David Pierdomenico
Back in 2013, The Conjuring was considered one of the best horror films of the previous 20 years. And from it came a “cinematic universe” that no one saw coming, and frankly, no one asked for. There’s certainly nothing wrong with creating a myriad of films set in the same continuity. It’s something that horror has been sorely lacking in, especially considering how poorly The Mummy and the entire “Dark Universe” was received. Yet the preference has been for spinoffs about fictional characters, rather than sequels involving Ed and Lorraine Warren. And therein lies the problem.
The “Untold” Story of Annabelle
Once The Conjuring made $320 million on a $20 million budget, it caught the full attention of Warner Brothers, and while the film was still in theaters, the spinoff Annabelle was greenlit and released a year later in 2014. The issue was that the entire story of the Annabelle doll had already been told in the prologue scene of the original film. That’s really all there was to it. Even reading Ed and Lorraine Warren’s book “The Demonologist”, their version of the story corroborates everything we saw in The Conjuring. Because of this, the solo film Annabelle was completely fictional.
While it wasn’t nearly as good as The Conjuring, its prequel, Annabelle: Creation was pretty decent. However, their quality is entirely irrelevant. The bigger issue is why were they necessary? As previously mentioned, what makes both Conjuring films so intriguing is their basis in real life cases that Ed and Lorraine Warren investigated. Yet, instead of producing more sequels based on real cases, Warner Brother chose to give audiences two fictional Annabelle films, and a third on the way in 2019.
Who Asked For The Nun?
In many ways, The Conjuring 2 was incredibly well received and was dubbed by many to be the best horror sequel ever made. But from it came another villain, the demon Valak who took the form of a nun. While this film was based on the real life Enfield Poltergeist case, Valak and the nun-like form were never part of the true story. Which was acceptable since creative liberties are always going to be taken. But of course, Warner Brothers couldn’t resist once again, and decided that “The Nun” deserved its own adaptation as well. Once again, it would be completely fictional and have nothing really to do with the real life cases.
Where will this inevitably lead? Will the Crooked Man from Conjuring 2 get his own film next? With Annabelle 3 due out next year, how many sequels/prequels will we get of The Nun? Or will there be some other minor, fictional character that needs to have their story told? And all the while Warner Brothers is pouring money and effort into these rather than simply doing more stories dealing with real life cases that the Warrens investigated.
Why Does Warner Brothers Prefer Spinoffs?
If a studio tried to release multiple sequels a year, the cast and crew would be bogged down in constant production and never get a break. Because of this Warner Brothers prefers to do these spinoffs that don’t require James Wan directing or Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga starring, as they’re busy actors with plenty of other roles to do. Logistically it’s difficult to do a sequel every year (somehow Saw pulled it off, but they’re the exception). Marvel can get away with two to three per year since they’re all running pre and post production simultaneously with different casts and crews.
Doing it in this way, Warner Brothers sets themselves up to release “Conjuring Universe” films in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. And when you’re a studio that only cares about money, rather than quality of story, that’s all that matters. It’s not to suggest that they shouldn’t be making as many horror films as they want. But it’s frustrating that we’re getting The Nun and Annabelle 3 before we’re getting a third Conjuring.
What We Should Be Getting Instead
As this myriad of fictional spinoffs get released, there are countless true stories that could be getting the cinematic treatment but aren’t. One in particular led to a murder and a court trial in which the defendant pleaded not guilty due to demonic possession. Another involved a man who was allegedly possessed by a spirit that made him act like a wolf, effectively turning him into almost a real life werewolf. The Warrens have also had countless encounters with the paranormal at the infamous Union Cemetery.
All of these stories have the potential to make really captivating horror films. But it feels like the reason we’re not getting to see them is because Annabelle and The Nun are getting the attention instead. It’s by no means a commentary on their quality. But audiences would be much more pleased to see more films involving Ed and Lorraine Warren themselves tackling paranormal investigations based on ones that really occurred. But until the studio decides to do such, we’re stuck with The Nun in the meantime.
