Annabelle Creation Review

Apparently I'm one of the few people who enjoyed the 2014 Conjuring spin off Annabelle. It wasn't a perfect or particularly memorable horror film by any means, but I enjoyed its Rosemary's Baby homages and some of the creepy sequences it had toward the end of the film. I was pretty forgiving of its flaws and looked a lot more kindly on it than many fellow film bloggers and film critics. However, none of their disapproval stopped the movie from making enough money for the studio to give the green light to another film about the demon doll.

Annabelle Creation takes place several years before the original Annabelle film. This time, we delve even further into the story of where Annabelle came from and once again I really enjoyed myself, but this time maybe a little less guiltily so. The film opens with a doll maker putting his finishing touches on his new first edition of a hideous doll that he plans to give his only daughter named (you guessed it) Annabelle. Tragedy befalls her, but her spirit (or something far more sinister) seemingly is somehow linked with the doll. Years later, her parents decide they want laughter in their lives again and allow their home to be used as an orphanage to a small group of girls without homes. Initially overjoyed at having a place to stay, the girls soon discover their new home may have a very haunted presence there, and no one is safe.

Annabelle Creation definitely upped the tension and creepiness of its predecessor and as far as scares go, it even felt about on par with The Conjuring 2. The backstory definitely could have been more fleshed out than the brief explanatory scene we got near the end, but all in all, I really enjoyed seeing this group of orphan girls in the very familiar "move into a new creepy haunted house" trope. Somehow, even as familiar of a horror film it should be, it still manages to feel fresh. Plus it really helps that the two youngest actresses that carry much of the film were definitely up to the task. RATING: 7.5/10