The Conjuring Movies in Order: Story Order, Release Order, Cast and Where to Watch

The short answer

There are ten films in the Conjuring Universe. To watch them in story order, start with The Nun (2018, set in 1952) and finish with The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025, set mostly in 1986). To watch them in release order, start with The Conjuring (2013) and end with Last Rites. In the US, all ten stream on HBO Max right now, according to JustWatch (checked October 30, 2026).

If you only have time for a few, watch the four main Conjuring films with Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as Ed and Lorraine Warren. You can skip every spin-off and still follow the story. The spin-offs add backstory for the Annabelle doll and the demon nun Valak. They don't change what happens to the Warrens.

The series is a money machine. According to Wikipedia's franchise page, it has grossed about $2.7 billion against a combined budget of $263 million, which makes it the highest-grossing horror franchise ever. Last Rites alone took $499.3 million, the most of any entry.

Conjuring movies in chronological (story) order

This is the order the events happen on screen. The years come from each film's plot summary on Wikipedia.

A note on La Llorona. Wikipedia says the film takes place in the Conjuring Universe but isn't usually counted as an official installment. A priest from Annabelle shows up in it, which is the only real link. Watch it if you're a completist. Otherwise skip it.

Conjuring movies in release order

Release order is how most fans saw them, and it's the order we'd suggest for a first watch. The twists in the prequels land better once you already know the doll and the nun.

Each film in a few lines

The Conjuring (2013)

The one that started it. Ed and Lorraine Warren help the Perron family, whose new Rhode Island farmhouse is haunted. James Wan directs it like a 1970s haunted-house film, with long, patient shots and very few cheap jump scares. It's still the best in the series. It ranks high on our list of the scariest movies of all time.

Annabelle (2014)

A young couple's vintage doll becomes the target of a cult, then something worse. It's the weakest of the early films. Critics didn't like it, but it made over $257 million on a $6.5 million budget, which is why so many spin-offs followed.

The Conjuring 2 (2016)

The Warrens fly to London to help the Hodgson family in the Enfield poltergeist case of 1977. It runs long, but the Crooked Man and the first appearance of Valak, the demon nun, are among the franchise's scariest moments.

Annabelle: Creation (2017)

A dollmaker and his wife take in orphan girls years after their daughter's death. David F. Sandberg, who made Lights Out, makes it much scarier than the first Annabelle. If you watch only one spin-off, make it this one.

The Nun (2018)

A priest and a young nun investigate a death at a Romanian abbey in 1952. Taissa Farmiga plays Sister Irene. She is Vera Farmiga's real-life younger sister, and the casting is a deliberate wink. The film looks great and is pretty thin on story.

The Curse of La Llorona (2019)

A Los Angeles social worker's children are hunted by the Weeping Woman of Latin American folklore. It's loosely tied to the rest of the series and easy to skip.

Annabelle Comes Home (2019)

The Warrens lock Annabelle in their artifact room, go away for the night and leave their daughter Judy with a babysitter. It plays like a haunted-museum ride, with lots of cursed objects. Fun, and lighter than the others.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

The Warrens get involved in the 1981 trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who claimed demonic possession as his defence in a Connecticut murder case. It's more of a detective story than a haunted-house film, and fans are split on it.

The Nun II (2023)

Sister Irene goes after Valak again, this time at a boarding school in France in 1956. It improves on the first Nun, and it adds Storm Reid to the cast.

The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025)

The Warrens' last case, based on the Smurl haunting in Pennsylvania. Mia Tomlinson and Ben Hardy join as the grown-up Judy and her boyfriend Tony. Reviews were mixed. Even so, it became the highest-grossing film in the franchise. It's a warm send-off for Farmiga and Wilson.

The Conjuring cast

The Warrens are the reason people keep coming back. Here are the main faces across the four core films, taken from Wikipedia's cast listings.

Patrick Wilson also led James Wan's other big horror series, Insidious. If you like him here, Insidious (2010) is a good next watch.

Where to watch the Conjuring movies

In the US, every film in the Conjuring Universe is included with an HBO Max subscription, according to JustWatch on October 30, 2026. That makes sense: all ten are Warner Bros. and New Line films, and HBO Max is owned by the same company.

You can rent or buy each film on Amazon, Apple TV and Fandango at Home if you'd rather not subscribe. Prices vary. Outside the US, catalogues are different, so check JustWatch for your country.

A quick viewing plan

Short on time? Here's how we'd split it.

One weekend, four films: The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2, The Devil Made Me Do It and Last Rites. That's the whole Warren story, start to finish.

The full marathon: use release order and watch two films a night for five nights. Ending on Last Rites works well because it's built as a farewell.

Just the scariest bits: The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2 and Annabelle: Creation. Those three are the ones horror fans recommend most often.

What's next for the Conjuring

Two projects are on the way. A prequel called The Conjuring: First Communion is set for September 10, 2027, according to Wikipedia. An HBO Max series set after the films is also in development, with Nancy Won reported as showrunner.

Is The Conjuring a true story?

The films are based on cases the real Ed and Lorraine Warren investigated, including the Perron family, the Enfield poltergeist, the Arne Cheyenne Johnson trial and the Smurl haunting. The Warrens' claims were controversial when they made them and still are. The films take big liberties for drama. The real Annabelle is a Raggedy Ann doll, not the porcelain doll in the movies. Treat the "based on a true story" line as marketing more than history.

If you like the Conjuring

The best next steps are other slow-burn supernatural films. Our best psychological horror movies list starts with The Shining and Hereditary. For another possession classic, read our The Exorcist (1973) review. Our scariest movies of all time ranking covers the rest. If you want something new instead, see our new horror movies streaming guide.

For our full take on the first film, read The Conjuring (2013) review. If you want something like it, see our movies like Hereditary list.