How to watch The Conjuring movies in order

❘ Published: 2023-09-08T14:22:39

Taissa Farmiga in The Nun 2, part of The Conjuring franchise.

Warner Bros.

To Nun or not to Nun… that is the question. Now that The Nun 2 has been released, here’s everything you need to know about watching The Conjuring movies in order, including release and chronological order.

The brainchild of creators Chad and Carey W. Hayes, The Conjuring franchise has spiraled into a world of American gothic horror that spans multiple decades. In short, you’ll need to sleep with a nightlight on for a good while after.

Though The Conjuring films are essentially the core of the main timeline, both The Nun and Annabelle films had extra detail and context that fans might have missed. As of now, the film’s events take place between the ’40s and the ’80s, meaning a small handful of people have been incredibly unlucky over 40 years.

With The Nun 2 now officially in theaters, the Conjuring timeline just got even more expansive. But where does it fit in, and do you need to watch the movies in chronological order?

Spolier warning for The Conjuring franchise… obviously.

The Conjuring movies in release order

Out of the two options, watching The Conjuring in release order is probably the most straightforward. That would look something like this:

The Conjuring
Annabelle
The Conjuring 2
Annabelle: Creation
The Nun
The Curse of La Llorona
Annabelle Comes Home
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
The Nun 2

First released in 2013, The Conjuring has now been on our screens for 10 years. The biggest gap between film releases is two years, meaning streaming or physical copies of the franchise will be easy to come by.

There are also a few shorts to consider, including:

The Nurse
The Confession
What’s Wrong With Mom
Blund’s Lullaby
Innocent Souls

The above don’t have to be watched in any particular order, or even included at all. There is also set to be a Conjuring TV series coming to HBO Max at some point in the future.

The Conjuring movies in chronological order

For the full Conjuring timeline in chronological order, things look a little different.

It’s good to bear in mind that there are three separate strands of films happening within The Conjuring world – The Nun films, Annabelle films, and The Conjuring films themselves.

Each of the three sub-franchises could be viewed on their own and still make sense. However, if you want to go full-out, this is how to do it:

The Nun
Annabelle: Creation
The Nun 2
Annabelle
The Conjuring
Annabelle Comes Home
The Curse of La Llorona
The Conjuring 2
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

There isn’t really a “present day” thread to follow through any of the films, but there are distinct decades differences between each of the releases. Here are the key details for each franchise release.

The Nun

Set in 1952, a nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania suddenly takes her own life. Looking to uncover the order’s holy secret, a priest with a hidden past and a nun in her novitiate are both sent to the Vatican to find out more. However, “more” means the supernatural force of a demonic nun.

The key character viewers are introduced to is Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga), who continues to make appearances later in the franchise. The Nun also has direct links to The Conjuring, revealing in its final scene, set in 1971, that Frenchie is Maurice Theriault.

Frenchie was the person who was exorcised in the original Conjuring film, making the overall timeline that little bit more confusing to understand.

Annabelle: Creation

Taking a break from religious activity, the timeline moves over to demonically possessed dolls.

Before the hub of the action takes place in Annabelle, fans learn exactly how a doll came to have a life of its own. Beginning in 1943, a former toymaker invites a nun and six orphaned girls to his house, with the group learning that his own daughter Annabelle died in a car accident some years before.

It’s not long before one of the kids sneaks off into a forbidden room, unleashing terror in the form of a conscious doll.

The film acts as a prequel to both Annabelle and The Conjuring, but The Nun needs to be watched beforehand. There’s a post-credits scene that links back to the first in our chronological order, even though it’s set almost 10 years after Annabelle: Creation.

The Nun 2

Though it’s the most recent release in the franchise, it makes sense for The Nun 2 to be one of the first films chronologically.

It takes place in 1956, four years after the events of the first film. Sister Irene also makes a return, this time needing to investigate the murder of a priest in France. It comes as no surprise to learn that the demonic nun also rears her head, with Irene able to send her back to hell by the film’s end.

Considering that Annabelle isn’t set until 1967, there’s almost a whole decade of suspicious murder in monasteries to play with in the future. For now, we’ll have to watch this space.

Annabelle

Thankfully at this point in the timeline, Annabelle doesn’t exactly what it says on the tin.

Unexpected victims meet doll, doll causes havoc, and victims meet their untimely deaths.

There aren’t too many timeline Easter eggs to explore here, but the events of the film take place during 1967.

The Conjuring

As the first release in the franchise, The Conjuring set the benchmark for what was to come.

Moving into the 1970s, paranormal investigators Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed (Patrick Wilson) are summoned to the home of the Perron family. In their secluded farmhouse, a supernatural presence has made itself known, which also reveals the house’s horrific history. Cue jumpscares like there’s no tomorrow.

Again, the film is more a precedent for what’s to come rather than hiding clues in the details. It’s also worth noting that both Farmiga sisters are now embroiled in the overall Conjuring timeline.

Annabelle Comes Home

Set between 1968-1972, Annabelle Comes Home is the film that most obviously samples The Conjuring.

Ed and Lorraine are back, but this time they’re trying to stop Annabelle from causing more destruction. However, the doll awakens, and it’s their young daughters who are in the firing line.

The artifact room is what’s key for linking Annabelle Comes Home to the existing timeline. There are plenty of Easter eggs that link back to The Conjuring, including the music box first collected in the film.

The Curse of La Llorona

The Weeping Woman in The Cure of La Llorona

Unlike some of the other films in the franchise, The Curse of La Lloronoa is based on the real-life folklore tale of the Weeping Woman.

Moving forward in time to 1973, a ghost is stalking Los Angeles during the night, including the city’s children. A social worker and her kids are drawn toward the supernatural realm, resulting in their survival relying solely on a mystic priest.

Although there is no wider connection to the ongoing Warren story, the priest is who ties the film into the franchise, as he’s the same guy who first appeared in Annabelle.

The Conjuring 2

Lorraine and Ed are back to be traumatized once more in The Conjuring 2, taking place in 1977.

The film takes on two famous supernatural cases in real life: the Amityville House and Enfield Hauntings, meaning the family is uprooted to England part way in.

The Nun also makes an appearance during the film, alongside a notable cameo from The Crooked Man. This is an important detail as he’s been touted to have a film of his own to add to the franchise.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

In their most recent outing, the Warren investigators follow another true to life case in the 80s.

The film begins with looking at the posession of David Glatzel in 1980, before moving onto the Arne Johnson possession defence in 1981.

The Devil Made Me Do It ties in a legal thriller element to the supernatural, which is surely the only way left to go once you’ve exhausted exorcising demons.

The Nun 2 is in cinemas now. For more Conjuring content click here and check out our horror hubs below: