All 10 Movies in the ‘Conjuring’ Universe, Ranked

Supernatural ghost stories have been a staple subgenre of horror cinema for decades. However, The Conjuring, released in 2013, offered a fresh new take on the classic haunted house story. Spearheaded by horror legend James Wan, The Conjuring was a surprise hit at the box office and helped kick off a new age of paranormal haunted horror.

Drawing parallels from concepts of demonic possessions, exorcisms, supernatural events, and haunted places or houses, The Conjuring turned real-life haunted events (as investigated by purported paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren) into a fascinating and enthralling cinematic universe. Nobody could have guessed that The Conjuring would kick-start the MCU of horror franchises, but since then, it has become a successful cinematic universe.

With ten films released so far, The Conjuring franchise has attracted audiences with its unique take on multiple terrifying characters co-existing in the same universe, as well as its excellent throwback aesthetics and great jump scares. What started as an adaptation of discoveries by the Warrens has now expanded into multiple spin-offs, prequels, and three direct sequels. The Conjuring franchise is now the highest-grossing horror movie franchise of all time at $2.7 billion worldwide.

The franchise’s films have mostly received critical success, but some have been received with mixed to negative responses. All the movies have left their mark on fans, keeping the franchise’s success intact while keeping the audience invested and encouraged for more of James Wan’s horror creations. The fourth entry in the main Conjuring franchise is titled The Conjuring: Last Rites, and both Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprise their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren, respectively. In addition, a new Conjuring series has been announced for Max.

Here are all 10 installments of The Conjuring Universe ranked.

10

‘Annabelle’ (2014)

Coming in last is the 2014 installment, Annabelle. The first spin-off of the franchise and a prequel to The Conjuring, or, say, a prequel to the introductory sequence of The Conjuring, didn’t turn out to be the scary tale its predecessor promised. The story of how the weird Raggedy Ann doll ended up with the nurses from the first film (who eventually hand over the doll to the Warrens) and what intentions it holds couldn’t match the hype the first film of the franchise generated. Annabelle wasn’t really an origin story, and thus, it didn’t really feel like it served any purpose in the wider context of the franchise.

‘Annabelle’ Lacks in Thrills & Chills

The film, though frightening to some extent, failed to capture the true demonic potential of the titular doll. Though Annabelle wasn’t able to keep the critics on the edge of their seats, the success of the first film played to its benefit. The movie was highly profitable; it made somewhere close to $260 million at the box office against a budget of approximately $7 million. The commercial success of the film led Warner Bros. to eventually approve a sequel and green-light new projects centered around the Warrens and their demonic adversaries.

9

‘The Curse of La Llorona’ (2019)

Next is the 2019 film The Curse of La Llorona. Diving away from more explicit connections to the universe, this chapter in the Conjuring universe was made as a standalone film with only a minor connection to the wider world in the form of Tony Amendola’s Father Perez, who appeared in the 2014 prequel, Annabelle. The film, directed by Michael Chaves, set in 1973 Los Angeles, explored the Latin American folklore of The Weeping Woman. The film lacked the unpredictability of the other Conjuring movies.

An Underwhelming Standalone Entry

Just like Annabelle, the film didn’t deliver a proper origin story to the folklore of La Llorona, and the occasional jump scares didn’t fulfill what it takes to be a horror film of the same stature as The Conjuring. Linda Cardellini gave an optimistic and hopeful performance, but the way the script was constructed didn’t get to a satisfying conclusion to the story, even though the background story had too much potential. While The Curse of La Llorona made back its budget, it is the lowest-grossing entry in the franchise. It even grossed less than The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, which was released during the COVID-19 pandemic.

8

‘The Nun’ (2018)

In what might be the most controversial ranking on the list is The Nun. The film is notably the worst-reviewed entry in the franchise on Rotten Tomatoes among critics and audiences alike. The movie was released in 2018 and is a prequel to The Conjuring 2. It’s an origin story for the demonic entity Valak while also shaping the starting point of The Conjuring universe. The film, set in 1952, follows a young novitiate Irene, who joins Father Burke in an investigation concerning a suicide committed by a nun in a Romanian monastery.

