I was reminded of a speech John Carpenter often gives on the two types of horror tales: the conservative one the liberal one. The conservative one tells us Evil is out there in the woods, waiting to sneak into the tribe’s boundaries and kill us all in a merciless act of terror. The liberal version tells us that the threat really lurks within us all, and that the tribe’s greatest enemy is an inward battle between light and darkness. The much superior Babadook is sort of the liberal horror answer to Annabelle’s conservative version. Both deal with a mother dealing with a weird threat encroaching on their child, but what that threat is — and the ultimate source of it — are completely different. The Babadook dips into mystery, symbol, and metaphor; Annabelle is blunt and direct.

Lastly, what’s up with that doll? I remember my sister having a porcelain doll with raven black hair when she was a kid. She told me it was possessed (thanks for that, sis). It was just fucking creepy — it looked kind of normal but was just off — like the guy who delivers the local newspaper every Wednesday. Now look at the doll they made for Annabelle. Who the fuck sees this cracked-out demon doll in a store and gleefully claims “this is the perfect gift for my daughter?” Great birthday present, mom. Maybe when you see a hobo with open wounds on his face you can give him your daughter’s phone number and say she likes long walks on the beach.