Annabelle: Creation is the fourth instalment of The Conjuring/Annabelle film series. So, you’d have thought by now that I wouldn’t be so scared of a motionless doll! However, despite only a brief appearance in the original film and with Annabelle itself, I still find the Annabelle doll so unnerving. Whilst, not the scariest film I’ve ever seen, Annabelle: Creation certainly kept me on the edge of my seat, and did the doll some justice that its first solo film did not. 

What Went Down

So, we’ve got orphans and a nun showing up a mysterious house. The couple there have lost the daughter, the Dad used to make dolls and the Mother is now bed-ridden and rings a creepy bell. There’s a locked, forbidden room (of course), so where is the first place a crutch-using orphan checks out first? Yup, you guessed it. Poor Janice unleashes the spirit of Annabelle from a locked cupboard, who seeks a soul from one of the unsuspecting girls.

What follows is a mash-up of moments-expecting-the-doll-to-move sequences, orphans being chased by a demon, possessed scarecrows and a whole lot of hide-in-your-hoodie moments!

Biggest Jump Scares

In a tired horror franchise, I thought Annabelle: Creation did pretty well. The tension was high throughout most of the film and the dark looming scenes just kept on coming. Not even daytime was safe, as mysterious goings-on in the house and slamming dumb-waiter doors were relentless. I jumped plenty of times, but arguably most of that was because I was in a cinema screen, right?

With one of the main factors of Annabelle being that we never actually see her move, you’d have thought slow panning shots of her wouldn’t be so tense. But it’s all about misdirection, while you’re peering through your fingers at the doll, an orange-eyed demon, naturally, charges at you from the shadows. I thought Annabelle: Creation did well with varying the threat and you often never knew where it was safe to look.

The scenes in Bea’s locked room were some of the tensest, especially when little Linda shot her with a toy gun. Was expecting the doll to explode, but all we got was some side eye. The scenes played through very well, and the jump-scares just didn’t stop. Look away when Mr Mullins holds up the cross, well, unless you like seeing fingers snapped backwards!

Annabelle Creation Ending Explained

So, in case you were left a little confused by the ending of Annabelle: Creation, then let me fill you in! In the end, the film showed itself to be a true prequel to the first Annabelle film. For me, alarm bells rang a little when Janice, the escaped possessed girl is picked up from the orphanage by two familiar faces. These two people are the neighbours of Mia and John from the first film.

As shown here and in the first film, the neighbours are brutally murdered by their estranged daughter, who was part of a cult. It is her blood spilling onto Mia’s doll which transfers the demon to a new host. All this ending clarifies is the true origin of the ‘Annabelle’ spirit and shows how Janice/Annabelle first came into contact with the spirit.

ALSO, there are nods to what Annabelle actually looks like as well as The Nun, the next instalment in the Conjuring franchise which is set to come out each year. Will make sure to pop to the cinema to see that.