9 Horror Movie Franchises That Literally Do The Same Thing Repeatedly

Annabelle, based on an actual doll that the real world Ed and Lorraine Warren claimed had been possessed by an evil spirit, was first teased to audiences in the very first Conjuring movie as one of the evilest cursed items the Warrens had located.

From that moment, it was clear a spin-off was on the cards, and the first of many origin stories for Annabelle was released in 2014. This revealed just how the doll became possessed in the first place in the 1960s.

The film's negative reception, but highly profitable bottom line, encouraged Peter Safran and James Wan to add to the lore of Annabelle with another prequel origin story set in the 1950s, Annabelle: Creation. This built on the lore of the first film by giving the doll yet another origin story.

Finally, a sequel to that film, Annabelle Comes Home, promised to move the story forward with a 70s setting. However, this still filled in the small amount of time before the prelude to the first Conjuring, completing the origin story fully.

At their core, all of these films essentially revolve around the same story of how has this sinister looking doll became possessed and drew the attention of Ed and Lorraine Warren.

Explaining the origin behind the doll is one thing, but making a point of showing audiences three different stories of Annabelle getting into the place where it's found in The Conjuring is a bit overkill.