A prequel to last year's The Conjuring, Annabelle just can't live up to that earlier film's high level of craft. Despite a few effective visual jolts, this one is mired in genre cliches.
Reese Witherspoon in The Good Lie is out December 23, The Conjuring spin-off Annabelle is out January 20, and the Robert Downey Jr. courtroom drama The Judge is out January 27.