Trapped in doll house
> Annabelle: Creation star Talitha Bateman talks about her role as an orphan who is targeted by the demonic figurine in this prequel
Sigman, said she was really creeped out by the doll, and that she didn’t want to even be in the same room with her. “Really?! Well, my mum definitely does not think Annabelle looks angelic.”
Were there any fun stories that you can remember from the set? “There were a lot of fun memories from the set. With most of my previous projects, I was the only kid on the set, but on this one, there were many other girls who are my age, and we really bonded and became like a family.
“That was really cool because we were all going through this experience together. After each day of shooting, we’d play these games, and I’m a very competitive person so I didn’t like losing.
“But Lulu and Stephanie aren’t competitive at all, so they were pretty generous with me (laughs).”
Did you get a chance to talk to LaPaglia and Otto, who play the Mullins, while you were making the movie? “I did get to talk to Anthony a little bit. He told me after we were done filming that he tried to stay away from us because he wanted Mr Mullins to seem a little creepier to us, and I think that was a great choice because it did intimidate me a little bit!
“I feel like he was always in character when we were on set, and I would call him ‘Mr Mullins’ and not ‘Anthony.’ After he completed filming, he was such a nice guy and so sweet.
“I only had the chance to briefly meet Miranda in the hair and makeup room, but she seems like such a kind person, and legitimately nice.”
How was it like working with Sandberg? Did he help you to understand Janice better? “David’s incredible. He’s such a brilliant director. You would never guess that he’s only been doing this for a little while.
“He’s so great to work with. He’s always right there with you and helping you.”
When audiences see the film in cinemas, what do you hope they take away from it? “Well, what I enjoyed about Annabelle: Creation is that it’s more than a big horror film.
“You really connect with the characters and feel for them, and that’s a big reason why you’re scared.
“And that’s what I think makes it so different from other horror films, which sometimes don’t have that kind of character development.”