The Conjuring franchise has stolen the horror spotlight over the last few years, with three movies already dominating the box office.
When it comes to the fourth film in the saga, Annabelle: Creation, fans have been a bit confused about how to feel going into the movie. The first Annabelle served as a prequel spin-off to the Conjuring movies, and Creation is a prequel to that first installment.
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Why is there a prequel of a prequel that didn’t receive great reviews in the first place?
If the new trailer, which you can watch above, is any indication, Annabelle: Creation seems to have hit the horror nail on the head.
The early reviews from critics actually seem to agree. Here’s what a few of them had to say:
Variety
Peter Debrugeย wrote up a review for Variety, and he felt that Annabelle: Creation was a definite improvement on the first movie.
According to the review, Debrugeย states that, while the movie seems a bit unnecessary, it’s definitely a worthwhile addition to the franchise. He lists director David F. Sandbergย as the main cause for the film’s success, despite a mediocre script.
“Despite being stuck with a lame script, ‘Lights Out’ director David F. Sandberg manages to conjure some effective scares in New Line’s demon-doll prequel.”
Read the full review here.
The Hollywood Reporter
While the first review wasn’t unkind to the movie, Justin Lowe offered much more praise in his review.
He stated that Creation was great at giving the doll a terrifying backstory, and the movie was a return to form for the Conjuring franchise.
“After a couple of false starts attempting to establish the origins of the demonically possessed doll first introduced in James Wan’s 2013 The Conjuring and featured as the centerpiece of the Annabelle spinoff a year later, Annabelle: Creation finally clarifies her complicated past, initially obscured by conflicting timelines.ย
“Closer in tone and old-school psychological fright tactics to the original film than either The Conjuring 2 or Annabelle, David F. Sandberg’s incisive approach capably resets the franchise in what will surely become another hit horror sequel for New Line.”
Read the full review here.
IGN
Jim Vejvodaย has a positive response to Creation, but finds himself aligned much more closely with Variety’s review.
He states that the movie isn’t quite as good as the original Conjuring film, but that it’s much better than its predecessor.ย
“Annabelle: Creation is a marked improvement over its 2014 predecessor, Annabelle. Although neither film can top the movie that spawned them, James Wan’s The Conjuring, Annabelle: Creation is the rare horror sequel that improves upon the original, featuring more engaging protagonists and a far less problematic ending.”
Read the full review here.
Collider
Well, it looks like Annabelle: Creation is batting 1.000 with these reviews so far. Perriย Nemiroffย says the films is the Conjuring spin-off we needed.
“I was beyond thrilled to see the Annabelle spinoff in theaters the following year, but it didn’t come anywhere close to the quality of its predecessor and completely failed to tap into what made the Annabelle doll so creepy in the opening of the first film. That being said, it’s probably no surprise that I didn’t have the highest expectations for the sequel, Annabelle: Creation, but it turns out this is actually one of those rare sequels that far exceeds the original.”
Read the full review here.
