10 Best Horror Movie Prequels
8. Annabelle: Creation
It took a little while longer than expected to get there, but the eerie Annabelle doll finally got some time to properly shine when Annabelle: Creation rolled around in 2017.
Having been featured front-and-centre for the promotional push of James Wan's The Conjuring, it was surprising to see Annabelle merely a footnote in that story. Following that, 2014's Annabelle was a dull, disappointing affair. And so, when Annabelle: Creation was released, it was refreshing to see the titular doll prominently featured in a movie that was actually good.
A prequel to the 2014 picture, Annabelle Creation centres on the creation of the doll that had already appeared in three movies; it also being present in The Conjuring 2.
Directed by Lights Outs' David F. Sandberg, this origin story features a demonic presence taking advantage of a couple grieving the loss of their daughter. From there, this presence would torment the pair and the nun and six orphans who they take into their home - all as it searched for a human host.
That host would end up being Talitha Batmen's Janice, who at the end of Creation is adopted and takes on the Annabelle name, as Annabelle: Creation transitions into the opening murders of 2014's Annabelle.