Beware, Annabelle's back to haunt

LONG before the mass production of Mattel and Hasbro, dolls were soulfully handcrafted. As in, they actually had souls.

Or, if they didn't, they were out to grab yours.

Beware Annabelle of Annabelle: Creation. You remember her from 2013's The Conjuring, the wooden figurine with the big eyes wearing a chaste white dress. That cameo introduction was followed by her own showcase Annabelle (2014), a US$257 million-grossing hit.

Now comes the prequel, a fourth entry in producer James Wan's expanding supernatural Conjuring universe, which includes The Conjuring 2 (2016) and another spin-off, The Nun, on the way. Directed by David F Sandberg with Gary Dauberman again the …