Annabelle

Annabelle is the newest horror movie in cinemas now, and let me tell you, it is scary. Its about a doll who gets possessed by a demonic creature and then starts to haunt a woman and her new daughter. It probably sounds like a clichéd plot, but get this: it's based on a true story! There is a real doll called Annabelle, though it looks nothing like the one in the movie, that was possessed and caused a rather unfortunate series of events.

When Mia receives a doll that she's been hunting for from her husband John for her expected baby, she is overjoyed. But that's just a sure sign that something bad is going to happen. During the night, Mia hears a murder taking place at their neighbors' home. A report shows that the assailants were Annabelle Higgins and her boyfriend and were part of a satanic cult. Mia is attacked by them, but they are subdued. A drop of Annabelle's blood falls onto the doll's eye. As expected, strange activity begins to torment Mia and her baby. Through some research and help from an old woman who is knowledgeable about superstitions, Mia determines that the spirit haunting her wants a soul. It doesn't want her soul; it wants her baby's soul instead.

I'm not a huge fan of horror movies. Horror ranks about 8th out of my top 10 favorite genres. In fact, the only reason I went for it was because my friends were there as well. Now, I've only watched a few horror movies (3 of them), but I really thought Annabelle was a scary movie. I was absolutely freaked in the cinema. I'll admit it; I screamed twice during the film. The background music was great at raising suspense and fright wherever needed. It told me when to cover my eyes... (I'm joking. No, seriously). Another great thing in the film were all the camera angles. I've never seen so many different camera angles in just one movie. That made it easier the see the looks of abject terror on the characters' faces. I don't know if you guys liked it or not, but I personally thought it was a satisfying film. The trailer, however, spoiled most of the scares in the movie. Not something I like.

• Genre- Horror and mystery 
• Director- John R. Leonetti
• Producers- Peter Safran and James Wan
• Starring- Annabelle Wallis (Coincidence? I think not!), Ward Horton and Alfre Woodard

My rating

4/5

The Maze Runner

Before I start my review for The Maze Runner, let me just say that the books by James Dashner were fantastic. Each of the three books were well-written and the story was gripping too. So obviously, I was excited to watch the movie.

When Thomas wakes up in the Glade with a group of other boys inside the Maze, he has no memory at all. No recollection of any memories. But he soon starts dreaming about a mysterious organization known as WCKD (known as WICKED in the book). There is one rule that all the Gladers follow: do not enter the Maze. Nobody knows about the Maze. Every night, the maze doors close, and the Grievers come out to play. The Grievers are basically half machine and half animal. They are programmed to kill any Glader in the Maze. But when Thomas kills one, everything starts to change. When Teresa, the first girl to be sent to the Maze, seems to recognize Thomas, everything changes. By piecing together clues he finds in the Maze and the things he learns from his dreams about WCKD, he begins to discern the real purpose he was sent to the Maze for and a way for all the Gladers from the Maze to escape.

While The Maze Runner was not an exceptional movie, it was satisfactory, like all other movies that are based on books. However, Dylan O'Brien carried his role as Thomas strongly. He carries along both the story and the emotions. From the beginning of the movie until the end, it was considerably accurate, with just a few tweaks to the story. The special effects made everything authentic. The Maze walls looked realistic, and I felt that this was important for the movie. Everything from the way the walls moved to the puddles on the floor made the whole setting seem as if it was original. However, in the book, Thomas and Teresa could speak to each other telepathically. I felt that they should have included that in the movie as well because it was an important part. The Grievers also looked different from what I'd imagined. Dashner described them as half-slug and half-machine, so I imagined a brown slug-like thing with metal spikes and appendages sticking out. In the film, they were more 'spidery', with jagged metal legs. My final verdict? A good movie, but it could have been much better.

• Genre- Sci-fi, action, mystery
• Director- Wes Ball
• Producers- Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, Lee Stollman  
• Starring- Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Ki Hong Lee

My rating

4/5