Annabelle: Creation
New Line Cinema | Release Date: August 11, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
9
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshAug 10, 2017
It's simply a treat to watch Sandberg's style on display in Annabelle: Creation, filled with circling dolly shots that reveal and conceal evil in torturously teasing ways, effective narrative use of practical lighting for dramatic effect, and heart-pounding sound effects and a score of screaming strings. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeIsaac FeldbergAug 9, 2017
If some light deja vu is the price horror fans must pay for a mainstream offering this spine-tingling, most will still come away feeling spooked and satisfied. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweJun 20, 2017
Closer in tone and old-school psychological fright tactics to the original film than either The Conjuring 2 or Annabelle, David F. Sandberg’s incisive approach capably resets the franchise. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoAug 11, 2017
A truly effective genre flick. It’s not perfect, but it’s damn closer than anyone would have predicted. Read full review
75
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanAug 10, 2017
Horror works — or it doesn’t — in the flickering, moving images of the screen, not the page. Sandberg knows that. His artistry, for that’s what it is, is like that of the dollmaker Sam Mullins: to take inert material and create a living, breathing thing. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineKeith WatsonAug 10, 2017
Like Lights out, David F. Sandberg's previous film, Annabelle: Creation is a haunted-house horror story that plays on our primeval fear of the dark. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Aug 9, 2017
Like the "Conjuring" films, Annabelle: Creation is a symphony of cheap tricks; its scares are strictly of the funhouse variety, not the keep-you-up-for-days kind, but they’re executed with precision and panache. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangAug 10, 2017
The result may not be much more than an exercise in craft, a skillful demonstration of all the games you can play with long takes, moving cameras, blurred focus and cavernous pools of darkness. But craft is hard to overrate these days, and Sandberg’s technique, far from feeling assaultive or bludgeoning, has the effect of heightening your concentration. Read full review
70
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisAug 10, 2017
As with last year’s “Lights Out,” [Sandberg] proves a master of the flash-scare, a nifty choreographer of precipitous timing and striptease visuals. But he’s also adroit with more leisurely horrors. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzAug 10, 2017
A surprisingly effective horror film, which is to say it’s scary in all the smart ways. Read full review
70
IGNJim VejvodaJun 20, 2017
Annabelle: Creation is the rare horror sequel that improves upon the original, featuring more engaging protagonists and a far less problematic ending. Read full review
70
TheWrapRobert AbeleJun 20, 2017
Annabelle: Creation is a professional jitters-fest, made with deep-seated esteem for the genre rather than cynicism about a box-office sure thing. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeJun 20, 2017
Here, Sandberg once again plays with both lighting, composition and suspense, framing shots in such a way that we’re constantly searching the shadows for hints of movement, while drawing out scenes for maximum tension. Read full review
67
ConsequenceRandall ColburnAug 11, 2017
Sandberg finds much of his terror in the tension that exists between light and shadow, an unsurprising discovery considering his previous film hinged on the two. They’re used much more effectively here, however. Read full review
67
IndieWireJamie RighettiAug 10, 2017
Annabelle: Creation does offer several shocking moments, and manages to deliver some truly eerie imagery. Even when you can spot the gimmicks from a mile away, Annabelle: Creation hits the horror notes it’s aiming for. Read full review
67
The PlaylistDrew TaylorAug 7, 2017
If anything can happen (and, trust me, it does), then there’s never a way of predicting where the next scare will come from. And for a genre that oftentimes feels threadbare and hopelessly predictable, this cannot be commended enough. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyAug 24, 2017
It’s hard to decide whether Annabelle: Creation gains or loses points for this immensely daft set of developments, but surprisingly little damage is done to the business of turning up the scare dial. Read full review
60
Total FilmJosh WinningAug 15, 2017
The script is straightforward enough, but Lights Out director David F. Sandberg’s careful visuals emphasise shivery mood for something worthy of the Conjuring label. Read full review
60
EmpireChris Hewitt (1)Aug 14, 2017
Toy Story with a twist, this is better than it had any right to be. Hardcore horror buffs may laugh and scoff at the mechanics of some of the scares; the rest may never be able to walk past the window of a toy shop without crossing themselves. Read full review
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)Emily YoshidaAug 11, 2017
There’s nothing cheap about the rest of Annabelle: Creation, so this scattered finale felt like a letdown. Read full review
60
We Got This CoveredMatt DonatoAug 10, 2017
Annabelle: Creation is no lifeless dummy. Plotting may run a bit thin and coincidental, but David F. Sandberg whips up bone-chilling scares and hefty doses of peek-through-your-fingers imagery. Read full review
60
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottAug 10, 2017
Once it gets going, it boasts a steady intensity and unflagging momentum. That's complemented by a pervasive creepiness that can be counted on to keep audiences laughing nervously through their fear. Read full review
60
Time OutHelen O'HaraAug 7, 2017
The demon doll from the Conjuring movies remains creepy, even if this prequel feels occasionally wooden. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyAug 11, 2017
Annabelle: Creation isn’t a terrible film. Not exactly. The set-up is promising, and it offers some decent early jump scares. But eventually the thinness of the material becomes overwhelmingly obvious. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoAug 9, 2017
There are “gotcha” jolts that definitely got me, but for each of those, there must be a half-dozen scares telegraphed in very large letters. I think Annabelle: Creation is suffering from sequelitis. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Julia CooperAug 10, 2017
The movie, which banks on the popularity of the rest of the series rather than concern itself with details such as motive, doesn’t add up to much. Annabelle: Creation is a series of slowly opened doors and close-ups of a truly ugly doll whose makeup must have been done in the dark by a deranged artist similarly possessed. Read full review
38
Movie NationRoger MooreAug 8, 2017
If you can’t get more than just a taste of terror from throwing half a dozen orphans into a haunted house, maybe your “universe” isn’t expanding at all and your “Creation” has run its course. Read full review
30
New York Daily NewsJoe DziemianowiczAug 10, 2017
If you go searching for an original idea in this tiresome thriller about a soul-sucking demon doll, you won’t find one. Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleJosh KupeckiAug 9, 2017
It’s maddeningly unclear sometimes, the whole doll/possession/ghost story, as the filmmakers play extremely loose with the film’s internal logic. Couple that with the stale scent of well-worn dialogue. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Read full review
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