Before The Conjuring, there was ANNABELLE

[Jerry007]

Synopsis from movie web.com:
She terrified you in “The Conjuring,” but this is where it all began for Annabelle.

Capable of unspeakable evil, the actual doll exists locked up in an occult museum in Connecticut—visited only by a priest who blesses her twice a month.

New Line Cinema’s supernatural thriller “Annabelle” begins before the evil was unleashed.

John Form has found the perfect gift for his expectant wife, Mia—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.

 

[Jerry007]

The Conjuring was one of the best horror movies in recent times and it is plain silly to assume that Annabelle would match that. But the movie trailer is effective and the doll is creepy. It is no wonder that the micro-budgeted movie almost matched Gone Girl's weekend opening gross in the States, catapulting it to hit status.

Critics' Consensus: (31% rotten rating at rottentomatoes.com)

That creepy doll Annabelle cut such a striking presence in The Conjuring that she got her own movie. Unfortunately, the critics say it's too bad she couldn't get a better one; despite a few undeniably effective scares, Annabelle is by and large a compendium of horror movie cliches. A young couple with a baby on the way witnesses the shocking murder of their neighbors by a satanic cult. Soon, our heroes experience sinister goings-on throughout their house ; could that weird vintage doll the husband purchased be the cause? The pundits say Annabelle is a pretty generic haunted house flick, though it's spooky enough on occasion to wish it were more.