Creepy dolls and old, creaky houses always have a special place in the heart of horror fanatics. Lucky for them, Annabelle: Creation (2017) is packed to the brim with all of the components to make a terrifying movie thanks to the signature porcelain doll, Annabelle.

Annabelle: Creation is a prequel to Annabelle (2014), and is made up of stories based on the real life accounts of a 28 year-old nurse who received the doll as a gift from her mom.

The movie builds up slowly but suspensefully, as orphans at a foster home start to notice strange parchment notes left around the house. The next hour is an exercise in suspense, as more and more unexplainable events, always connected to the doll, continue to occur.

Annabelle, the prequel to The Conjuring (2013), did not portray the real story of the doll, so movie director David Sandberg decided to create another film that would detail her backstory.

Annabelle: Creation is far superior to its predecessor, Annabelle. The previous film lacked believable acting, technical directing, and convincing horror in general. Unlike its sister film, the newer Annabelle movie brings all of these to the big screen.

Sandberg is an up and coming a master of the horror genre. He has only directed a few films, beginning in 2013, but all of them have been fantastic horror movies such as Lights Out (2016). Sandberg utilized suspense and pure horror in his film. He also does an excellent job with providing a great sense of isolation and a constant feeling of dread throughout the film. During Annabelle:Creation, there were several moments when I needed to look away because I was too scared to even watch.

If the film was produced by another director I don’t believe that it would have turned out as fantastic as it did. The execution of every single aspect was phenomenal, and it was all because of Sandberg.

To add to the amazing directing, the acting of the children in the movie was excellent. The two main children that the film focused on were Janice (Talitha Bateman) and Linda (Lulu Wilson). Throughout this movie, Wilson proved once again that she is a fantastic actress. As seen in Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), Wilson provides the audience with an exceptional performance.

Aside from the fantastic directing, there were a few moments in the movie that seemed a little corny to me. For example, the dialogue and acting didn’t always quite come across as conversational.

Overall, Annabelle: Creation was captivating and engaging. Considering the quality of the directing, producing, and acting, Creation provides the audience with one of the best films of “The Conjuring” film series.