"Annabelle" Movie Explained 2023

Introduction

Annabelle is a 2014 American supernatural horror film directed by John R. Leonetti, written by Gary Dauberman, and produced by Peter Safran and James Wan. It is a prequel to the 2013 film The Conjuring and the second installment in The Conjuring Universe franchise. The film was inspired by the story of a doll named Annabelle told by Ed and Lorraine Warren. The film stars Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton and Alfre Woodard.

A spin-off focusing on the origins of the Annabelle doll was announced shortly after The Conjuring was released, largely due to its worldwide box office success and positive reception to the doll's portrayal. Principal photography began in January 2014 in Los Angeles.

Annabelle premiered at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles on September 29, 2014 and was released in the United States on October 3, 2014 by Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema. Annabelle received negative reviews from critics, many of whom thought the film was inferior to its predecessor and praised it for its atmosphere, but it was a major box office success, earning more than its production budget of $6.5 million. over $257 million. A prequel titled Annabelle: Creation was released on August 11, 2017. A sequel titled Annabelle Comes Home was released on June 26, 2019.

Explanation

In Santa Monica, California, John Form, a doctor, gives his future wife Mia a rare vintage porcelain doll as a gift for their first child to place in a doll collection in their daughter's nursery.

That night, the couple are haunted by the voices of their neighbor, Higgins, who was murdered during a home invasion. As Mia calls the police, Higgins' killers attack her and John. The police arrive and kill one of the killers, a man, while the killer kills himself by slitting his throat inside the nursery holding the doll. News reports identify the attackers as Higgins' estranged daughter, Annabelle, and her unnamed lover, both members of a cult.

In the days following the attack, a series of paranormal activities occur around the residence of the Shapes. Later, Mia gives birth to a healthy baby girl. She and John name their daughter Leah. The family rents an apartment in Pasadena, and after finding the doll John left behind after Annabelle's previous attack on one of his boxes, another series of paranormal events surrounds Mia and her daughter.

Mia calls Detective Clarkin back to gather information on Annabelle and the cultists and learns that the cult intends to summon a demonic spirit. With the help of bookseller and roommate Evelyn, Mia learns that the cult worshiped the Devil, a demon summoned by a witch who followed the family after they went to their apartment to claim a soul. Back home, Mia and Leah are attacked by the monster, which reveals itself while handling the doll. Mia and John approach the parish priest, Father Perez, who informs them that demons sometimes attach themselves to inanimate objects as an advantage in achieving their goals and that a human soul for a purpose should be offered. With no hope of exorcising the demon from the doll, Father Pérez decides to hunt it, enlisting the help of the Warrens to investigate. But before he can enter the church, a demon in the form of Annabelle's spirit attacks him and takes the doll.

Father Perez is admitted to the hospital the next day, and when John examines him, the priest warns him that upon sensing his powerful presence, the demon's true intention is to claim Mia's soul. That night, while Evelyn visits Mia, the demon uses Father Perez's physical form to break into the apartment and kidnaps Leah for her mother's soul. To save her daughter, Mia attempts to jump out the window with the doll, but John arrives with Evelyn in time to stop her. Evelyn decides to kill herself instead of Mia's as atonement for the car accident that resulted in the death of their daughter, Ruby, years earlier. As Evelyn died in the street, the demon and the doll disappear. Mia and John never see or hear of the doll again, and Leah is safe in her crib.

Six months later, the doll is purchased by a mother from an antique shop as a gift for her daughter Debbie, a nursing student, and is seen stored and locked in a display case in the Warrens' artifact room.