After the huge success of James Wan’s 2013 horror classic The Conjuring, it makes sense that Warner Bros. would want to capitalize on the movie’s popularity with a whole host of sequels. After all, since the movies are based on the extensive real-life case files of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, there’s certainly a lot of material to work with.
Still, nobody really expected The Conjuring to spawn an entire cinematic universe, with the series now clocking in at an impressive eight movies – including the upcoming The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, which is supposedly due for release this September – as well as two other movies in the early stages of development. While other successful movie universes – take the MCU, for instance – tend to gradually build up their colorful cast of heroes, The Conjuring series takes a different approach by building a universe of terrifying villains.
La Llorona
The demonic spirit of a woman who drowned her own children after discovering her beloved husband’s affair, La Llorona now weeps as she wanders the earth in search of new children to take as her own.
Based on the same entity found in Mexican folklore, La Llorona – otherwise known as the Weeping Woman – is arguably the creepiest spirit in the entire franchise, at least on paper. Unfortunately, the concept’s execution in The Curse of La Llorona leaves a lot to be desired, putting her at the bottom of this list.
Black Shuck
Of all the demons released from the Warrens’ occult museum in Annabelle Comes Home, Black Shuck is perhaps the most underwhelming. Taking inspiration from the same creature found in English folklore, Black Shuck manifests as a werewolf seemingly made up of a thick, black fog.
While Black Shuck is one of the more unique entities showcased in the Conjuring Universe, its appearance in Annabelle Comes Home is all too brief, failing to make much of an impression outside of its interesting concept.
The Television
Although the audience never learns much about the haunted television set briefly featured in Annabelle Comes Home, it makes for one of the movie’s most unique, unsettling sequences.
Tormenting Daniela when she gets locked in the Warrens’ occult museum, the television shows its would-be victim their own reflection, only a few seconds into the future. While this initially seems harmless, it soon begins to show Daniela horrifying images of her grisly demise, before Judy is able to thwart its sinister plans.
The Samurai
Not much is known about the haunted Samurai armor featured in Annabelle Comes Home, but it's amongst the most unsettling and mysterious objects in the Warrens’ entire collection. Seemingly haunted by a murderous samurai who died a gruesome death, the pained screams of innocent women and children can be heard when the entity is in the vicinity.
While its origins and intentions aren’t fully known, it appears to want nothing more than to continue its reign of bloody terror, pursuing Judy, Mary Ellen, and Daniela throughout the movie.
Bill Wilkins
One of the few entities in the Conjuring franchise based on a real person, Bill Wilkins is the spirit of an old man who previously inhabited the Hodgsons’ home. Seemingly taking great pleasure in tormenting the family, especially the young Janet Hodgson, Bill’s deep, rasping voice and ability to possess Janet makes him a truly imposing presence.
It’s later discovered, however, that Bill was simply being used by the demon Valak, and he eventually helps Lorraine Warren to uncover its identity. However, that makes his antics in the movie’s first half no less terrifying.
The Ferryman
Based on the mythological Ferryman who escorts the souls of the recently departed down the River Styx, the entity featured in Annabelle Comes Home has a notably more sinister edge, taking the souls of its victims and placing coins over their eyes. A gaunt, hooded, corpse-like figure, the Ferryman pursues Judy and her friends after Annabelle unleashes many of the demons in the Warrens’ occult museum.
At one point in the movie, ghostly apparitions of the Ferryman’s countless victims can be seen lined up in coffins, cementing him as one of the biggest threats the Conjuring Universe has seen so far.
The Crooked Man
Another form of the demon Valak – with its primary form being the dreaded Nun – the Crooked Man is a pale, gangly, purple-suited creature based on the character from the twisted nursery rhyme of the same name.
Able to contort itself into a variety of different forms, the Crooked Man even manages to disguise itself as a barking dog in the presence of a terrified Billy Hodgson, before unfurling its spider-like limbs to reveal its true, hideous form. The entity is reportedly due to get its own spin-off, though details on its potential release are as of yet unclear.
Bathsheba Sherman
The main antagonist of The Conjuring, Bathsheba Sherman was a Satan-worshipping witch whose disturbing activities were discovered after she attempted to sacrifice her own baby to the Devil. Bathsheba then publicly took her own life on what would later become the Perron family’s property, cursing anybody who would trespass on her land.
Bathsheba’s malevolent spirit later terrorized the Perrons, going as far as possessing the family’s mother, Carolyn, before the intervention of Ed and Lorraine Warren put a stop to her sadistic game.
Annabelle
Arguably the most iconic entity to come out of the Conjuring franchise, Annabelle’s brief appearance in the series’ first movie The Conjuring stood out as a highlight, with her popularity even eclipsing that of the movie’s main antagonist, Bathsheba.
The demonic doll went on to spawn three spin-off movies and is widely feared by the Warrens’ as one of the most dangerous entities they’ve ever encountered. While Annabelle Comes Home ultimately fails to capitalize on this idea, her fun presence throughout the rest of the franchise makes her worthy of a spot on this list.
The Nun (Valak)
Truly the stuff of nightmares, the Nun was first introduced in The Conjuring 2, where it taunted the highly religious Lorraine Warren with its blasphemous form and plans to kill her husband, Ed. A tall, pale, sharp-featured demonic nun with piercing yellow eyes, the entity’s introductory scene is perhaps the most terrifying in the entire franchise.
It was later discovered the Nun was actually the shapeshifting demon Valak, with Lorraine’s knowledge of its name eventually allowing her to defeat it. Sure, Valak’s subsequent solo movie, The Nun, dampened its fear factor a little, but its presence in The Conjuring 2 remains one of the highlights of the entire Conjuring Universe.