The Conjuring Universe Movies in Order: Complete Timeline

The Conjuring Universe at a Glance

Chronological Order: The Complete Timeline

The Conjuring Universe doesn't follow release order — the timeline jumps backwards and forwards, with prequels to prequels and sequels set decades apart. Watching in chronological order reveals the full scope of the Warrens' battle against the forces of Hell, from the very first incursion (The Nun in 1952) to their final case (The Conjuring: Last Rites in 1981). The chronological timeline starts with The Nun, set in 1952 at a Romanian abbey where Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) confronts the demon Valak for the first time. Then comes Annabelle: Creation (set in both 1955 and 1967), which shows how the Annabelle doll became possessed. The Nun II (1956) continues Valak's story. Annabelle (1970) follows the doll's first owners. The Conjuring (1971) is the Warrens' first major case — the Perron haunting. Annabelle Comes Home (1971) takes place immediately after The Conjuring. The Curse of La Llorona (1973) is a loose spin-off. The Conjuring 2 (1977) features the Enfield Poltergeist. The Devil Made Me Do It (1981) covers the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson. And The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) concludes the Warrens' story.

The Conjuring (2013) — The Franchise Begins

James Wan's The Conjuring (7.5) is the highest-rated film in the franchise and one of the best horror movies of the 2010s. It tells the true story of the Perron family, who experienced increasingly violent paranormal activity in their Rhode Island farmhouse in 1971, forcing them to call in Ed and Lorraine Warren. The film is a masterclass in tension-building — Wan uses long, unbroken takes, patient camera movements, and the complete absence of cheap jump scares to create genuine dread. The clapping game ('Hide and Clap'), the wardrobe scene where the witch appears behind the door, and the basement exorcism finale are all modern horror classics. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga have extraordinary chemistry as the Warrens — their love story is the emotional anchor of the entire franchise. Lili Taylor gives an underrated performance as Carolyn Perron, a mother slowly losing herself to possession. The Conjuring remains the gold standard for mainstream horror filmmaking.

The Conjuring 2 (2016) and The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

The Conjuring 2 (7.3) sends the Warrens to London to investigate the Enfield Poltergeist — the most documented paranormal case in British history. The film is famously long (2h 14m) but never boring, anchored by an incredible performance from Madison Wolfe as Janet Hodgson, the young girl possessed by the spirit of Bill Wilkins. The Crooked Man sequence (a scene so terrifying it spawned its own potential spin-off) and the ending exorcism where Lorraine defeats Valak by finding her true name are franchise highlights. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (6.3) changes genres — it's a courtroom horror film based on the real trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, the first murder case in US history where demonic possession was used as a legal defense. The film loses some of the intimate, haunted-house tension of the first two films in favor of a wider, more procedural narrative, but the opening exorcism sequence (which goes horrifically wrong) is one of the best in the series.

The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) — The Final Chapter

The Conjuring: Last Rites (6.2) was released in September 2025 and is billed as the final film in the main Conjuring series — the last case of Ed and Lorraine Warren. The film picks up shortly after The Devil Made Me Do It, with the Warrens confronting a demonic force that threatens their own family. Directed by Michael Chaves (who also directed The Devil Made Me Do It and The Curse of La Llorona), Last Rites brings back familiar faces from throughout the franchise and attempts to tie together the Warrens' entire supernatural journey. Critical reception was mixed — the film holds a 56% Tomatometer score and a 6.2 IMDb rating — but fans praised the emotional closure for the Warrens, especially a final scene that mirrors the opening of the first Conjuring film. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga give their best performances in the role, and the ending provides a definitive conclusion to the franchise's main storyline. Whether the Conjuring Universe continues with spin-offs remains to be seen.

The Spin-Offs: Annabelle and The Nun

The Annabelle trilogy is the most inconsistent arc in the franchise. Annabelle: Creation (6.5) is the best — a prequel set in 1967 that shows how a dollmaker's grief over his dead daughter accidentally invites a demonic entity into a porcelain doll. It's genuinely frightening and connects beautifully to the first Conjuring film. The original Annabelle (5.5) is easily the weakest film in the franchise — a generic haunted doll movie that relies on cheap jump scares and has none of Wan's directorial flair. Annabelle Comes Home (5.9) is better, functioning as a haunted house film set entirely in the Warrens' artifact room with their daughter Judy (Mckenna Grace) babysitting a friend who accidentally unleashes every cursed object in the collection. The Nun films are the most divisive. The Nun (5.4) has gothic atmosphere and Taissa Farmiga's committed performance, but boring action sequences and digital scares that lack weight. The Nun II (5.6) improved the formula with better pacing and scares. The Curse of La Llorona (5.3) has the lowest IMDb rating in the entire franchise — it's tangentially connected through a character cameo but feels like a generic horror film with the Conjuring brand slapped on.

Where to Stream the Conjuring Universe in 2026

As of June 2026, all ten Conjuring Universe films are available to stream on Max (formerly HBO Max, $10.99/month with ads) and most are also available on Netflix, though the Netflix selection rotates periodically. The primary streaming home is Max, which carries the full franchise including The Conjuring: Last Rites. Netflix US currently carries The Nun, The Nun II, Annabelle, Annabelle: Creation, The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2, and The Curse of La Llorona, but The Devil Made Me Do It and Annabelle Comes Home have recently rotated off. Individual films can be rented on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, and YouTube for $3.99 each. For a complete marathon, Max is the best single subscription at $10.99/month — it has every film in the franchise in one place. The Conjuring: Last Rites is available on Max after its 90-day theatrical window ended in late 2025.