation, yet another prequel about the doll that goes back even further. Thankfully, this installment was met with stronger critical acclaim. It sits at 70% on Rotten Tomatoes while the first movie holds just a 28% rating.
Meanwhile, Annabelle Comes Home is at 64% on the review website, showing that it is indeed better than the first and about on par with the second installment.
Annabelle Comes Home Deserved Better Critical Reception
Of course, a 64% rating on Rotten Tomatoes is good, but it’s far from great. That’s disappointing because Annabelle Comes Home deserved better from critics and audience members. The film finds a clever way to unleash more horror elements than what we typically get when it’s just Annabelle causing chaos.
The haunted house aspect of the movie made it feel more like a mainline The Conjuring movie than something directly related to Annabelle. Although the reviews for it should’ve been stronger, it also remains the last film in the franchise to crack 60% on RT.
The Nun II and the third and fourth Conjuring entries both have ratings in the 50% range. That means that, even as a hidden gem, Annabelle Comes Home might mark the final movie in the series to be considered above average.
