Annabelle: Creation
Several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a doll maker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon becoming the target of the doll maker's possessed creation—Annabelle.
Despite a mid-range budget of $15.0M, Annabelle: Creation became a runaway success, earning $306.6M worldwide—a remarkable 1944% return.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Annabelle: Creation (2017) showcases deliberately positioned narrative design, characteristic of David F. Sandberg's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 50 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Janice
Linda
Samuel Mullins
Esther Mullins
Sister Charlotte
Main Cast & Characters
Janice
Played by Talitha Bateman
A disabled orphan girl who becomes the doll's primary target and shows remarkable courage despite her physical limitations.
Linda
Played by Lulu Wilson
Janice's protective best friend who desperately tries to save her from the demonic entity.
Samuel Mullins
Played by Anthony LaPaglia
The dollmaker who created Annabelle and unwittingly invited a demon into his home after his daughter's death.
Esther Mullins
Played by Miranda Otto
Samuel's wife who is bedridden and tormented by guilt over making a deal with the demon years earlier.
Sister Charlotte
Played by Stephanie Sigman
The kind nun who brings the orphan girls to the Mullins farmhouse and tries to protect them from evil.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes 1943: The Mullins family - Samuel (dollmaker), Esther, and young daughter Annabelle - share a happy Sunday afternoon. Annabelle plays in the yard of their idyllic farmhouse, embodying innocence before tragedy strikes.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Janice hears eerie sounds and is supernaturally lured to the forbidden room - Annabelle's preserved bedroom. The locked door mysteriously opens, inviting her into a space frozen in time, filled with the dead girl's possessions and a closet with ominous warnings.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 27 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Janice opens the forbidden closet and releases the demon. A supernatural force attacks her, dragging her into darkness. She is marked/possessed. This irreversible act fully unleashes the evil entity that has been waiting 12 years to escape its prison., moving from reaction to action.
At 56 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat The full backstory is revealed: After Annabelle's death, the Mullins made contact with what they thought was their daughter's spirit. Instead, they invited a demon that requested permission to inhabit a doll. Esther was attacked and disfigured. The demon has been waiting for a new host - Janice. The stakes are now life and death., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 82 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Samuel is killed by the possessed Janice. The demon fully controls the girl's body. Linda is alone, separated from the others, trapped in the nightmare house with her best friend now turned into a vessel for pure evil. All adult protectors are dead or gone., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 87 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Sister Charlotte returns and realizes they must contain the demon, not destroy it. Using faith and the supernatural rules established earlier, they devise a plan to trap the entity back in Annabelle's room and seal it - learning that some evils can only be imprisoned, not vanquished., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Annabelle: Creation's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Annabelle: Creation against these established plot points, we can identify how David F. Sandberg utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Annabelle: Creation within the horror genre.
David F. Sandberg's Structural Approach
Among the 2 David F. Sandberg films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.1, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Annabelle: Creation exemplifies the director's characteristic narrative technique. For comparative analysis, explore the complete David F. Sandberg filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional horror films include Lake Placid, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Cat's Eye. For more David F. Sandberg analyses, see Lights Out.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
1943: The Mullins family - Samuel (dollmaker), Esther, and young daughter Annabelle - share a happy Sunday afternoon. Annabelle plays in the yard of their idyllic farmhouse, embodying innocence before tragedy strikes.
Theme
Sister Charlotte tells the orphan girls about finding hope and family in unexpected places, foreshadowing the film's exploration of grief, consequences of bargaining with evil, and the cost of trying to resurrect what is lost.
Worldbuilding
Twelve years later (1955): Sister Charlotte arrives with six orphan girls at the remote Mullins farmhouse. We meet Janice (crippled by polio, insecure) and her protective best friend Linda. The isolated house, Samuel's doll workshop, and Esther's mysterious bedridden condition establish an atmosphere of secrets and unease.
Disruption
Janice hears eerie sounds and is supernaturally lured to the forbidden room - Annabelle's preserved bedroom. The locked door mysteriously opens, inviting her into a space frozen in time, filled with the dead girl's possessions and a closet with ominous warnings.
Resistance
Janice explores Annabelle's room despite warnings. She finds a locked closet with a note: "You are wanted." Strange occurrences escalate - she discovers the Annabelle doll in the closet. Other girls notice changes in Janice but dismiss supernatural explanations. The house's malevolent presence grows stronger.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Janice opens the forbidden closet and releases the demon. A supernatural force attacks her, dragging her into darkness. She is marked/possessed. This irreversible act fully unleashes the evil entity that has been waiting 12 years to escape its prison.
Mirror World
Linda notices disturbing changes in Janice - her behavior becomes erratic and cold. Their friendship (the emotional heart) is tested as something dark replaces Janice's innocence. Linda represents the loyalty and love that will be exploited by the demon.
Premise
Classic haunted house horror escalates: supernatural attacks intensify across the house, multiple girls experience terrifying encounters with the demon. The Annabelle doll moves on its own. Samuel reveals fragments of the truth about his daughter's death and a demonic bargain gone wrong. The entity hunts through the house.
Midpoint
The full backstory is revealed: After Annabelle's death, the Mullins made contact with what they thought was their daughter's spirit. Instead, they invited a demon that requested permission to inhabit a doll. Esther was attacked and disfigured. The demon has been waiting for a new host - Janice. The stakes are now life and death.
Opposition
The demon-possessed Janice grows stronger and more violent. The girls try to flee but are trapped. Sister Charlotte and Samuel attempt to fight back. The entity systematically eliminates escape routes and separates the group. Esther is killed. Samuel sacrifices himself trying to stop the demon. The house becomes a death trap.
Collapse
Samuel is killed by the possessed Janice. The demon fully controls the girl's body. Linda is alone, separated from the others, trapped in the nightmare house with her best friend now turned into a vessel for pure evil. All adult protectors are dead or gone.
Crisis
Linda faces her darkest moment alone in the house. Sister Charlotte desperately tries to reach the girls. The demon toys with Linda, using Janice's body to psychologically torture her, perverting their friendship. The evil seems unstoppable.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Sister Charlotte returns and realizes they must contain the demon, not destroy it. Using faith and the supernatural rules established earlier, they devise a plan to trap the entity back in Annabelle's room and seal it - learning that some evils can only be imprisoned, not vanquished.
Synthesis
Climactic battle to contain the demon. Sister Charlotte performs makeshift exorcism rituals. Linda must confront possessed Janice. They lure the demon back into the bedroom and closet. Through sacrifice and faith, they manage to seal the entity inside the doll and room. The survivors escape the farmhouse forever.
Transformation
Epilogue: 12 years later, the Annabelle doll is shown in an antique shop. A young couple (the Forms from the first Annabelle film) purchase it as a gift. The evil has escaped containment, setting up the cycle of horror to continue. The demon won - darkness spreads.