The hallmark of any good franchise is its extensive worldbuilding and compelling characters, and The Conjuring Universe has both in sharpened spades. While some horror franchise fans would also factor in the unique and grotesque ways people die, those wouldn't be nearly as interesting if it wasn't for the other engrossing aspects.
James Wan and his team of creative professionals at Atomic Monster Productions have made sure that ever since 2013's The Conjuring, every sequel and spin-off has been carefully curated to enhance the thrills of his beloved franchise through character development. Whether fans are cheering on intrepid paranormal investigators like the Warrens or rooting for demons like Annabelle to catch up with her next victim, every prominent character is fully realized — if not always well-liked.
LA LLORONA
The main antagonist of The Curse of La Llorona, the evil spirit La Llorona was cursed to wander the Earth for killing her children in a blind rage because her husband married another woman. While in her wraith form, she attempted to kill other children until she was reunited with her own.
She latched onto the Garcia family after discovering Anna Garcia had two children she could murder. With the help of Father Perez and Rafael the curandero, La Llorona was eventually defeated.
ANNABELLE
Annabelle the doll first appeared in The Conjuring, but has since appeared in not only its sequels but its own spin-off series, Annabelle. The doll was created by a master puppeteer who made a deal with the devil to see his daughter again. Once the doll latches onto someone, it always comes back no matter what the victim does.
The demon associated with the doll was never given a name but was instead referred to as "Annabelle Mullins" after the Mullins' deceased daughter. By the time the Warrens battled it, it had killed as many victims as the Nun. Like the Nun, "Annabelle" has become an icon in horror cinema.
THE NUN/VALAK
The powerful demon Valak first took on the form of "the Nun" to pass itself off as a member of the St. Carta Abbey, where it had been imprisoned after a summoning ritual attempted to bring it into the world. It took devoted nuns praying around the clock to keep it sealed.
It later went after Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring II, presumably for her having helped exorcise it from Maurice in one of her first cases. By using the Nun's true name, Lorraine was able to banish it back to hell. Valak was one of Lucifer's top lieutenants according to Ars Goetia, and "the Nun" has since become one of the most disturbing icons in the horror genre.
CAROLYN PERRON
When the Perrons moved into an old farm house, they imagined a life of bucolic tranquility in the country, not a battle to the death with a vengeful Bathsheba entity. Carolyn Perron was the matriarch of the family, protecting her children from the evil haunting her house.
Unfortunately, Bathsheba managed to possess Carolyn, with the ultimate goal of killing her children. She was able to inflict a lot of damage until the Warrens intervened, saving the Perrons from Carolyn — and Carolyn from herself.
JANET HODGSON
Janet had a difficult life even before being plagued by a poltergeist in The Conjuring II. Her father walked out on her family and never sent any child support, leaving her mother to fend for herself and her three children. Janet does the best she can to help her siblings, growing particularly close to her brother Billy.
Throughout her interactions with the poltergeist and even her moments of possession, Janet remained surprisingly brave. The haunting of the Hodgsons house took a toll on her body, but thanks to the bravery of the Warrens, she managed to survive mostly unscathed.
FATHER BURKE
Making his first appearance in The Nun, Father Burke was a priest with a penchant for exorcisms dating back to World War II. He came to the aid of Sister Irene when she tried to expel the demon Valak.
Burke wasn't afraid of anything, and put himself on the frontlines in the fight against Valak at great personal danger to himself. Valak almost managed to bury him alive, but thanks to Sister Irene's sensing power, he was able to be saved.
SISTER IRENE
A young woman with unique psychic powers, Sister Irene first appeared in The Nun when she tried to dispel Valak from St. Carta Abbey. Working together with Father Burke, she used her clairvoyance to root out the demonic entity within the abbey's labyrinthine corridors.
Irene's ability to see "unseen people" was invaluable in identifying Valak, though she was briefly possessed herself and became Valak's human vessel near the end of the film. Thanks to her bravery, Valak wouldn't be seen again until the events of The Conjuring II.
ANNA GARCIA
The mother of two children and the wife of a fallen police officer, Anna Garcia did her best to raise her children alone in The Curse of La Llorona. A gifted social worker, she tried to help the less fortunate, until one of her latest cases resulted in her family being exposed to a malevolent spirit.
Anna was tough, dedicated, and compassionate, but she barely managed to keep her family safe from La Llorona, a cursed spirit doomed to walk the earth for having murdered her children. Anna worked diligently with Father Perez to lure La Llorona into a trap that ultimately destroyed her.
EDWARD "ED" WARREN
A gifted paranormal investigator, loving husband, and doting father, Ed Warren became known as more of an occult detective beside his wife, whose clairvoyant gifts helped her identify certain malevolent spirits close to unsuspecting victims and their families.
Protective of his clients, Ed even risked his own life when Janet Hodgson was in danger in The Conjuring II. Nothing compares to the love he has for his own family, especially his wife, Lorraine.
LORRAINE WARREN
Fighting alongside Ed to expel the forces of darkness, Lorraine Warren also helped her husband investigate paranormal occurrences using her gift of clairvoyance. Her psychic powers also allowed her to access certain memories, as well as astral projection.
Like her husband Ed, Lorraine is particularly protective of her clients, especially children. No matter what sort of case she's investigating, her special gifts ensured that she would end up being far more involved in the case — and with any antagonistic spirit — than Ed would. Despite knowing this, Lorraine never backed down from combating evil.