When The Conjuring hit theaters in July of 2013, fans were alarmed by the doll, Annabelle. Annabelle is a porcelain doll in the movies, but in real life, she is a typical Raggedy Ann doll. The glass box is locked at Ed and Lorraine Warren’s Occult Museum, which is located in Monroe, Connecticut.

     Annabelle made it’s way to the Occult Museum after she was given to a woman named Donna as a birthday present. The doll was bought at a hobby store in the ‘70s, and as time went on, Donna and her roommate started to notice that the doll would change slight positions and it would be sitting differently than when they first placed the doll. The doll also left messages to Donna and her roommate like “Help Me” and such, and sometimes they found her with blood. After research, Ed and Lorraine Warren claim that a seven-year-old girl possesses the doll.

Annabelle: Creation is the prequel to Annabelle, which came out in 2014. It features a family from California who open up their house to orphans. One of the main orphans, Janice is a young girl living with Polio. One night, she curiously enters a forbidden room after receiving notes to “find me” which hints that it is the doll, Annabelle. When she is caught entering the room, she is forbidden, but being a young girl, curiosity takes over, and she continues to make visits. It is not until the middle of the movie when things take a sharp turn when Janice is injured.

     Overall, Annabelle: Creation receives a 2.5 out of 5 stars. One of the biggest problems with this film is that the acting involved is not strong. Some characters excelled in their acting like Janice, Linda and Sister Charlotte. Other characters like the Samuel Mullins, young Annabelle and Esther Mullins, were not as strong. Another weak element was the storyline. The storyline to this film was too predictable throughout certain parts. There was no “suspense” element to the storyline compared to other films in the Conjuring series. One strong element that Annabelle: Creation’s directors and cast did well was the production quality. The sets and props were appropriate for the period and fit the story well, the soundtrack was good in the sense of developing a suspenseful theme, although the suspense was not there.

     If you have not seen Annabelle: Creation and are thinking of seeing it, I recommend you see the first Annabelle movie before seeing this one because then the ending will make sense to you, but if you do not, the ending will be a little confusing. Overall, if you are looking for an activity to do on a Friday night, and you have seen all the other box office hits, give Annabelle: Creation a try.

     *In the post-credits scene, there was a teaser for an upcoming film, The Nun which highlights yet another character from The Conjuring series.