Morgan McGarry Was a Cutie

Rating: 7/10 (6 August 2014)

I've seen this movie 3 times now. I even saw the 3 minute short that came with the DVD with different actors playing the children as well as a commentary. Normally I can't stand children in movies but this movie had some very endearing little girls - 2 sets for 2 girls 5 years apart. I must admit Morgan McGarry who played the 3 year-old Victoria was the cutest thing I ever saw with those spectacles of hers that made her seem very vulnerable. She only lasted a few minutes into the beginning of the movie but still had an impact on me. She was even super cute with her car coat and hood on from the back as she was walking through the woods with her hand in her father's hand. Very touching moment - and believe me I don't get all squishy with kids in movies. The only way I like kids is barbecued so these children were very special.
The older Lilly played by Isabelle Nélisse grew on me near the end with that incredible smile of hers when it was obvious that she was more enchanted with Mama than with Annabelle.
The story line was different but no better or worse than any other ghost story I've ever seen and this one was at least original in many respects. I was glad that the steady cam was steady as most steady cam operators seem to be born with a tremor of some kind so you walk out of the theater with a bad case of the spins.
This movie was tailor made for CGI as it produced an interesting ghost that changed shape - and color sometimes - in almost every sequence it was in. Also the ghost wasn't predictable every time it appeared.
I enjoyed the way that the older Victoria slowly endeared herself to Jessica Chastain's character Annabelle and how Chastain tried her best to be close to both girls even though the younger sister Lily was much more difficult for her. There was a coincidence that made the story easier to deal with such as Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau who played both twin brothers Lucas Desange and Jeffrey Desange. That made it much easier and actually more enjoyable to see him bond almost instantly with Victoria as Lilly was obviously going to be more difficult.
Look for Daniel Kash as Dr. Gerald Dreyfuss who played Spunkmeyer in Aliens!! It was a nice blast from the past.