Annabelle the doll returns for her third big screen appearance in Annabelle: Creation, opening this weekend.
Creation is actually a prequel to 2013’s The Conjuring and 2014’s Annabelle, exploring the tragic and terrifying events that led to the creation of the possessed porcelain doll.
Audiences only have to spend just over an hour and a half with Annabelle, but the cast and crew worked with her for weeks. And while it was just a prop, it definitely had a presence on the set.
Talitha Bateman, who plays Janice – an orphan who comes into possession of the doll — explained its power.
“It’s crazy, because she’s just a doll, but she’s the catalyst for all this evil and there’s so much power in her. People love superheroes and they have power, but they use it for good. It’s the opposite with Annabelle. The demonic spirit that lives inside her uses its power to do horrible things. That’s what scares me about her.”
Bateman recounted a funny moment when she actually dropped the prop. “I felt so bad,” Bateman admitted to FANDOM. Luckily, there were several versions of Annabelle, including one the young stars dubbed “Glossy Face.” According to Lulu Wilson — who plays Janice’s friend Linda –“Glossy Face” was terrifying. She even steered clear of the doll off-camera.
“Her eyes literally follow you like the Mona Lisa’s. If you’re looking at the Annabelle doll, you’re like, ‘Oh, she’s staring at me, I gotta move.’ Then you’re in another position and you look back at her, she’s still looking at you. And the eyebrows are slanted in a way that it looks like she’s always planning to get you, and it’s really creepy.”
Wilson had several solo scenes with Annabelle, but the scariest was one under a staircase. In addition to being dark and claustrophobic, she and the doll were alone together. “The minute they yelled ‘cut’ I bolted out of there,” she told FANDOM.
Even the adult actors were scared. Stephanie Sigman, who plays Sister Charlotte, admitted she was “not pleased” that she was the one who had to move the doll between shots. Check out the video above to hear more about their experience shooting with Annabelle.
Annabelle: Creation opens in theaters Friday, August 11.
