10 TERRIFYING Horror Movie Openings (That Led To Disappointing Movies)

The fact that director John R. Leonetti previously helmed Mortal Kombat: Annihilation should’ve been enough of a warning for horror lovers to avoid Annabelle. Regrettably, 2013’s The Conjuring was so masterfully done that audiences couldn’t help but be curious and optimistic about the series’ first spin-off.

To its credit, Annabelle’s introduction is nightmare fuel, even if it’s just a condensed version of its precursor’s preface. In it, two nursing students tell Ed and Lorraine Warren about their experience with the titular doll, and their details – combined with the eerie music and alarming closeups of Annabelle – are still quite creepy the second time around.

Whereas The Conjuring upholds that vibe and craftsmanship and gets better as it progresses, Annabelle only gets worse as it goes.

For one thing, it’s almost entirely lacking in imaginative camerawork, engaging storytelling, likeable characters, and effectively constructed suspense and shocks. In their place are stilted performances, obnoxious jump scares, cheap CGI, stale exposition, and unearned and/or ineffective emotional moments.

Discovering that the doll was possessed by a dying Satanist doesn’t help, either, as the reveal exemplifies many prequels’ fatal flaw of unsatisfyingly answering questions no one asked.

Clearly, Annabelle was particularly disappointing because it failed to live up to both the frightening power of its prelude and the finesse of James Wan’s phenomenal first Conjuring film.