Who would have ever thought there would be a shared horror universe based on the stylings of James Wan? Riding off the surprise box office success of The Conjuring, the Warner Bros. sibling studio has cleverly shifted into full gear on adult-oriented horror films. First came Annabelle, based on one of Wan's trademark creepy dolls, and soon we'll get Corin Hardy's The Nun, based on a similar secondary villain from The Conjuring 2. But first, we're getting an Annabelle sequel from Lights Out director David F Sandberg, officially titled Annabelle: Creation.

The sequel/prequel goes back to the origins of the possessed doll, following the story of the grieving dollmaker who created Annabelle. Check back tomorrow for the full trailer, but for now, we've got a brief teaser that acts as a fine reminder that dolls are just inherently creepy.

Sandberg directs Annabelle: Creation from a screenplay by Gary Dauberman, who scripted the Annabelle and New Line's It remake, and will next pen The Nun. The film stars Stephanie Sigman, Talitha Bateman, Lulu Wilson, Philippa Coulthard, Grace Fulton, Lou Lou Safran, Samara Lee, with  Anthony LaPaglia and Miranda Otto. The film is slated to arrive in theaters on August 11, 2017.

Here's the official synopsis:

She’s back! From New Line Cinema comes “Annabelle: Creation,” with David F. Sandberg (“Lights Out”) helming the follow up to 2014’s hugely successful “Annabelle,” which scared up nearly $257 million at the worldwide box office during its run in theaters. The new film is once again being produced by Peter Safran and James Wan, who also partnered so effectively on “The Conjuring” movies.

 

In “Annabelle: Creation,” several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon becoming the target of the dollmaker’s possessed creation, Annabelle.