Summary

• The Conjuring Universe is one of the most consistently successful horror movie cinematic universes.
• Watching the movies in release order allows viewers to follow a steady flow of the storyline and understand the hints and callbacks between films.
• The recommended viewing order begins with The Conjuring movies, followed by the Annabelle trilogy, The Curse of La Llorona, The Nun and its sequel, and finally the third Conjuring movie. This order provides the most enjoyable and comprehensive experience.

There are several ways to watch The Conjuring Universe movies in order. The horror franchise is one of the most consistently successful cinematic universes, having spawned several high-grossing individual series amid an expanded canon that continues to grow. The Nun 2, which premiered in 2023, is the ninth movie in the overarching franchise and sequel to the first The Nun movie that came out in 2018. This will be followed by the fourth movie in The Conjuring Universe movie series, The Conjuring: Last Rites.

As the list of entries gets longer with The Conjuring 4 on the way, the ideal watching order becomes a greater question. Watching every one of The Conjuring Universe movies in order is tricky because the actual timeline is scattered across a number of sequels and prequels. Some are filled with crucial information, while others only contain the slightest hint they're part of something greater in the story of the Warrens and the demonic entities they've encountered. To help make the most out of their horror viewing experience, three distinct watch orders for the movies can be deduced, with each having its own advantage in terms of understanding the complete Conjuring Universe timeline.

Conjuring Movies In Release Order

• The Conjuring (2013)
• Annabelle (2014)
• The Conjuring 2 (2016)
• Annabelle: Creation (2017)
• The Nun (2018)
• The Curse of La Llorona (2019)
• Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
• The Conjuring 3/The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
• The Nun 2 (2023)

This is the order many fans will have already seen the films, at least on first viewing. While the actual story-telling here is scattered – The Nun is an origin story for the villain in The Conjuring 2, for example – there is a steady flow that's easy to follow. Viewers can see everything expand outward from The Conjuring, and all the hints and callbacks between the various movies are placed with this progression in mind, which is the main advantage of watching The Conjuring movies in order of release date. This is the way the writers intended viewers to experience the complete Conjuring Universe timeline.

Conjuring Movies In Chronological Order

• The Nun
• Annabelle: Creation
• The Nun 2
• Annabelle
• Annabelle Comes Home
• The Conjuring
• The Curse of La Llorona
• The Conjuring 2
• The Conjuring 3/The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

Though not altogether the best, seeing The Conjuring movies in order of chronology is preferred by franchise purists. The problem with this order lies in the ties Annabelle and The Curse of La Llorona have to The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2, and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. The Annabelle trilogy is largely self-contained, and with Annabelle being what bridges The Curse of La Llorona to everything else, audiences essentially get a trilogy and a quadrilogy that are only related because the doll from one is visible in the other. Unfortunately, this lessens the impact and feeling of a larger world.

Recommended Conjuring Movies Viewing Order

• The Conjuring
• Annabelle: Creation
• Annabelle
• Annabelle Comes Home
• The Curse of La Llorona
• The Nun
• The Conjuring 2
• The Nun 2
• The Conjuring 3/The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

The most enjoyable way to watch is book-ended with The Conjuring movies. With how much The Conjuring sets up what comes after, it really has to go first to absorb the narrative in totality. Next is the Annabelle trilogy in chronological order, followed by The Curse of La Llorona, which plants the seed of a multicultural universe waiting for the Warrens. The Nun comes next, followed by The Conjuring 2, The Nun 2, and, finally, the third Conjuring movie.

Everything flows from and back to the Warrens and their paranormal studies, until the exorcism of Arne Cheyenne Johnson in The Conjuring 3. Viewing The Conjuring movies in order of both chronology and how they were intended to be released provides the best experience. As The Conjuring: Last Rites is already in the works, Ed and Lorraine Warrens' battle against the forces of evil has a few more rounds to go before The Conjuring Universe will let them rest.

Watch The Conjuring (2013) on Max

Watch Annabelle (2014) on Max

Watch The Conjuring 2 (2016) on Amazon Prime Video

Watch Annabelle: Creation (2017) on Max

Watch The Nun (2018) on Max

Watch The Curse of La Llorona (2019) on Max

Watch Annabelle Comes Home (2019) on Max

Watch The Conjuring 3/The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) on Max

Watch The Nun 2 (2023) on Max