Annabelle Comes Home

Story

This third movie in the Annabelle series finds paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) wrapping up a case involving the Annabelle doll. They decide to bring the doll back to their house and lock her in a room in a special case designed to contain the evil she possesses.

When the Warrens have to go off to work on another case, they enlist the help of their trusty babysitter, Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman), to look after their daughter, Judy (McKenna Grace). A recently published newspaper article explaining the Warrens’ work has made life difficult for Judy, who has been ostracised by her peers. The article has also enlightened Mary Ellen’s friend, Daniela (Katie Sarife), who blames herself for her father’s untimely death and who decides to visit the Warrens’ house to see whether there’s anything useful there that could help her contact her father.

Despite Mary Ellen and Judy’s warnings and with a little demonic help, Daniela finds her way into the forbidden chamber. Daniela unwittingly releases Annabelle, who unleashes all the forces of hell contained in that room to help her on her ultimate quest to possess a soul. With the help of the neighbour boy, Bob (Michael Cimino), the girls must survive the night and try to recapture Annabelle before she destroys them all.

Themes

Death of a parent; ghost and demon hunting; communicating with the dead; demonic possession

Violence

Annabelle Comes Home has some violence. For example:

People are killed in a car accident. Shortly afterwards a dead body joins the Warrens in their car.
Ed is pushed into the road and nearly run over by a truck.
A creepy, blood-covered bride tries to attack Judy with a knife.
A hellhound chases Bob into the foggy darkness. Bob hides in a chicken coop, and the hellhound attacks and kills a chicken. Only the shadow of the hellhound is visible while it rips the chicken apart and Bob cowers in terror.
An invisible demon throws coins onto the ground then shapeshifts and disappears. He grabs Mary Ellen and drags her through the house as she screams in terror.
Annabelle tries to grab Judy while she’s sleeping in bed.
A shape-shifting monster comes after Judy with a knife.
The creepy blood-covered bride attacks Daniela and stabs her through the chest. As she gasps in horror, the bride vomits blood into her mouth.
The hellhound attacks Judy in a car, ripping through the roof and shattering the windows. Bob hits it with his guitar, allowing Judy to escape.
As Mary Ellen passes a suit of armour, she hears the sounds of killing, stabbing, slashing and screaming.
When Daniela is possessed, she grabs at Judy and drags Mary Ellen away.
Undead hands come to life and protrude out of a game. They grab at Judy’s feet as she tries to escape.
As Judy tries to put Annabelle back in her case, a demon grabs her by the neck and tries to suck out her soul. He throws Mary Ellen across the room where she crashes to the floor.

Sexual references

Annabelle Comes Home has some minor sexual references. For example, people repeat the phrase ‘Bob’s got balls’. It’s used in different contexts, including when he’s fighting a hellhound, flirting with Mary Ellen or getting actual balls from the school’s sports room.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

None noted

Nudity and sexual activity

None noted

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in Annabelle Comes Home. The Milton Bradley logo is shown on a board game, and Twister is on the floor at Judy’s party.

Coarse language

Annabelle Comes Home has some coarse language.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Annabelle Comes Home is a horror movie based on the real-life accounts of Ed and Lorraine Warren. Although the plot is fairly predictable, the characters are solid and there are plenty of jump scares that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The main messages from this movie are that good will ultimately triumph over evil, that not all ghosts are bad, and that some things are better left alone.

Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include teamwork, empathy, courage, forgiveness and kindness.

This movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues like:

touching things that don’t belong to you
not following instructions in other people’s homes and not listening to safety warnings
ostracising or harassing people because they’re different
being kind – for example, Mary Ellen and Daniela are kind to Judy and this changes the way that Judy’s peers see her.