YOU DON’T KNOW THE REAL STORY. 

In 1955, Sister Charlotte (Stephanie Sigman) and six homeless girls arrive at a shelter in the countryside; the house belongs to a doll-maker (Anthony LaPaglia) and his wife who are still mourning the loss of their daughter 12 years ago.

A prequel to Annabelle (2014) made by the director of Lights Out (2016). Even though the film takes a while to get started, it’s an improvement on the first chapter, giving us a decent background story for the scary doll.

Well staged and cast, with a few eerie nods to the upcoming horror movie The Nun (2018)… but it’s also rather telling that the film’s scariest moments always concern a demon, never the actual doll.

2017-U.S. 109 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by David F. Sandberg. Screenplay: Gary Dauberman. Cast: Stephanie Sigman (Sister Charlotte), Talitha Bateman (Janice), Lulu Wilson (Linda), Anthony LaPaglia, Miranda Otto, Grace Fulton.

Trivia: Co-produced by James Wan. Followed by Annabelle Comes Home (2019).