Conjuring Reviews: Our Verdict on Every Film in the Series

Our Conjuring reviews give each of the ten films a short verdict, and, in my opinion, the series peaks early, with James Wan's two films and the spin-off Annabelle: Creation at the top. Every film is rated R in the US, so none of them is PG-13. These verdicts are opinion, and full Cinvibe reviews of each film are planned. The conjuring movies in order guide covers the viewing sequence, and the conjuring movies hub lists every title. Which one is scariest? The Conjuring (2013), with Annabelle: Creation a close second.

We report the Warrens' cases as claims, and none of the verdicts below treats any haunting as proof of anything paranormal. For the background on the cases themselves, see conjuring true story.

The Conjuring (2013), directed by James Wan. In my opinion this is still the scariest film in the series, and the one to hand a newcomer first. The setup is plain: in 1971 the Perron family moves into a Rhode Island farmhouse, clocks stop at the same time every night, Carolyn wakes with bruises and a sealed cellar turns up. Wan builds dread out of that small domestic detail, and Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, as Ed Warren and Lorraine Warren, give the ensemble its warmth. It cost $20 million and took about $321 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. The full details are on the The Conjuring (2013) film page.

The Conjuring 2 (2016), directed by James Wan. The sequel is bigger, longer and, I think, a little looser, running 134 minutes. It opens at the Amityville house in 1976, where Lorraine sees a demonic nun during a séance, then moves to a council house in Enfield, north London, in 1977, where Janet Hodgson (Madison Wolfe) begins speaking in the voice of an angry old man. The nun, played by Bonnie Aarons, is the best creature design the saga has produced, in my opinion. It cost $40 million and earned about $323 million worldwide. More on the conjuring 2.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021), directed by Michael Chaves. Chaves took over after a change of director, and the story shifts from a haunted house toward a murder case. In 1981 in Brookfield, Connecticut, the Warrens help with the exorcism of eight-year-old David Glatzel, and Ed suffers a heart attack as the possession passes to Arne Johnson, who later kills his landlord. The Warrens then set out to prove the killing was caused by demonic possession, which is their claim as the film tells it, not an established fact. In my opinion it is the least frightening of the four main films, though the attempt to try something new is welcome. It has the lowest worldwide total of the four, about $206 million on a $40 million budget. See the conjuring the devil made me do it.

The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025), directed by Michael Chaves. It is the biggest earner in the series at about $499 million worldwide on a $55 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo. It runs 136 minutes, the longest of the ten, and spends them on the Warrens: a cursed mirror in 1964, then the Smurl family in West Pittston, Pennsylvania in 1986, with Judy Warren (Mia Tomlinson) now an adult and seeing Tony Spera (Ben Hardy). My opinion is that it is the most character driven film in the series and one of the least scary, so it suits fans of Ed and Lorraine more than anyone hunting for a fright. See the conjuring last rites.

Annabelle (2014), directed by John R. Leonetti. Leonetti, who shot The Conjuring (2013) as its cinematographer, directs this 1967 Santa Monica story in which medical student John Form gives his pregnant wife Mia a vintage doll, and two cultists break into the Forms' home. In my opinion it is the thinnest film in the series, leaning on one prop where the first film had a whole house. It still proved that a doll sells tickets, earning about $258 million worldwide on a $6.5 million budget. It is best left to completists, and the annabelle 2014 film page has the detail.

Annabelle: Creation (2017), directed by David F. Sandberg. This is the best spin-off, in my opinion, and the closest the series has come to the scares of The Conjuring (2013). The setup treats a house like a rulebook: dollmaker Samuel Mullins and his wife Esther take in Sister Charlotte and six girls from a closed orphanage, they warn everyone to stay out of their late daughter Bee's room, and Janice, a girl weakened by polio, goes in anyway and opens a closet. Lulu Wilson and Talitha Eliana Bateman carry the young cast. At 110 minutes it cost $15 million and made about $307 million worldwide. See annabelle creation and the annabelle doll profile.

The Nun (2018), directed by Corin Hardy. The 1952 Romanian abbey, with Taissa Farmiga as the novice Sister Irene and Demián Bichir as Father Burke, gives the saga its best sets. Filming took place in historic Romanian castles, and the Corvin Castle set was left standing, according to Screen Global Production. In my opinion the setting out-scares the script, and Valak gets more screen time than story. It earned about $366 million worldwide on a $22 million budget. See the nun 2018.

The Curse of La Llorona (2019), directed by Michael Chaves. Set in 1973 Los Angeles, it follows caseworker Anna Tate-Garcia (Linda Cardellini), who takes two boys into care. After the boys are found drowned, their mother Patricia blames Anna and a weeping spirit called La Llorona. In my opinion it is the weakest link in the universe, since the return of Father Perez (Tony Amendola) is the main thread tying it to the rest, and it is the one I would skip first. Cardellini does solid work with the material, though. It made about $123 million worldwide on a $9 million budget, the lowest total of the ten, after a world premiere at SXSW in Austin. See the curse of la llorona.

Annabelle Comes Home (2019), directed by Gary Dauberman. Dauberman, who wrote the first Annabelle script, makes his directing debut here. The Warrens lock the doll in a blessed glass case in their artifacts room, then leave their daughter Judy (Mckenna Grace) with her babysitter Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman) for a night. In my opinion it plays more like a haunted house ride than a horror film, and, as a sleepover movie, it is good fun. It runs 106 minutes and earned about $231 million worldwide. See annabelle comes home.

The Nun II (2023), directed by Michael Chaves. Four years after the first film, Sister Irene is sent to look into deaths across Europe tied to Valak, and the trail leads to a boarding school in Tarascon, France in 1956, with Storm Reid as Sister Debra. Filmed in France and scored by Marco Beltrami, it is a tidier film than its predecessor, in my opinion, though a less memorable one. It cost $38 million and earned about $270 million worldwide. See the nun ii.

What about The Conjuring: First Communion? There is nothing to review yet, because the film is dated for September 10, 2027, according to TheWrap, and a verdict has to wait for a release. Status and cast news are on the conjuring first communion page. If you are choosing where to start, watch The Conjuring (2013), then Annabelle: Creation, and then work through conjuring movies ranked. Streaming lineups change, so check where to watch conjuring before you press play.