The Conjuring Universe: Ranking Every Film

After the barnstorming success of The Conjuring, Warner Bros. was quick to jump on the idea of turning the various items in the Warrens' occult basement into the subjects of their own spin-offs. And logically, the first to get the honor was the scene-stealing doll from the first act of the film, Annabelle.

Unfortunately, in the rush to get this film out barely a year after the original, the creators went stumbling head-first into a mess they'd have to spend the next two films cleaning it up. Annabelle has its fair share of moments that do work, but a half-baked script doesn't do it any favors.

It spends a lot of time ripping off better horror films (Roman Polanski might as well get a writing credit for how much it takes from Rosemary's Baby), but can never come close to capturing what made those films so scary or affecting in the first place.

And most strangely of all, it can never quite figure out what to actually do with Annabelle herself. Seeing as she's never allowed to move, she's less a character and more just a piece of set dressing. She's a creepy-looking prop for sure, but she's never able to become an antagonist in her own right, leaving this Annabelle film in vast need of more Annabelle.