Unlike the limp prequel to The Conjuring, Annabelle, this prequel-to-the-prequel at least makes a bit of an effort. This is a remarkably long film to tell very little actual story (which also does not make a jot of sense), and as a result there are a lot of inessential scare scenes and standard horror set-pieces to fill the running time. Annabelle - Creation is a useful film with which to play genre conventions bingo - it throws in everything from a dumb-waiter to a well, especially in a story-changing central scene where so many clichés are chucked at the viewer in the hope that it energises the film. The non-descript group of orphans who end up at a tragic toymaker and his wife's secluded home mostly fail to engage, but just about everything (including the 'creation' revelations) are saved for a relatively lively but still silly final act, and credit is due for the effective and audacious way it ties this film to its predecessor, but overall it is as scary as a jug of custard. According to the marketing, there is now The Conjuring Universe - on the evidence so far, it is hardly Marvel!
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