‘Annabelle: Creation’ knows the fundamentals of horror

Surely, Annabelle could be set up on a Tinder date with Chucky, and perhaps she could show the "other" homicidal ginger-haired plaything a thing or two about how devil dolls can deliver efficient, effective scares.

"Annabelle: Creation" is a prequel to a prequel to a horror franchise known as "The Conjuring," but you need not know of any of the franchise in order to enjoy all the frights "Annabelle" has up her frilly doll sleeves.

Director David F. Sandberg certainly knows a thing or two about ratcheting up the old-school scares. His last film, "Lights Out," preyed on viewers' fear of the unknown, and in "Annabelle," he lets scenes linger in the inky blackness over characters' shoulders, as we wait for our titular pint-sized porcelain terror to emerge.

But first, we are introduced to little Annie's dad, Samuel (played by Anthony LaPaglia), a mild-mannered, God-fearing fellow who uses his crafty skills to create custom dolls, much to the delight of the townsfolk in a remote, sleepy little hamlet.

He lives in a spacious house with his wife Esther (played by Miranda Otto) and their young daughter, Annabelle (played by Samara Lee). On their way home from church, a random accident claims young Annabelle's life, and as a result, the couple withdraws from society for more than a decade.

Flash forward 12 years when they ultimately decide to open their home to a group of wayward orphans. And, like opening a Russian nesting doll, director Sandberg continues to reveal one scare after another as they assimilate to their new dwellings. He carefully sets up a number of random items around the house (a dollhouse, a dumbwaiter, a scarecrow) that will later be used during more perilous predicaments.

As the spunky young gals wander through the estate, they poke and prod in off-limits places, which seems to stoke Annabelle's ire. And even though the setting descends into a demon-possessed playground, there is nothing scarier than the sight of that dimly lit doll sitting motionless in the corner with the dead-eyed glare of a Kardashian.

The youngest of the orphans, Janice (played by Talitha Bateman) and Linda (played by preteen scream queen Lulu Wilson, who at age 11 has already starred in three possession films), fare the best. They are the plucky duo who ultimately release the cursed toy, but who are also the most frequently imperiled. And while the third act may too often reveal the demon that inhabits the reanimated doll, Sandberg manages to sustain a sense of dread throughout which favors situational fears over the bloodletting bombast that can often carry films of this nature.

There is nothing new or revelatory in "Annabelle: Creation," but it certainly knows the fundamentals of horror and sets up one scare-drenched scene after another as though it was child's play.