Annabelle: Creation

True-life paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren keeps the doll Annabelle housed in a protective glass cabinet in the home that she shared with her late husband Ed in Monroe, CT. The real Annabelle is a plain-looking, vintage Raggedy Ann-type doll, unlike the film's garishly painted toy that was depicted in James Wan's 2013 thriller The Conjuring. After that film and its sequel's success, this new installment serves as an origin prequel. Twelve years after toymaker Samuel Mullins (Anthony LaPaglia) and his wife Esther (Miranda Otto) lost their 7-year-old daughter Annabelle in a tragic accident, they open their sprawling country house to Sister Charlotte (Stephanie Sigman) and a group of six girls from a local Catholic orphanage, including Janice (Talitha Bateman), who is partially crippled from polio, and her plucky best friend Linda (Lulu Wilson). The other girls are older and share a communal bedroom, while Janice and Linda are relegated to bunk beds in the sewing room. Although the pair are forbidden to enter the locked bedroom that once belonged to the Mullins' deceased daughter, that is just where they go, opening a Victorian wardrobe containing a large, wooden doll that is wearing a white dress. When that demonic doll inexplicably begins to appear in different places around the house, Janice becomes panicked, although Sister Charlotte and the others aren't yet convinced of the shadowy doll's satanic connection. A reasonably spooky tale, this is a strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a deleted scenes featurette (12 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is an audio commentary by director David F. Sandberg, a production featurette (43 min.), the behind-the-scenes segment “The Conjuring Universe” (5 min.), the horror shorts “Attic Panic” (3 min.) and “Coffer” (3 min.), and bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid Blu-ray extras package for this decent chiller.] (S. Granger)