The Conjuring shared universe is filled with deep connections that make both watching and rewatching the movies in their proper chronological watch order worthwhile.
The universe tackles the real-life cases of Ed and Lorraine Warren while also expanding its lore by focusing on demonic entities, such as Valak and Malthus.
The main The Conjuring movies highlight Ed and Lorraine at the forefront while the spin-off movies revolve around the origins and hauntings of the entities.
How To Watch The Conjuring Movies in Chronological Order
1.) The Nun (2018)
Timeline: 1300s & 1952
2018's The Nun is where it all began as Valak (the defiler, the profane, the marquis of snakes) started wreaking havoc in Romania in 1952. The movie explores the origin of the demonic entity before its eventual clash with the Warrens in The Conjuring 2.
In the film, it was revealed that Valak was summoned by a Satan cultist in the Dark Ages before being defeated by Christian Knights. However, the nuns in the Carta Monastery accidentally set it free, prompting Sister Irene, Father Burke, and Maurice to stop it.
Aside from recounting the demon's origins, The Nun's post-credits scene served as a direct tie-in to The Conjuring where it revealed that Maurice was the same guy who was possessed by Valak in the video that was shown during the Warrens' lecture in the early moments of the movie.
This possession also confirmed that Maurice served as Valak's vessel, allowing it to roam free in the world.
2.) Annabelle: Creation (2017)
Timeline: 1943, 1955, 1967
Annabelle's launchpad into The Conjuring universe started in 2017's Annabelle: Creation.
In 1943, a married couple named Samuel and Esther Mullins were grieving the loss of their daughter, Bee. The pair prayed to grant their wish to see their daughter again, allowing an unknown entity (later revealed to be a demon called Malthus) to transfer its essence to a doll.
Fast forward to 1955, the Mullins decided to open their home to a group of orphaned girls. Unbeknownst to them, one of the girls named Janice became the demon's target and was eventually possessed by it.
The film ended with Janice's escape, with her ending up in an orphanage where she was adopted by the Higgins family. In 1967, Janice returned to murder her adoptive parents, setting the stage for the events of 2014's Annabelle.
3.) The Nun 2 (2023)
Timeline: 1956
Set four years after the events of the first film and one year after Annabelle: Creation, The Nun 2 continued Valak's reign of terror, using Frenchie as its vessel to find an artifact known as The Eyes of St. Lucy.
Taissa Farmiga's Sister Irene made her triumphant comeback to The Conjuring universe as she came face-to-face with Valak once again.
Although the demon was defeated, fans know that it is poised to return to torment the Warrens, especially after the sequel's post-credits scene featured an appearance from the married couple.
The Nun 2 also implied that Sister Irene and Lorraine Warren are from the same bloodline. At one point in the movie, Sister Irene had a vision of people in Saint Lucy's bloodline, and one of them was Lorraine Warren.
4.) Annabelle (2014)
Timeline: 1967
With the doll's origin uncovered in Annabelle: Creation, 2014's Annabelle takes things to a whole new level as it shows more of the demon's terrifying antics and a glimpse of Malthus' true form.
Although the movie tackled a more self-contained story, Annabelle still showcased how dangerous and relentless Malthus is, setting up its menacing role in The Conjuring and far larger role in Annabelle Comes Home.
5.) The Conjuring (2013)
Timeline: 1968 & 1971
2013's The Conjuring served as the proper introduction of Ed and Lorraine Warren and is also the first film of the shared universe.
In 1968, the Warrens took the Annabelle doll from a local nurse's home and then moved on to their next case. Fast forward to 1971, Ed and Lorraine investigated a haunted Rhode Island farmhouse to help the Perron family.
Based on a true story, it was revealed that the demonic entity that tormented the Perron family was a witch named Bathsheba. Ultimately, Ed and Lorraine successfully exorcised the demon back to hell, helping the family live a normal life.
6.) Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
Timeline: 1972
2019's Annabelle Comes Home highlighted another Warren: Judy Warren, Ed and Lorraine's daughter.
The third installment to the Annabelle movies is set shortly after the opening moments of The Conjuring aka Ed and Lorraine Warren's first encounter with the Annabelle doll.
After the pair left to investigate a new case, the haunting began.
The movie confirmed that Judy also has paranormal abilities similar to her mother. It featured the clash between Judy and Annabelle after the latter escaped her glass confinement in the Warrens' artifact room.
Annabelle Comes Home was the only spin-off in The Conjuring universe where Patrick Wilson's Ed and Vera Farmiga's Lorraine Warren were featured in supporting roles.
7.) The Curse of La Llorona* (2019)
Timeline: 1973
2019's The Curse of La Llorona is based on the Mexican legend of the titular ghost who drowned her two sons in 1673. As a result, La Llorona is now on the search to replace her children by finding living kids for the sacrifice.
The Curse of La Llorona has been deemed by many as largely unrelated to The Conjuring films since it is a self-contained story.
In fact, the only connection to the larger shared universe is the inclusion of Father Perez, the same priest who appeared in Annabelle.
However, in June 2021, The Curse of La Llorona director Michael Chavez confirmed to Dread Central that La Llorona is not part of The Conjuring universe despite the Father Perez connection, noting that "it was made without one of the [Conjuring franchise] producers:"
“The very simple reason [why La Llorona] isn’t [part of The Conjuring Universe is because] it was made without one of the [Conjuring franchise] producers, so technically it can not be fully embraced. That’s the very simple reason. Originally, there was only supposed to be a playful nod [to The Conjuring franchise in La Llorona], by putting The Father in and having the Annabelle flash. But it wasn’t supposed to be marketed that way. The plan was, you would get into it, and then it’s like, ‘Oh my God, they’re connected!’ We weren’t, from the beginning, supposed to be doing that. And that’s why it has this outsider status."
8.) The Conjuring 2 (2016)
Timeline: 1977
As the second to the last movie in the chronological watch order, The Conjuring 2 featured Valak's devilish comeback, setting the stage for a final showdown between the demon and the Warrens.
The highly-talked-about sequel to The Conjuring explored the real-life case of the Enfield Poltergeist in London.
After a young girl was possessed by Valak, Ed and Lorraine did everything in their power to banish the demon back to hell, ending its reign of terror once and for all.
The movie also briefly showed the Warrens' involvement in the Amityville House case.
9.) The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
Timeline: 1981
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is the third installment of the franchise that heavily featured Ed and Lorraine Warren.
The threequel was based on the 1981 trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who was the first person to claim that he was under the influence of a demon during the time of a murder.
It was eventually revealed that an Occultist named Isla cursed Arne after putting a witch's totem under David Glatzel's house.
The Devil Made Me Do It pushed Ed and Lorraine to their limit. Ed suffered a heart attack while also being cursed by Isla to almost murder Lorraine. Meanwhile, Lorraine was also physically attacked by the demon and almost died after it pushed her over a cliff.
Ultimately, good triumphed over evil. Ed and Lorraine's bond grew stronger, setting up their return in the next movie: The Conjuring: Last Rites.
