There’s a long history of creepy dolls in horror cinema. Though it’s hard to pinpoint when the trend became so effective, movies dating back to the ’40s have leaned into the concept, such as in 1945’s Dead of Night. One drawback to these earlier outings, however, was that special effects limited what these on-screen figures could convey, with it not being until the ’80s and titles like Poltergeist, Dolls, and Child’s Play fully embracing technical developments that we earned more believable appearances. To this day, Saw‘s Billy or The Conjuring‘s Annabelle immediately unnerve audiences.

​