10 Worst Horror Prequels Ever Made

5. Annabelle

Red Dragon Anthony Hopkins
Warner Bros. Pictures

The Conjuring and its sequel are two of the better mainstream horror films made in this last decade. Much less good: The Conjuring's spin-off prequel, Annabelle, based on the first film's infamous haunted doll.

Like Annabelle herself, the film is inert and lacking personality, suffering from James Wan's absence from the director's chair. Like many haunted doll movies (see also: much of The Boy), it seems to content to let its porcelain star's terrifying visage do all of the heavy lifting, with little characterisation afforded to anyone else.

No sign of Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson's ghost-hunting Warrens either, depriving this prequel of the best thing (Wan aside) about the franchise. Let's hope The Conjuring 2's Nun spin-off fares a little better.....

Contributor
Contributor

A film critic and professional writer of over ten years, Joel Harley has a deep and abiding love of all things horror, Batman and Nicolas Cage. He can be found writing online and in print, all over the Internet and in especially good bookstores.