In this third stand-alone adventure featuring the supernaturally possessed doll Annabelle (who by this point has become a modern horror icon for both her notorious reputation both on-screen and off), the malevolent terror that surrounds her moves to the household of renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). With the Warren's absent for the night, their daughter Judy (Grace) is left under the supervision of babysitter Mary Ellen (Iseman) and her best friend Daniela (Sarife), who tags along despite no invitation. Their intended quiet night in is ruined when Daniela begins snooping around the Warren's basement, where various haunted artefacts utilized in ritualistic practices are contained, including Annabelle herself. Daniela unknowingly unleashes a malevolent presence upon the house by releasing Annabelle from her locked glass cabinet, leading to a frightful night in which the girls must contain the unleashed evil once more.

Screenwriter Gary Dauberman makes his directorial debut with Annabelle Comes Home, having penned the previous two instalments in the Annabelle series as well as The Nun (2018) and The Curse of Llorona (2019). Dauberman makes a solid effort behind the camera here and crafts some genuinely creepy sequences, yet there are times where moments of suspense are squandered in exchange for clichéd, basic jump scares (there's no shortage of screaming faces popping up from out of the darkness to give you a good old easy startle), but amidst these annoyances Dauberman orchestrates some well executed chills that make up for the pitfalls. Wilson and Farmiga reprising their roles as the Warrens (albeit only for a little while) was a positive, and once again their shared chemistry remains one of the strongest elements of this whole franchise. Although the storyline runs fairly thin, it's never boring. Dauberman's screenplay feels more like an adult orientated Goosebumps adventure at times, but that's no bad thing. There's nothing new or groundbreakingly innovative to be found here, but it is a simple yet effective film that's perfectly enjoyable for what it is.