‘The Nun’ Dominated the Box Office

Starring Taissa Farmiga (who happens to be Vera Farmiga’s sister, the actress who plays Lorraine Warren), the film delved into Valak’s history and background. Though the film was negatively received, the progression of the story was intriguing, while the dark tone and shady setting served the film’s scary aspect well. Yes, it’s true that the film lacked the scares and probably wasn’t horrifying, but The Nun carries its themes to its conclusion. Although the movie was a critical failure, it’s still the second-highest-grossing film of the franchise worldwide, grossing $366 million on a budget of $22 million.

7

‘The Nun II’ (2023)

Valak the Demon has proven to be one of the most popular antagonists in the franchise. While the first film was critically panned by audiences and critics, a second entry was greenlit by Peter Safran in 2019. James Wan would only be involved as producer, just like the first entry, with Michael Chaves taking over directing duties. The story, written by Akela Cooper and Ian Goldberg, sees the demonic presence return four years after being defeated in Saint Cartha’s monastery.

Valak’s Terrifying Reign Continues

In The Nun II, Sister Irene, one of the survivors of the last confrontation with Valak, begins to have visions of a man asking to be saved. Irene goes to the region of Tarascon to investigate a series of deaths at multiple monasteries with Sister Debra. Valak begins to haunt Irene as she looks for a relic of a woman named Saint Lucy, who has the power to send Valak to hell again. As with the previous entry, the film was made on a tight budget of $38 million but earned a respectable $269.5 million at the box office, so we’ll likely get a third entry.

6

‘Annabelle Comes Home’ (2019)

Next up is 2019’s Annabelle Comes Home, which takes place between The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2. The movie is set about two years after The Conjuring and is focused on the demonic doll Annabelle mistakenly unleashed in the Warrens’ home, putting their daughter Judy and her babysitters in danger.

Surprisingly, Annabelle Comes Home turned out to be a satisfying inclusion to the franchise, with debut director Gary Dauberman doing a great job in scratching out a remarkable story from the minute details of the franchise in his co-written screenplay with franchise creator James Wan.

A Worthy Entry in the Spine-Tingling Franchise

The movie didn’t try to recreate what its predecessors did and took its own road while using a well-known character. While the story wasn’t as scary or well-portrayed as James Wan’s Conjuring films, it also isn’t an installment that one will likely forget about. Overall, it proved to be a nice story to add to the longer franchise. Despite mixed critical reception, the film did well at the box office and performed better than the other toy-themed horror film that summer, Child’s Play.

5

‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ (2025)

Serving as the final installment in the first phase of the spine-chilling franchise, 2025’s The Conjuring: Last Rites sees the return of dynamic demon-hunting duo Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren, who take on one last frightening case involving the haunting of the Smurl family in their Pennsylvania home. After retiring from their investigations due to Ed’s worsening heart condition, the famous couple find themselves pulled back into the paranormal fray to help the Smurls as they are terrorized by supernatural occurrences linked to a cursed antique mirror.

The Warren’s Horrific Paranormal Journey Comes to an End

The Warrens realize that the mirror is linked to their own past, as Lorraine had come in contact with the sinister object over two decades prior that resulted in the stillborn death of their daughter Judy, whom they revived through prayers. Now, they must confront the dark entity and help protect both the Smurls and Judy as she, too, becomes plagued by psychic visions. What ensues is a hair-raising showdown where the couple must rely on their unwavering love and bond to overcome the malevolent forces threatening numerous lives.

The Conjuring: Last Rites winningly captures the spooky spirit of the first two films and includes pulse-pounding jump scares (which fans equally love and loathe) and some seriously terrifying demons, though it is the performances of Wilson and Farmiga and their on-screen connection that truly elevates the final installment. Audiences felt that Last Rites served as a fitting conclusion to the Warren’s story and that there was a refreshing emotional layer to the film, even if many thought it didn’t bring anything new to the table in regards to the horror factor. Last Rites also dominated the box office and grossed $460.2 million worldwide, claiming the title as the highest-grossing entry.

4

‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ (2021)

Halfway through the list is the third entry in The Conjuring series, 2021’s The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. It’s a tough call to rank the third Conjuring film. Though the movie was less effective than its predecessor, it gave a tough fight to The Nun and Annabelle: Creation. So it’s better to put it in between the two. The film builds upon a great premise and delivers a chilling suspense-thriller. It puts both Ed and Lorraine in direct danger as they uncover a dark secret. The main story is based on the highly publicized murder trial, while depicting the events that occurred in its backdrop.

