8 Movies to Watch After You See ‘Annabelle: Creation’

By Christopher Campbell

You’ve seen the prequel to the prequel, now go back further.

It’s okay to see Annabelle: Creation without first seeing Annabelle, but like most prequels, even though it takes place earlier, this one is more satisfying if you’ve seen what came before. The new movie, which is also part of the greater Conjuring franchise, ends with a repeat of events in the 2014 original.

I’m going to let that and anything involving the cast or crew of Creation be givens, especially director David F. Sandberg’s feature debut, Lights Out, and the much better horror prequel Ouija: Origin of Evil, which also featured child actress Lulu Wilson. I also wanted to limit my recommendations this week to only four horror titles. See eight I did pick below.

Pinocchio (1940)

Maybe it’s just because I’ve been watching this Disney classic lately with my kids, but the opening scene of Creation reminded me of Geppetto at the beginning of Pinocchio carving out his prized puppet. Neither creator knows it at the time, but soon enough they will have to deal with their creation being brought to life, taking the place of a child.

This animated feature is also quite the horror film in various parts. The sequence where Pinocchio’s pal Lampwick turns into a donkey is terrifying no matter how old you are. And Stromboli and Monstro the whale are also frightening adversaries. Carlo Collodi’s story has inspired true horror movies, but that’s always been unnecessary since it’s scary enough as is.

The Bad Seed (1956)

Most of the plot of Creation takes place in 1957, which is 12 years prior to the events of the original Annabelle. That movie owes a lot to Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby, which was released the year before its setting, so it’s fitting that the prequel reminds me of this horror movie released the year before its setting.

The Bad Seed is more horrifying than any movie about ghost children or possessed little girls because there’s nothing paranormal at play here. Little Rhoda (Patty McCormack, who was Oscar-nominated for her performance) is just an 8-year-old psychopath who keeps murdering people around her. The ending is disappointing but understandably so for the times.

Lampa (1959)

Polanski clearly influenced the original Annabelle, and I wonder if this early short, made while the director was in film school, informed at least the opening of Creation. Again we’ve got a creator, this time another doll maker, working in his shop. After the man in Lampa leaves, his work also seems to come alive, at least in the form of audible whispers.

The short is less than eight minutes in length, but it packs in a more chilling experience than Creation does with two hours. Lampa is all about the eerie atmosphere of the doll shop, as Polanski compiles close-up shots of the toys and a cuckoo clock and a light bulb (one of the visuals that Creation brought to mind) and a dangerous electricity box that also seems alive.

The Haunting (1963)

The Annabelle movies are almost more haunted house movies than evil doll movies, and the one best true example of the former genre is this classic adaptation of “The Haunting of Hill House” produced and directed by Robert Wise. It features no creepy doll or creepy child but does have a large home inhabited by evil.

Sandberg has cited two influences on Creation and both are of the haunted location variety. One is The Shining, for its music, and the other is this. “In terms of references,” he told Moviefone, “it was visual — a big reference was The Haunting, I love the CinemaScope cinematography in that movie.”

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