The Correct Order to Watch The Conjuring Universe Movies In

The Conjuring franchise has been a staple in the horror movie genre since the release of it’s first installment in 2013. Since then, it’s added more movies along the Annabelle, The Nun, and The Curse of La Llorona storylines. Following the most terrifying and extreme cases of famed psychic Lorraine Warren along with her husband, demonologist Ed Warren, the series of films has captivated audiences with tales of the true terror from demonic possessions.

There are currently seven installations in The Conjuring universe with the eighth on it’s way in September of 2021. All based on real life cases, the timeline of events can be slightly confusing if you don’t have any background on the Warren’s and the cases they’ve investigated. The easiest solution to this dilemma - change the order you watch the movies!

Despite the efforts of the writers and producers to tie all the movies in with each other, if you are unaware of the events and how they occurred in real time, there’s bound to be some confusion. If you were to watch them chronologically, the movie set would look a bit more like this:

1. The Nun (1952)

2. Annabelle: Creation (1955)

3. Annabelle (1967)

4. The Conjuring (1971)

5. Annabelle Comes Home (1972)

6. The Curse of La Llorona (1973)

7. The Conjuring 2 (1977)

8. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (1981)

While all of the movies in the series tie in with the Warren’s and the other films, it isn’t as obvious as you would think. Confusion may ensue as you realize that The Nun and Annabelle: Creation don’t even follow the Warren’s or their investigative process. But don’t fret, there is a viable reason for all of these films to be included in the universe.

Here’s how they fit in together:

Firstly, The Nun sets the storyline up for danger and darkness. A demonic presence from an abbey in Romania makes its way to America through a young village boy nicknamed Frenchie. After Ed and Lorraine perform an exorcism on the man, the violent entity then latches to Lorraine and follows her, only to be introduced to viewers in The Conjuring 2.

Second is Annabelle: Creation, which introduces the terrifying doll into the world. Still not introduced to the Warren’s, the doll’s terrifying origins are important to understand, as Annabelle continues to make appearances in Annabelle, Annabelle Comes Home and a minor feature in The Conjuring.

Next is the blockbuster Annabelle. A more in depth movie about the haunting that brought the Annabelle doll to the Warren’s. This movie continues the saga and ties in later Annabelle films to the origin.

Then, of course, is the universes’ namesake: The Conjuring. Following a family in peril, the Warren’s are main characters in this film for the first time in the saga. With features from Annabelle the doll and hints at the demonic attachment from The Nun, this movie begins the true terror of the Warren’s experiences.

Annabelle Comes Home is centered around the Warren’s and their daughter, Judy. A night with her babysitter gone awry, not only is Annabelle after the girls, but the spirits that inhabit the Warren’s museum of haunted relics have awoken as well. This movie ties little into the rest of the series but does provide a conclusion to the Annabelle storyline.

(I will be skipping The Curse of La Llorona, as it has little to nothing to do with the rest of the series. However, it is classified as a part of the universe.)

The Conjuring 2 follows the Warren’s as they venture to the UK to help a family that is having a serious issue with a dark entity, later revealed to be the attachment that latched to Lorraine during the exorcism performed in The Nun. This movie also introduces viewers to a Warren case that isn’t in the movie saga: The Amityville Horror.

The eighth installation was supposed to be released this past September, but has since been pushed back to September 2021 due to COVID-19. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is the real life criminal case where the Warren’s acted as witnesses. Why? Because the accused, later convicted murderer, Arne Cheyenne Johnson, claimed he killed because he was under the possession of a demon. It’s unknown how the writers will tie it in to the other cases, but fans look forward to finding out.

Watching these movies in chronological order creates a completely different viewing experience that helps resolve confusion and may bring the viewer to realize details they may have otherwise missed. The Conjuring will continue, not only with The Devil Made Me Do It, but with a new movie building off of The Nun as well as The Crooked Man, which has been eluded to since The Conjuring 2.

Regardless of how you watch the films, there are always more Easter eggs and details to be found, so keep your eyes peeled. Maybe you'll find something I missed!