Things go bump in the night frequently in “The Conjuring” universe, namely thanks to folks like the Crooked Man, the Nun and that creepy Annabelle – and, unfortunately for the ghostbusting couple at the heart of the movie series, they’re all hauntingly connected.
Headed up by James Wan“The Conjuring” films have become a horror version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with spinoffs, characters who cross over between movies, and a couple of primary do-gooders in real-life paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga). The latest chapter is the newest spinoff, director Michael Chaves’ “The Life II” (in theaters Friday), which features the return of Taissa Farmiga as heroic Sister Irene and Bonnie Aarons reprising her creepy role as the demonic Valak.
To mark the release of the newest fright festhere are all the “Conjuring” movies, ranked from worst to best:
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9. ‘The Nun’ (2018)
The 1950s-set prequel is an early story of Valak (Bonnie Aarons), the demon nun who stalks Lorraine in “The Conjuring 2,” and the priest (Demian Bichir) and the young novitiate (Taissa Farmiga) who encounter her while investigating a suicide at a Romanian abbey. There are hints of religious mystery and old-school adventure, but it’s a mostly dull and arduous entry that totally wastes Aarons’ chilling villainess of the cloth.
8. ‘Annabelle’ (2014)
On paper, it draws some “Rosemary’s Baby” comparisons with a pregnant woman battling a malevolent force and the involvement of a devil-worshipping cult. If only it held a candle to that classic. The first “Annabelle” sics the evil doll on a young couple (Annabelle Wallis and Ward Horton) and their baby in 1967, with Father Perez (Tony Amendola) trying to exorcise the porcelain menace, yet this is a clichéd disappointment rather than good unholy terror.
7. ‘The Curse of La Llorona’ (2019)
The connection to the rest of the “Conjuring” saga is glancing, with a cameo from Amendola’s Perez (and a flashback-y glimpse of Annabelle), and overall the film is a so-so tale of a widow (Linda Cardellini) and her kids beset by a supernatural entity. It’s a shame because “La Llorona” mines Mexican folklore to unleash a ghostly weeping woman in a wedding dress (Marisol Ramirez), whose terrifying look and sinister intentions rank right up there with the franchise’s best baddies (or worst, as the case may be).
6. ‘Annabelle: Creation’ (2017)
The possessed plaything gets an origin story here, as we go back to the ‘50s with a dose of childhood tragedy and some young scream queens (or is it princesses?). Talitha Bateman and Lulu Wilson are orphan girls who come to live in a house where Annabelle has taken up residence, which means a lot of sleepless nights for everyone involved. “Creation” offers a few decent scares but mainly a lot of familiar tropes in a forgettable package.
5. ‘The Nun 2’ (2023)
A major improvement on the first “Nun,” the sequel is set four years later and finds Sister Irene traveling to a French boarding school and investigating a string of grisly church deaths through Europe with rebellious young nun Sister Debra (Storm Reid). Irene runs into her savior from the previous movie, handyman Maurice (Jonas Bloquet), and has to stop Bonnie Aarons’ demon lady from getting her terrifying hands on a holy relic in a chiller that’s equal parts possession flick and “Indiana Jones” episode.
4. ‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ (2021)
On one hand, the third “Conjuring” tries too hard to break out of the haunted-house mold with a detective thriller featuring the Warrens seeking evidence to help Arne Johnson (Ruairi O’Connor) after he murdered his landlord while possessed by a spirit. But there are enough frightful moments (including the most evil waterbed of all time) and “Devil” intriguingly explores the heavy cost on the Warrens’ physical and mental well-being as heroes in this supernatural space.
3. ‘Annabelle Comes Home’ (2019)
Third time’s the occult charm: The doll’s new disco-era flick features the Warren family but puts the focus on young daughter Judy (Mckenna Grace). She has her mom’s innate sense for the otherworldly, which helps when the kid and her babysitters (Madison Iseman and Katie Sarife) have to survive one crazy night: Annabelle is inadvertently taken out of her case and lets loose the evils of the artifact room, including a hellhound and the frightening Ferryman. It’s the funniest of the “Conjuring” series and an ode to ‘70s and ‘80s teen horror flicks.
2. ‘The Conjuring’ (2013)
When the first “Conjuring” hit, it was like a breath of cold, musty, goosebump-inducing air – in a good way! The Warrens are called to a cursed Rhode Island farmhouse to dig into the supernatural goings-on that are creating a regular nightmare for the resident family. Wan does wonders with camera angles, panning shots, sound effects and other old-school techniques to create an unnerving atmosphere, balanced by the uplifting, grounded personalities of Ed and especially Lorraine.
1. ‘The Conjuring 2’ (2016)
Usually the main “Conjuring” movies are quite good – especially compared to the spinoffs – but No. 2 rules by tapping a religious vein similar to the original “The Exorcist.” The sequel mines two real Warren cases, the infamous Amityville Horror and the Enfield Poltergeist, and the latter gives rise to the main plot of a possessed 11-year-old girl (Madison Wolfe). Freakier than the first film, “The Conjuring 2” turns “This Old Man” into a whistled theme of impending doom as one of its many ghoulish delights.
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