The first film in The Conjuring franchise premiered in 2013, starring Lili Taylor, Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga and Joey King. Centered around a family who moves into a haunted New England home, the movie follows real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Wilson and Farmiga) as they help the family discover the source of the phenomenon, which turns out to be a malicious spirit.
On top of being inspired by famous personalities in the paranormal community, the film was also loosely based on real events, and strange occurrences even happened during filming. King, who played one of the five daughters in The Conjuring, revealed to Drew Barrymore in 2022 that she "developed this bizarre, rare, out-of-nowhere blood disorder" on set. However, after filming wrapped, she explained, “I got home and I've never had a problem with my blood since."
With spookiness both on-screen and off, The Conjuring became a smash hit and grossed over $320 million at the global box office. Since then, the film has spawned numerous sequels and spin-offs, including 2014's Annabelle and 2018's The Nun — together, they make up The Conjuring universe. The latest movie in the franchise, The Nun 2, hit theaters on Sept. 8, 2023, and sees sisters Vera Farmiga and Taissa Farmiga reprise their roles as Lorraine Warren and Sister Irene, respectively.
Another film is also in the works, which will serve as the third direct sequel to The Conjuring.
Ready to dive into the bone-chilling Conjuring world? Here's how to watch all nine films in the franchise in chronological order.
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The Nun (2018)
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Despite being released five years after The Conjuring, 2018’s The Nun is the earliest film if watching the series chronologically. Set in Romania around 1952, the movie centers around the demon nun Valak (Bonnie Aarons), who stalks the hallways of a remote monastery. The demon, better known by fans as “The Nun,” first appeared in The Conjuring 2 (2016) as the main antagonist and briefly appeared in Annabelle Creation (2017).
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Annabelle: Creation (2017)
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After appearing at the beginning of the first Conjuring film, the possessed doll Annabelle quickly became a fan-favorite, thanks to her terrifying smile and real-life origin story. In 2017, Annabelle received her own prequel, which takes place mostly in 1955, making it the second title chronologically. Annabelle: Creation details how the infamous doll became possessed and follows a group of orphaned girls who accidentally unleash an ancient evil ... and are then forced to fight for their lives.
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The Nun 2 (2023)
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Set four years after the first Nun film, The Nun 2 follows Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) — the sole survivor of the original movie — who now teaches at a boarding school in France. However, Valak finds her again, and Irene must protect her students.
The Nun 2 is currently in theaters.
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Annabelle (2014)
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Released just one year after the first Conjuring film, Annabelle was a spin-off and a prequel of sorts. At the start of The Conjuring, the Warrens are seen giving a presentation about the doll (in real life, the Annabelle doll is housed in the Warrens' paranormal museum). The 2014 film gives an even deeper backstory, showing that in 1967, Annabelle tormented a couple and their newborn daughter. Annabelle became a hit and spawned its own prequel and sequel.
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The Conjuring (2013)
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The Conjuring was based on the allegedly true story of a haunted Rhode Island farmhouse. In the film, the Warrens arrive to help the Perron family, who are struggling with strange occurrences in their home in 1971. Before long, small poltergeist activity turns into full-blown demonic possession and levitating bodies.
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Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
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In 1972, the Warrens leave town for another investigation and they hire a babysitter to look after their daughter Judy in their home, where Annabelle is also secured. Not long after, however, Annabelle escapes her confinement and summons other demons. Judy and her babysitter must fight off the evil spirits and try not to get possessed. The film is also the only spin-off where both Wilson and Farmiga have supporting roles.
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The Curse of La Llorona (2019)
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The Curse of La Llorona is largely unrelated to the other Conjuring movies and is based on the Mexican legend of La Llorona, a vengeful ghost who drowns children. The only connection between the film and the greater Conjuring universe is that it features Father Perez, who was also in Annabelle.
The movie begins in 1673 with the legend's origin and has a time jump to 1973 in Los Angeles, where caseworker Anna, played by Linda Cardellini, becomes entangled in mysterious happenings. Despite being only vaguely part of the Conjuring universe, The Curse of La Llorona performed well in theaters, bringing in over $123 million.
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The Conjuring 2 (2016)
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The Conjuring 2 was also based on a true story about a family outside of London, whose young daughter allegedly became possessed. In real life, the Warrens were called in to investigate the possession, and the duo claimed they witnessed moving furniture and disembodied voices. In the film, set in 1977, it’s revealed that the demon Valak is causing the possession, but off-screen, many were skeptical of the events, which became known as the Enfield Poltergeist.
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The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
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The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It takes place in 1981 and centers around the very real trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who murdered his wife’s boss. The previous year, the Warrens had met Johnson while trying to exorcize a demon out of a young boy he knew. Allegedly, during the exorcism, Johnson offered himself to the demon if he left the boy’s body.
Soon afterward, Johnson began acting strange and continued to become worse and worse, culminating in an infamous murder. The case continually sees media attention and has been chronicled in various TV specials and the 1983 book The Devil in Connecticut.
