After a rather scare-free summer (apart from those truly horrifying box office lows, of course), this fall is finally giving horror aficionados a reason to head to the multiplex. We’ve got Kevin Smith’s freaky Tusk opening this week, but the real frightfest isn’t getting under way until October, when The Conjuring prequel Annabelle will do its best to scare us right out of our seats. And judging by the two new TV spots for the flick, it might succeed in doing just that.
No Patrick Wilson or Vera Farmiga this time around – Annabelle charts the origins of the haunted doll before it ever came into the possession of their characters, Ed and Lorraine Warren. In this prequel, Annabelle Wallis and Ward Horton star as an expectant young couple terrorized by the doll, which seems determined to destroy their new family. Also starring are Alfre Woodard (12 Years a Slave), Kerry O’Malley (TV’s Those Who Kill), Brian Howe (Devil’s Knot), Tony Amendola (TV’s Once Upon A Time) and Eric Ladin (TV’s Boardwalk Empire).
Conjuring cinematographer John R. Leonetti is directing from a script by Gary Dauberman. James Wan, who directed The Conjuring, is still involved in a producing capacity.
Annabelle opens October 3rd.
John Form (Horton) has found the perfect gift for his expectant wife, Mia (Wallis)—a beautiful, rare vintage doll in a pure white wedding dress. But Mia’s delight with Annabelle doesn’t last long. On one horrific night, their home is invaded by members of a satanic cult, who violently attack the couple. Spilled blood and terror are not all they leave behind. The cultists have conjured an entity so malevolent that nothing they did will compare to the sinister conduit to the damned that is now… Annabelle.