The prequel to Annabelle, which is actually part of The Conjuring franchise, Creation tells the story of how an evil spirit tricks an unsuspecting set of parents into allowing it to inhabit a porcelain doll. Like most sins, this starts out with well-enough intentions and quickly goes south.
Directed by David F. Sandberg (behind the phenomenon Lights Out and the upcoming Shazam! film), Anthony LaPaglia and Miranda Otto play Samuel and Esther Mullins who tragically lose their daughter and make this fateful pact. [Peter Safran and James Wan serve as producers, keeping an overarching continuity to the franchise’s vision.] Stephanie Sigman plays Sister Charlotte, a kind nun who tries to protect some young orphans from the possessed doll, with some success.
While there is plenty to be frightened by, the story is ultimately about how we grieve and what we do with the intense waves of feelings that threaten to overwhelm us when we lose someone. What deals are we willing to make? What shortcuts to ‘normal’ will we allow ourselves when things aren’t as they should be? While the short term deal (think Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden) may seem appropriate to the Mullins family in the moment, the lasting impact is anything but positive.
The Blu-ray special features include several featurettes: “The Horror Continues,” “Horror Shorts: Attic Panic and Coffer,” and “Directing Annabelle.” There are also deleted scenes and a commentary by Sandberg.
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