'Annabelle's' new twists will keep horror fans happy

"Annabelle" is an old school horror that plays on childhood fears.

"The Twilight Zone's" Talking Tina taught us that dolls don't take kindly to being tossed in garbage cans.

Unlike many horror movie actresses, Mia (Annabelle Wallis) does everything right: She calls the police immediately, she throws away potentially haunted items, she carries a flashlight into dark spaces, and she breaks down doors with chairs.

By the time Mia loses her mental stability, it is well believed. Once the audience realizes that Mia is not a typical damsel in distress, they are in for a full ride of genuine suspense and artistic scares.

Although there is nothing surprising or original about the plot, this film does not insult the audience's intelligence. Gore is kept to a minimum, as are cheap scare tactics such as startling bumps and overbearing musical scores. We don't have to see Annabelle move to know it's a menace to the family. When we do see the doll move there is a surprising reason!

Jaded movie fans may be turned off by the homage that is paid to "Rosemary's Baby" and the sub-standard plot. Fans of horror movies will enjoy the new twists on old scares and a relentless anxiety-inducing atmosphere. The real Annabelle is a Raggedy Ann doll that is enclosed in a glass case at The Warren Occult Museum in Connecticut. Truth is stranger than fiction: Rethink your Christmas gifts.

I give this movie 2 out of 4 Miners.