By Jamil Oakford/se news editor

Dolls have become a special plot device in horror movies over the last couple of decades, and it’s not just ventriloquist dolls.

Annabelle, the latest such, centers on a married couple in the early 1960s expecting their first child.

Mia, the soon-to-be-mother and wife to John Gordon, fears hippies. She understands the world is changing into a scary place and obsesses over things like leaving the front door unlocked. Her husband John seems to think these are irrational fears.

But soon, the audience is given historical perspective as Mia watches a news broadcast about Charles Manson and his hippie followers.

So the occult tone of Annabelle is quickly introduced to the audience.

The actual doll happens to be a collector’s item, one that Mia was looking for but hadn’t found. After being gifted by John, the audience gets to squirm as the couple places her on a shelf, and she stares, looking quite normal compared to the poster for the film.

Soon after Mia receives the doll, their neighbors and fellow church members are slaughtered next door. It doesn’t take long for the people who did it to get into the Gordon’s house. Long story short, the twisted nature of the Annabelle doll starts.

For a horror movie, it does seem to follow a formula. With that being said, it definitely doesn’t follow the formula the audience would expect.

From a basement scene involving Mia onward, the audience can expect both the formula and the overall tone to change.

The film does a great job of moving the story along and building an uncomfortably scary atmosphere around a doll that doesn’t look so harmless even at the beginning.

John R. Leonetti directs this film in a unique way. From his previous endeavors (Mortal Kombat, The Mask), it would seem far-fetched that he’d direct this film. But his work in Insidious reflects greatly in his work here.

Overall, this movie isn’t incredibly scary. In a large audience, it’s at best a thrill ride and a chance to laugh at the girl or guy sitting three rows back screaming at the screen.

Creepy dolls like Chucky and Talking Tina may strike terror in the hearts of the audience, but Annabelle is relatively tame. See her for a good time.