James Wan’s Absence Is Felt By Fans

Sadly, the movie lacks scares, is weaker than the previous two films, and is also more ethically complicated, as Ed and Lorraine Warren profited off of lies and murder for this story. The franchise takes a shift in the time period and horror style with this entry that didn’t sit well with some audiences. James Wan hands over directing duties to Michael Chaves, and it shows. However, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga offer solid performances with great reflections of their progression as characters in the franchise. Though the film’s terror declines after the first sequence, it thrives with its performances, chaotic, nihilistic narrative, and constantly increasing spiteful tension.

Ultimately, it’s great to see that the third film has tried something other than the haunted-house concept and delved into a more mysterious tale from Ed and Lorraine’s investigative files. The audience will love the cast performances and the building of suspense. Chaves brilliantly focused on the trial’s backdrop instead of a simple retelling of the publicized courtroom proceedings, which gives the entire story a great perspective to appreciate.

3

‘Annabelle: Creation’ (2017)

Coming in towards the top is a crucial film in the franchise from 2017, Annabelle: Creation. This installment corrected the mistake the franchise made with Annabelle, finally giving the viewers the origin story of the demonic porcelain doll everyone wanted. Set after The Nun in the year 1955, the film delved into what got Annabelle to become a medium for a demon to enter the mortal world in the first place.

An Origin Story That Finally Satisfies Audiences

The suspense and thrill director David F. Sandberg achieved through the gritty colors, shadow-strewn lighting, and efficient editing to induce horror, making the film a worthy origin tale and finally getting the franchise a long-awaited critical success. The shot composition allows for an immersive experience for the viewers, psychologically connecting them to the camera movements, making every scare closer to the viewer.

Led by some incredible performances from child actors, Annabelle: Creation managed to surprise everyone who had written off this subset of the franchise after the first film. The jump scares were perfectly set in the film, and the story itself was quite interesting and provided a much richer background to the Annabelle doll. The film was well-received critically and eventually paved the way for director Sandberg to enter mainstream cinema direction, as he landed the DCEU’s Shazam! while making this film.

2

‘The Conjuring 2’ (2016)

The Conjuring 2, released in 2016, comes in near the top of the list. The third overall release of the franchise saw James Wan return to the director’s chair. The film also saw the lead actors Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return as the Warrens, leading another paranormal investigation, this time in England. The film received all the praise and was a perfect sequel (which also revived the franchise’s critical reputation after Annabelle was poorly received). However, there were just little areas where it felt less frightening and creative than the first movie.

The Original Gang Is Back Together for ‘The Conjuring 2’

The film had a promising plot, and once again, James Wan managed to add terrifying sequences powered by impressive sound mixing; however, it wasn’t as much of a lightning bolt as its predecessor. What carried the movie to a successful ending and subsequent positive reception was Vera Farmiga’s impeccable performance. The film dug deeper into Lorraine’s emotional instability caused due to her clairvoyant experiences. That’s why, even though the film’s narrative and story lacked the same thrill and suspense as The Conjuring, the acting performances made up for its slow build-up.

1

‘The Conjuring’ (2013)

Taking the top spot, The Conjuring is the foundation film of James Wan’s successful horror franchise and remains the best film in its titular cinematic universe. The Conjuring, at the time, proved to be the perfect horror story audiences were looking for. While being a self-contained story, the movie leaves plenty of room for potential franchise growth. Knowing that the lead characters were based on real people, Wan didn’t hesitate to dive into their psychology and the backdrop of their paranormal work.

‘The Conjuring’ Became a Modern-Day Horror Classic

There were details indicating the calculative and legal process behind Warren’s “demonology,” where they use scientific equipment to determine the presence of the supernatural while keeping the Church in the loop. Wan also left breadcrumbs of the couple’s past work in these details, such as the forbidden room at Warren’s place, filled with demonic artifacts. There was an entire supernatural atmosphere that Wan created so that all those stories made sense to the viewers.

Wan also demonstrated a knack for well-written jump scares, timed perfectly with the correct sound effects, something which was directly adapted into further installments and recreated in other horror films as well. This is what made The Conjuring the most terrifying film of the franchise, validating its number one spot on this list or any other list ranking the films of the franchise.