The Conjuring Prequel Lands on Netflix Today: Here’s Why Fans Hate It

Back in 2013, the world saw the glowing success of James Wan’s The Conjuring, a supernatural horror based on a horrifying true story of Ed and Lorraine Warren. It is now considered one of the best genre’s gems not only of the 21st century, but of all time.

Grossing $319.5 million on a budget of $20 million, it quickly acquired a follow-up that both amazed and disappointed the audience. Die-hard fans of the original movie claim it should have never existed, while the box office numbers are really impressive.

The prequel’s plot revolves around John and Mia, a couple expecting a baby. One day John finds a vintage doll for his wife, but it turns their lives into a nightmare.

After a violent invasion of devil worshippers into their house, the doll transforms into a conduit for ultimate evil. John and Mia are now in great danger co-living with a demon.

You can already guess that we’re talking about Annabelle (2014), a prequel and a spin-off to The Conjuring that tells the story of a creepy doll that was moved to the Warrens’ occult museum after hauntings in 1970 and that made an appearance in 2013’s gem.

It’s always great when your favorite movie sets up a franchise, but its follow-ups often don’t meet its quality. Sadly, the same has happened with Annabelle that was panned for being inferior to its predecessor and shamefully generic.

“I watched the The Conjuring. [And there were] moments I almost jumped out of my chair. The Annabelle movies you could see [...] jump scares were about to happen,” claims Redditor @Evilbefalls.

It’s proved by the film’s Tomatometer, 28%, while the original horror earned a decent critical score of 86%. But it didn’t interfere with Annabelle’s commercial success at all, as it grossed $257.6 million on a relatively small budget of $6.5 million.

Nevertheless, the movie can be praised for its unsettling atmosphere and visuals. If you enjoy supernatural horrors or haunted doll stories, you shouldn’t miss it.

Annabelle will become available on Netflix already today, on July 1.