“The Conjuring”
The movie that started it all, “The Conjuring” came out in 2013 and is the first movie Annabelle made an appearance in. The movie starts with us learning about Annabelle. Not her creation, but the real-life story — of two nursing students who were being terrorized by whatever is attached to this doll. But don’t let that make you think this movie is about Annabelle. This is the last we’ll see of her in here.
It will play into the later Annabelle movies, so remember the Warrens had Annabelle around the same time as the first Conjuring movie.
Watch: Netflix
“The Conjuring 2”
The Conjuring movies have a problem. The second one in any series is better than the first one. “The Conjuring 2” follows a young British girl and her family, who are being haunted by an old man who died in their house before they moved in.
It does not feature Annabelle at all, so it’s not necessary to watch before going to see “Annabelle Comes Home.” But, it is good enough to spend $2.50 to rent for a week through the Moscow Video Co-op.
Watch: Rent online or through the Moscow Video Co-op
“Annabelle”
If you want more back story on the Annabelle doll before you watch the third movie in this series, you’re going to have to watch “Annabelle.” Just watch it after “Annabelle Creation,” because it makes much more sense this way.
The doll became attached to this demon is because of a cult — but there is no other explanation, since the writers threw in a cult and did not decide to capitalize on it. It’s mentioned once or twice when our main character does some research toward the end, but we still know basically nothing.
Watch: Hulu
“Annabelle Creation”
“Annabelle Creation” is much better than “Annabelle.” We get more backstory, we know the characters better and it give Annabelle some much needed context. You can’t pull a Star Wars and make the movies out of order if the movies cannot stand alone, and “Annabelle Creation” should be watched first, because “Annabelle” is awful.
This movie gives you more context on why the doll is called Annabelle, the reason behind the notes and a look at what is connected to it. One downside is this movie doesn’t include the cult, but that’s to be expected when it’s a prequel filmed later on. Plus, the last few minutes are just a copy and paste of the opening scenes of “Annabelle.”
Watch: Rent online or through the Moscow Video Co-op
“Annabelle Comes Home”
“Annabelle Comes Home” is my favorite in this trilogy, as it builds more on the demon connected to Annabelle while also exploring the other objects in the Warren’s house. It also is unique because Ed and Lorraine’s characters aren’t the main people in this story — it’s their daughter, her babysitter and her friend.
I won’t spoil it to much more, but they’ve found the sweet spot between jump scares and good old psychological thrillers. Plus, we get to see a few new demons the Warrens looked into in real life — an added bonus which could point to new spin offs.
Watch: In theaters
Not featured in this review: “The Nun” and “The Curse of La Llorona” “The Nun” is featured in “The Conjuring 2” and plays a big role in the plot, so if you want to know the backstory watch this 2018 film. “The Curse of La Llorona” is still too new to be on DVD or streamable, so I was unable to watch it. Despite this, the film does not play into Annabelle’s story and has very loose connections to the Conjuring universe.
Kali Nelson can be reached at [email protected]