‘Annabelle Comes Home’ Director Teases More Comedy Than Previous ‘Conjuring’ Films

Horror films rarely only ever offer audiences terrifying situations, as a film which only offers dread oftentimes turns the audience off of the experience entirely. On the other hand, horror films that offer too many laughs run the risk of audiences laughing at them as opposed to with them, creating challenges for filmmakers who want to endear audiences to main characters without making a mockery of the horrors that unfold. Gary Dauberman has written multiple entries in the shared universe of The Conjuring, making his directorial debut with Annabelle Comes Home. The filmmaker recently revealed the upcoming film will feature more comedy than previous films and explained how he found the humor vs. horror balance.

“I’m not a huge fan of horror-comedies but I love comedy in my horror, if that makes sense, so I like moments of levity. So I’m leaning to that a little bit more on certain moments because I find if we hit those moments where people laugh and then get scared right away I’d like to try and lay on that,” Dauberman shared during an Annabelle Comes Home set visit which ComicBook.com attended. “I’ve been playing around with that a little bit more. And it just fits the girls, too, because they’re so upbeat. That teenagers’ world in a house [tone] we’ve been trying to capture, too. We’re not going outside of the box on this one but I think we’re trying to get a little bit more, a couple more moments of levity that maybe weren’t there in the first and second one. There were moments of levity, but a little bit more of that.”

Determined to keep Annabelle from wreaking more havoc, demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren bring the possessed doll to the locked artifacts room in their home, placing her “safely” behind sacred glass and enlisting a priest’s holy blessing. But an unholy night of horror awaits as Annabelle awakens the evil spirits in the room, who all set their sights on a new target—the Warrens’ 10-year-old daughter, Judy, and her friends.

One component of the franchise that sets it apart from other horror series is the chemistry between Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as the Warrens. The strength of this relationship helped inspire an emotional connection between the audience and these characters, making us care more about the events of the film. The Conjuring creator James Wan previously teased this new Annabelle will feel more familiar to the Conjuring films.

“I think by the very nature of Patrick and Vera being in it, I would say somewhat, yes, because in Annabelle 3 the doll comes back to the Warrens’ home,” Wan shared with Bloody Disgusting about this film feeling more like The Conjuring. “It finally comes to the Warrens’ home so by the very nature of it actually being in the home and the story takes place in the Warrens’ home, it feels more like a Conjuring film in that respect.”

Annabelle Comes Home lands in theaters on June 28th.

Do these remarks from Dauberman have you more excited for the new film? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

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