Annabelle: Creation, and Why a Cinematic Universe Sometimes Fails Its Films

SPOILERS for Annabelle: Creation

2017's Annabelle: Creation was a film I was at least mildly excited for, simply because I am a fan of The Conjuring universe. It's cool to see a horror franchise where it's getting to expand beyond main series titles, and it's different than series like Friday the 13th or Halloween, because these films follow different characters all the time. I genuinely really like the first two Conjuring films, though it has been a while since I've seen them. I admire James Wan as a director, and so I was really initially excited that this series was going to be expanding into different territories.

Annabelle wasn't really that great of a film, but I had higher hopes for Annabelle: Creation namely because of its director - David F. Sandberg. Most of you may not know who this is, but Sandberg started out on YouTube making low-budget horror short films and ended up getting a full-length film made out of one of his shorts entitled Lights Out, another film I thought was alright (though it has also been a while since I've seen that). So the excitement was real, and I ended up seeing this in theaters with my mother about a year ago, and I remember quite enjoying it.

With The Nun having been released last week, and me going to see it tomorrow, I thought it was time to start revisiting some of the Conjuring Universe. So I decided to begin with this film, simply because it's first in the timeline and it also has some tangental relations with The Nun (which we'll get to). The most disappointing thing about this rewatch is just how much I didn't really care for it this time around.

I'm sure some reading this haven't seen the film, so, a quick rundown: Annabelle: Creation follows a group of displaced orphans who end up moving in with the Mullins, a family still grieving from the loss of their daughter some time before. Things get weird, however, as strange things happen all around the house and it all seems to be related to a doll locked away in a closet decorated with crosses and pages of the Bible. Yeah, they really didn't want this doll causing any more havoc.

There are things I like. The general story and set-up is pretty good, the orphans coming into the house is a great scene that really makes the film feel quite lively in that scene and gives us some exposition without it feeling too on the nose. The acting is also fairly good, especially from the child actors, which is quite surprising given there are a lot of times where the child actors are the worst part of a horror film. Not here. There is one exception to this, however, and we'll get to that as well. I also like the atmosphere of it, the house is suitably creepy and there are some really good shots as well (a transition from a cross turning upside down to a well is possibly my favorite).

Now the rest of it.

The film is paced really poorly. It takes a while for anything to even happen in the film, and when it does, it's honestly not even that scary. Dolls moving aren't scary anymore. Especially if you're someone who's seen the other films in this franchise, which are far more unsettling. But I digress. It resorts to using demon faces and possession in ways that just kinda make you shrug. And the writing isn't awful, but there's some stuff I just wasn't a huge fan of in terms of how it's portrayed. And the film is definitely too long at 109 minutes. It could have been cut down by like 15 minutes and I think it would be far more effective. Actress Stephanie Sigman, who plays Sister Charlotte, isn't great here. She's the one actress that throughout the film I kept thinking - 'She's not doing a good job.' Her acting is kinda stilted, and I don't think it's bad direction or anything simply because the other actors are doing a fine job on their own. It's just odd.

And here, we get to the whole reason I wanted to write this: The cinematic universe, and how it really fails this film.

The Conjuring universe is a cool idea in theory. A bunch of films, all related in some way and they're all horror films? It's neat! But this series is possibly the best way to explain how not to do it. Annabelle didn't work as an extension of those first two films because it was just really poorly made, and this doesn't work as an extension either because it has to force itself to both tie in with Annabelle (in a poorly done finale that just kinda makes you shrug), and the upcoming Nun film, which I don't think had even been officially given a release date yet at this time.

Let's talk about The Nun tie-ins. The first one is really kinda silly, with Mr. Mullins and Sister Charlotte looking at a picture from her time at a convent, and finding the Nun slinking in the back and not being very visible unless you move the picture around. It's kinda weird. Then there's a post-credits scene that was used in most of the trailers and promos for the film, which is simply her walking down an abbey hallway and the candles blowing out as she does. It's weird to have post-credits scenes in a horror film, especially since this is not a Marvel film. And it doesn't really add anything either, it's basically just a sneak teaser.

Honestly, this could have been a solid film if it hadn't been a Conjuring film. There's a lot to like here in terms of atmosphere, and if they could have built on the fact that these people are obviously so hurting that they'll do anything to get their daughter back instead of it all being because of a possessed doll, that would have been excellent. Instead, demon faces. It's disappointing because there's a lot of potential here for something entertaining, and it's not even really that, since nothing really happens for a lot of the film.

Annabelle: Creation is just disappointing in all the wrong ways. I don't hate it, I quite like a lot of it but as a whole film it's just not very engaging. I hope The Nun is good, but judging by the reviews, it ain't looking good. At any rate, I'll probably enjoy it at least once and that's it.

I'm afraid to watch the first two Conjuring films again. Not because I think they'll scare me, but because I think I'll like them less.