The Conjuring Movies in Order

Why this order?

The Conjuring Universe is a shared horror world built around real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, spun off into the Annabelle and Nun sub-series. Because the films were not made in story order, the two listings below answer two different questions — how it was released, and how the events actually unfold.

Release order is the way almost everyone should watch first, and it is our default. The Conjuring (2013) sets up the Warrens, their tone, and the demonic doll Annabelle that launches the spinoffs. Watching in release order lets each new film land the way audiences experienced it, with mid-credits teases and callbacks paying off in sequence. Nothing is spoiled and no setup is missed, which is why we recommend it for newcomers.

Chronological order arranges the films by the in-universe year each story is set, and this is the page's real value-add because the timeline is genuinely tangled. The Nun (1952) is the earliest, followed by The Nun II (1956) and the main haunting in Annabelle: Creation (mid-1950s). The thread then moves through Annabelle (1967), Annabelle Comes Home (late 1960s), The Conjuring (1971), The Curse of La Llorona (1973), The Conjuring 2 (1977) and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (1981). The Conjuring: Last Rites jumps across decades, so we place it last. Settings overlap and a couple of films flash back, so treat this as a best-fit timeline rather than an exact clock.

If you enjoy interconnected horror, the closest cousin is Insidious, also from director James Wan; fans of franchise-spanning mythology often move on to it next.