By Nicole Macchio – Entertainment Editor“Annabelle,” the prequel to “The Conjuring,” is a horror movie about a family who buys a very unique doll.

Annabelle is a doll possessed by a demonic spirit, which terrorizes Mia and John Gordon to steal their souls. At first, the present given to Mia, the then-pregnant wife of John, seemed harmless. However, there had been a recent uprising of fanatics going to join the occult and causing violence everywhere, including their next door neighbor’s daughter, Annabelle.

In order to be fully initiated into the Marilyn Manson cult, acts of violence were necessary, but Annabelle and her boyfriend were looking for something more when they murdered her parents and attacked Mia and John. Annabelle latched onto the doll during the attack and conjured up an evil spirit.

The movie is Rated R for violence and is suitable for the recommended audiences of 16 and up.

The special effects were weak. The devils and demons were super-freaky but not initially scary. It was only scary because it was always dark. The two times they showed what the demon looked like it wasn’t lifelike; it looked like a mask to a Halloween costume. Albeit it was a strange one, it wasn’t all too scary. The times that the entire audience jumped were few and far between and only happened because the music got insanely loud.

Overall, the plot was thin and left the audience unsatisfied. There was one scene with two little kids that were coloring a picture of Mia and her baby being run over by a bus. It was random and barely contributed to the story. Evelyn was also too convenient of a character. She had all the answers and handed them over.

Actress Annabelle Wallis played Mia Gordon. After being attacked during her pregnancy and watching two lunatics die in her house, she isn’t feeling too mentally stable. She does stick it out in the house for a while without much sleep before they move and she notices strange occurrences with the doll her husband gave her. Caught up in the midst of this demon activity, Mia is only concerned for her baby’s well-being. She is a strong, loving mom and she played the role excellently. Her roles in “X-Men First Class,” “Body of Lies,” and “The Lost Future” helped prepare her for it.

Ward Horton plays John Gordon. He is a doctor and almost never at home, leaving his wife and daughter to the clutches of a demon. He doesn’t believe his wife when she tells him that weird things are happening. His roles in “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Christmas Wish List” helped prepare him for his role.

Alfre Woodard plays Evelyn, a woman who runs a bookstore and tells Mia where to find the right book about being haunted. She ends up being a crucial part to the story and a good friend to the Gordon’s. She had previous roles in “Primal Fear,” “X-PAX,” “Dinosaur,” and “Steel Magnolias.”

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars