Where do creepy dolls come from? Are they born creepy, or do they become creepy after years of being surrounded by creepy behavior? This trailer for Annabelle: Creation provides evidence for both camps, both by showing some creepy dolls independent of supernatural influence and a creepy girl who comes to possess a doll after she dies. The most interesting thing in this teaser isn’t how it weighs in on the “nature vs. nurture” debate, though, it’s the way it acts as a “Greatest Hits” of the Conjuring series. Did you like the Crooked Man scare, the demon nun, and the high number of spooky-looking crucifixes on walls from The Conjuring 2? This has little glimpses of all of that. Did you like Annabelle, the doll from the first Conjuring and the previous Annabelle spin-off? This has a weirdly small amount of her, but she’s definitely involved. Also, this trailer directly mentions that it’s part of “the Conjuring universe,” which means this thing is jumping right into a Marvel-style cinematic universe instead of just being some loosely connected horror movies.
Annabelle: Creation comes from director David F. Sandberg, and it will be in theaters on August 11.