Annabelle

Background

In 1967, in Santa Monica, California, medical student John Form gives his pregnant wife Mia a rare vintage porcelain doll as a gift for their first child. That night, after news of the Tate murders, the couple's neighbors are murdered during a home invasion. The killers are the Higginses' estranged daughter Annabelle and her boyfriend, both cult members. The female killer slits her throat in the nursery while holding the doll, and her blood is absorbed by the doll's face, indicating possession.

Paranormal activities follow. The family moves to Pasadena before Mia gives birth, and Leah is born after the move. The doll reappears, and with help from bookseller Evelyn, Mia learns the cult summoned a demon that followed them to claim a soul. Father Perez explains demons attach to objects and that a human soul must be offered.

He takes the doll to the Warrens but is attacked by the demon impersonating Annabelle's spirit. The demon later uses Father Perez's form to abduct Leah. Evelyn sacrifices herself as atonement for a car accident that killed her daughter Ruby, and the demon disappears. Six months later, a mother buys the doll from an antique shop for her daughter Debbie, a nursing student. The doll is later seen locked in a glass case in the Warrens' artifact room.

Did You Know?

• The film's opening weekend gross of $37.1 million was the biggest for a horror genre film of 2014, surpassing The Purge: Anarchy's $29.8 million opening.
• The film set an all-time opening record for a horror film in Peru with $1.34 million, which was also Warner Bros.' second-biggest opening weekend there overall.

Origins and Production History

The film was announced in November 2013, with John R. Leonetti attached as director. To Backstage.com, the film was one of the first in a new strategy by Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema that capitalizes on built-in fan bases for successful films, allowing for smaller budgets and production time with a bigger payout. Casting was announced in January 2014, with Annabelle Wallis and Ward Horton playing the lead roles, along with Eric Ladin, Brian Howe and Alfre Woodard.

Principal photography began on January 27, 2014, at The Book Shop in Covina, California. On February 25, 2014, filming continued at an apartment on South Normandie Avenue in Los Angeles County, where the 55-member crew shot for several days. Director Leonetti and producer Safran told reporters that the Annabelle set was 'haunted' and that they thought 'supernatural phenomena' had occurred there. The film was shot in sequence so that the actors were always aware of their emotional arcs.

Cinematic Style and Critical Reception

Annabelle received generally negative reviews from critics, many of whom considered the film inferior to its predecessor. On Rotten Tomatoes, 28% of 135 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.4/10. The website's consensus reads: 'Annabelle borrows unabashedly from better horror films, content to leave viewers with a string of cheap jolts that fail to build on the far more effective The Conjuring.' Metacritic assigned a score of 37 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating 'generally unfavorable' reviews.

Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of B. Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter criticized the film for its cheap production and screenplay, calling the lead actors' acting 'unmemorable' and 'bland'. Scott Foundas of Variety called the film 'a cut-rate spinoff' that 'makes up in crude shock effects what it lacks in craft, atmosphere, and just about every other department'. Pete Hammond of Deadline said the film was 'not-scary'.

Legacy and Franchise Connections

The film is a spin-off and prequel of the 2013 horror film The Conjuring, focusing on the origins of the Annabelle doll found in that film. The project was designed to be stand alone yet collectively catering to fans of The Conjuring. A prequel, Annabelle: Creation, was released on August 11, 2017. The film grossed $257 million worldwide against a $6.5 million budget, becoming the 35th-highest-grossing movie of 2014 in the US. It set an all-time opening record for a horror film in Peru and broke the record for the biggest debut ever for a horror movie in Mexico. As of October 13, 2014, Annabelle became the highest-grossing horror film in the Philippines, earning over ₱121.33 million, surpassing Insidious: Chapter 2's record. The film also became the highest-grossing horror movie in Lebanon after staying atop the box office for two weekends.