Annabelle

Annabelle (2014)

Summary

Annabelle is a supernatural horror film that serves as a spin-off and prequel to The Conjuring (2013), delving into the terrifying origin story of the infamous cursed doll. Set in 1967, the film follows a young, expectant couple, John and Mia Form, whose domestic bliss is shattered when their home is invaded by satanic cult members. The violence of the attack and the death of one of the cultists next to a vintage doll gifted to Mia creates a conduit for a malevolent demonic entity, transforming the beautiful doll into a vessel for unspeakable evil that relentlessly stalks the family to claim a human soul.

Plot

The film opens in Santa Monica, 1967, with medical student John Form presenting his pregnant wife, Mia, with a rare, vintage porcelain doll for their daughter's nursery, to add to Mia's collection. Their tranquil life is violently interrupted one night when they hear screams from their neighbors, the Higginses. Their home is invaded by the Higginses' estranged daughter, Annabelle Higgins, and her boyfriend, both members of a satanic cult who had just brutally murdered the neighbors.

During the terrifying home invasion, John manages to subdue the boyfriend while Mia calls the police and hides in the nursery. The police arrive and shoot the boyfriend, while Annabelle slits her own throat in the nursery, clutching the doll and letting her blood drip onto it. News reports later identify the assailants as members of a local cult. Although the couple and their unborn child survive the attack, the blood and the ritualistic nature of the invasion have bound a dark, inhuman presence to the doll, turning it into a conduit for a demon.

Following the attack, the Forms begin experiencing terrifying, seemingly random supernatural occurrences in their home: objects move, the sewing machine starts on its own, and shadowy figures are seen. Mia becomes convinced the doll is the cause, and John attempts to discard it. Shortly after, Mia gives birth to a healthy baby girl, Leah. To put the horrors behind them, the family moves to an apartment in Pasadena.

However, the terror follows them when Mia finds the discarded doll inside one of their boxes. The supernatural attacks intensify in the new apartment, focusing primarily on Mia and baby Leah. Mia seeks help, reaching out to Father Perez, their parish priest, and Evelyn, a kind, local bookstore owner who also lives in the apartment complex.

Father Perez confirms that the cult was practicing devil worship and had summoned a powerful demonic entity, and the doll is now a vessel. He warns Mia that the demon is not after the doll itself; it is after a soul. The demon attempts to deceive Mia by mimicking the ghost of Annabelle Higgins, but its true intention is to claim the soul of baby Leah. Father Perez attempts to take the doll to church for help, but the demonic entity violently attacks him before he can enter consecrated ground, and the doll is stolen.

The final, terrifying confrontation takes place in the Forms' apartment. The demon, desperate for a soul, manipulates Mia, suggesting she must offer her own soul by sacrificing herself to spare her daughter. As Mia contemplates jumping out the window while holding the doll, John and Evelyn rush in. Evelyn, who had been wrestling with the guilt of causing a car accident that killed her own daughter years earlier, sees an opportunity for redemption. She takes the doll, offers her own life to the demon to save Leah, and jumps from the window. The demon's goal is achieved, and the doll vanishes.

Six months later, the Forms have moved on with their lives. The closing scene reveals the "Annabelle" doll being purchased in an antique shop by a woman looking for a gift for her daughter, Debbie—the same nursing student whose terrifying encounter with the doll is referenced at the beginning of The Conjuring, completing the loop in the cinematic universe.

Cast

• Annabelle Wallis as Mia Form

• Ward Horton as John Form

• Alfre Woodard as Evelyn

• Tony Amendola as Father Perez

• Kerry O'Malley as Sharon Higgins

• Brian Howe as Pete Higgins

• Eric Ladin as Detective Clarkin

• Tree O'Toole as Annabelle Higgins / Thin Woman

• Joseph Bishara as Demonic Figure (uncredited)

Crew

• Director: John R. Leonetti

• Writer: Gary Dauberman

• Producers: Peter Safran, James Wan

• Music by: Joseph Bishara

• Cinematography: James Kniest

• Editor: Tom Elkins

Release Date

October 3, 2014 (United States)