There are a lot of horror franchises in American cinema, and studios are always looking to create more recognizable IPs that can bring viewers in their droves to theaters. Some are more successful than others, but few have tried the style of The Conjuring Universe.
Taking a page out of the book of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Conjuring films spread out from the main trilogy with spin-offs that expanded upon the world and the demonic entities moviegoers had met in the main series. Fans love to rank the collection of films as they wait for an update on the future of the franchise.
8 The Curse Of La Llorona (2019)
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A spin-off that only connected in small ways to the main franchise, The Curse Of La Llorona centered around a welfare caseworker that became embroiled in the demonic dealings of La Llorona, a demon that drowns children.
While La Llorona didn’t make as much money as any other film in the franchise, the Conjuring name still helped propel it to being a success. It was, however, given poor reviews by fans and critics alike. There was agreement that it relied too heavily on jump scares and horror movie tropes. Many fans of the franchise prefer to leave this out of their binge-watches because of the quality and the minimal connection to the main franchise.
7 Annabelle (2014)
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When the Annabelle doll was first introduced in The Conjuring, fans knew this was one of the scariest movie dolls in history. It only took a year for a film centered on the history of the object to be released, as the studio was working on it with confidence before The Conjuring ever arrived in cinemas.
The film is about a young couple that comes into possession of the doll before a woman called Annabelle kills herself in their house during a home invasion whilst holding it. Afterward, paranormal forces surround them, and they discover their attackers were members of a cult that celebrated demonic worship. While the film was again a poorly received entry in the franchise, it grossed over $250 million worldwide and helped launch Annabelle into her own franchise.
6 The Nun (2018)
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Another spin-off for a recognizable demonic character from The Conjuring films, The Nun was set in a vastly different location to the rest of the films in the franchise. Set in 1952 Romania, the film follows a priest and a novitiate nun as they uncover the mystery surrounding a supernatural force terrorizing a monastery. Many still consider this to be an underrated horror film about religion.
While the different setting and intriguing characters help lift this above some other entries in the franchise, fans and critics still criticized The Nun for narrative inconsistencies in particular. A sequel has often been talked about but has so far failed to materialize for this iconic character.
5 The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
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While the most recent entry in the franchise returned to the infamous Warren duo that started it all, there were some complaints from long-time franchise fans that keep it from the upper echelons of this ranking.
The story focuses on Ed and Lorraine Warren helping the first-ever man to use demonic possession as a legal defense, as they become embroiled in the mystery of the witch that caused the possession. The film was praised for bringing something different to the core films, though critics especially insisted it lost something of the kinetic aspects of the haunted house format the first two films provided. The film is currently back on HBO Max in America, along with many other great horror movies.
4 Annabelle: Creation (2017)
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Fans of the franchise seem to agree that the Annabelle films just keep improving with time. After the first attempt at launching a franchise based around the creepy porcelain demon, the franchise went further back in time and set itself in a remote home that was being opened up to a nun and several children whose orphanage had recently been closed.
The main characters being children, and one of them disabled with polio, helped the film find praise amongst fans and critics. The style of horror was also praised for being closer to the original Conjuring film than any of the other sequels or spin-offs at that time, introducing many of the things that fans love about horror movies.
3 Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
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Annabelle Comes Home was hailed by some fans as The Conjuring 2.5, due to the fact that it took place almost entirely within the house of the Warren family and starred Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga in their familiar roles, albeit in a limited capacity.
Annabelle is released while stored in the Warren house by their daughter, Judy Warren, and her babysitter. They have to fight to survive against the doll as well as the other entities within the house, in a film that brought fewer scares to the franchise but plenty of the wholesome feel that the first two Conjuring films were praised for.
2 The Conjuring 2 (2016)
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The Conjuring 2 took place in England and focused on the Enfield haunting, a case where the Warren duo traveled to help a family that was receiving widespread media coverage over their haunting and was suspected of lying about it for fame. This is one of the cases most covered by the media and therefore includes some of the most true-to-life content in the Conjuring universe.
The demonic nun, Valak, helped bring an air of terror to this film while it retained much of the heart that helped the first Conjuring film balance between fear and wholesomeness. It was well-received by fans of the first film and became one of the highest-grossing horror movies of all time at the box office.
1 The Conjuring (2013)
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The original film that began it all, The Conjuring, introduced fans to Ed and Lorraine Warren and a family living in a remote house that began to experience paranormal activity and demonic possession. With a unique mix of horror, friendlier and happier moments and a series of old-school jump scares, The Conjuring was praised for revitalizing the demonic side of the horror genre.
The film was hugely praised for minimal CGI work, preferring to use mood and sound effects for the most effective scares possible, and praise was heaped upon the cast, which played a huge role in keeping the film feel alive and for giving viewers true fear of losing any of the characters to the demons haunting them. It also had one of the best settings in horror film history. While other films in the franchise have been planned, it's difficult to beat out the original in this franchise.