The first thing you'll probably notice is just how much better 'Annabelle Comes Home (2019)' is, immediately, than 'The Nun (2018)', 'The Curse Of La Llorona (2019)' and its oft-forgotten predecessor, 'Annabelle (2014)'. I mean, it seems like a masterpiece in comparison to those; it's actually engaging, features a variety of successful scares and centres around compelling characters. However, the second thing you'll probably notice is just how much worse it is than 'The Conjuring (2013)', 'The Conjuring 2 (2016)' and, even, 'Annabelle: Creation (2017)'. That's because its plot is incredibly slim - I'm talking almost anecdotal - and it starts to wear thin far faster than it, perhaps, ought to. As such, the piece ends up somewhere in the middle, quality-wise, of the overall 'Conjuring' franchise; it's by no means bad but it's certainly not great, either. Thankfully, though, it's a decently enjoyable, competently constructed experience throughout. The reason for this is, I feel, two-fold. Firstly, its characters - on whom it relies solely because its plot is almost non-existent - are mostly well-rounded and believable. One of them does make some odd decisions that aren't explained until long after they've been made and, even then, don't stand up to all that much scrutiny. Still, this isn't too detrimental and the development done for all the main players is serviceable enough, with some of it actually going a long way to plugging the potential leaks caused by those previously mentioned poor choices. Plus, everyone on screen is, essentially, as likeable as they could be. Unfortunately, they aren't quite interesting enough to keep you wholly engaged during the movie's slower segments. It has a really strange, somewhat disjointed pacing that practically paints most of it as an extended build-up for a seemingly fifteen-minute finale. Luckily, then, it's competent when it comes to the second 'fold' of that two-fold reason I mentioned earlier: the scares. While there's nothing outstanding here, it's also not just jump-scare central. There are are variety of occasionally quite inspired gags that often play on audience expectation, building up genuine suspense that isn't deflated every two minutes by an obnoxious 'false' fright. It does sometimes get a little too overt for its own good - though, the overall series is no stranger to bold, effects-based 'creatures', either - but it's refreshing, and sadly so, for a film like this to not be made of abrasive, repetitive, 'cattle-prod' stuff. Generally, the flick is a fairly fun time. Sure, it wears thin and is only ever so compelling in the first place, but it's a solid haunted house - literally and figuratively - that will certainly satisfy fans of the franchise. 6/10
