Yes – Annabelle for all intents and purposes is a spinoff of last year’s surprise success The Conjuring, taking that film’s stand-out side character (the eponymous creepy doll) and placing an entire film around it/her; but what the marketing and previews have failed to fully reveal – is that Annabelle, at heart, is much less a cash-grab Conjuring offshoot but more so an extended homage to early era Polanski, in particular Rosemary’s Baby & Repulsion. Annabelle Wallis and Ward Horton star as Mia & John, a couple coping through the repercussions of a vicious attack. The newfound family (she having just given birth to a daughter) move into an apartment complex wherein in her husband’s absence (he’s much too busy with his burgeoning medical career), she begins to experience violent supernatural forces all seemingly stemming from that good-for-nothing doll. You don’t even have to look at the character names to see that Wallis and Horton are doing their damnedest to channel Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes.
In the following interview with Wallis and Horton, the two discuss playing and subverting the Farrow/Cassavete’s archetypes, establishing a familial bond and revisiting the classic Polanski films. For the full interview hit the jump.
Annabelle Wallis & Ward Horton:
- Wallis and Horton discuss revisiting Mia Farrow and John Cassavete’s performances in Rosemary’s Baby.
- What did Wallis glean from watching these performances?
- Ward Horton on adding nuance and shading to the ‘nice guy’ role
- How did the duo go about creating a lived-in familial relationship for the film?
