10 Silly Villains That Ruin Serious Horror Movies

Based upon the true story of a possessed Raggedy Ann doll, this spin-off of The Conjuring received very underwhelming scores from both critics and the viewing public, and the 'monster' itself is the reason why.

Firstly, Blumhouse changed the doll from something childlike into a stereotypically ‘evil’ looking doll, which removes any element surprise or contrast. If they had gone for a more childlike doll, for example a Raggedy Ann doll like the original story, then the reveal that the doll is possessed would have been genuinely shocking and unnerving, as the concept of something evil possessing something harmless is terrifying to fathom.

Secondly, the demon itself is a medieval demon: emaciated and horned like the ones featured in the original Dante’s Inferno illustrations. The problem is that medieval demons are no longer scary to today’s audience as they have been parodied many, many times. The creativity of the demons featured in such films Hellraiser, Noroi and Rec are what makes those films terrifying, so to fall back into such a stereotypical design makes it laughable.

Annabelle could have been scary, akin to The Conjuring movies it was based upon, but poor design decisions hold the film back from its full potential. It’s a real shame, especially when you look at the inspirations behind the movie and find that the original story is much more terrifying than what the movie delivered.