It's a solid summer for horror movies, and arguably no film epitomizes that idea better than Annabelle: Creation. David F. Sandberg's entry in The Conjuring universe has achieved solid critical acclaim, helped propel the Conjuring brand beyond $1 billion at the worldwide box office, and effectively scared the living daylights out of audiences. It's all due to a combination of Sandberg's skillful direction and the inherent spookiness of Annabelle herself, and now it looks like Sandberg wants to continue the doll's reign of terror by keeping her in his guest room. So awesome. The director explained how visitors react to her presence, saying:
Whenever we have guests, they don't seem to want to have her around.
David F. Sandberg's remarks to USA Today about his personal use of the Annabelle: Creation stunt doll only add to the growing sense that, despite his pedigree as an up-and-coming horror master, the guy likes to have fun. He's a man who knows how to deliver the thrills and screams when the genre calls for it, but he will get a chance to put this more playful sensibility on full display with his work on Shazam. Who knows, given Sandberg's apparent affection for the Annabelle doll, maybe he will even find a way to give her a cameo in Billy Batson's origin story as the DCEU's magic-based hero? As long as we never have to spend a night in his guest room, we can't wait to see what he does next.
In all honesty, David F. Sandberg should know better than to taunt his houseguests with an Annabelle doll. After all, the creepy toy already has a proven ability to terrify people in real life just as easily as it can scare folks in The Conjuring's universe. CinemaBlend recently had a chance to talk to Annabelle: Creation star Miranda Otto about the experience working on the set of the latest Conjuring movie, and she revealed that she needed the doll turned away from her to deliver her lines. That's how a designer knows that he or she has made an iconic silver screen monster; if the actors get scared on set, then you can bet that the audience will get scared, as well.
With all of that said, it doesn't change the fact that Annabelle is only the first in a long line of upcoming monsters who will get to take center stage in The Conjuring universe. In fact, the next few years will be big for creatures introduced during the events of The Conjuring 2, as The Nun and The Crooked Man will both receive solo movies to flesh out this ever-expanding horror universe. If they can induce the same amount of terror delivered by Annabelle (both on-screen a well as in real life), then things look bright for this endlessly dark cinematic world.
Annabelle: Creation is now in theaters, which is the best way to experience David F. Sandberg's latest horror offering. The Conjuring universe will continue its blockbuster expansion when Corin Hardy's The Nun makes its debut next summer on July 13, 2018.
