All Of The Conjuring Universe Movies: Ranked

When it comes to horror franchises, ‘The Conjuring Universe’ currently sits as the highest-grossing of them all. It all started in 2013 when ‘The Conjuring’ hit the big screen and has resulted in eight movies to date.

While the films have received mixed reviews, the numbers don’t lie, with all eight movies having a combined budget of $208 million and grossing a combined $2.1 billion. The question is, which is the worst, and what’s the best of the best? Taking a look at all of ‘The Conjuring Universe’ movies ranked should help to answer that once and for all.

8. The Nun truly leans into the universe’s religious aspects

While the rest of ‘The Conjuring’ movies showcase Christian faith, ‘The Nun’ really went in on the religious angle. It’s the earliest to take place, set in 1952, as we see a young nun and priest head off to investigate the ending of someone’s life at the convent. Although it has interesting visuals, the black-and-white color scheme can make it a dark - literally - watch. Still, right now, it feels a little like something is missing to tie it into the rest of the universe.

7. The Nun II is the most recent in The Conjuring Universe movies

Like most other ‘The Conjuring Universe’ movies, ‘The Nun II’ was met with mixed reviews. Critics claim it’s an improvement over the first, and it still brought in $269 million on a $38.5 million budget. It’s also the latest in the franchise, with the story following Sister Irene as she investigates the violent ending of a priest’s life in 1956. Still, compared to other ‘The Conjuring Universe’ movies, it doesn’t quite check all the boxes.

6. Annabelle eventually spawned its own trilogy in the universe

What started as a spin-off movie quickly spawned its own trilogy. This time, we head before the events of ‘The Conjuring’ as we follow a demon doll who happens to haunt a young family. ‘Annabelle’ really goes to show that sometimes, less is more, as the scares are simple yet effective, but with that in mind, it does occasionally fall back into the tired horror tropes that have been seen so many times.

5. Annabelle Comes Home pays a lot of attention to the smaller details

The third of the ‘Anabelle’ movies is ‘Annabelle Comes Home,’ but it might not be the best of the bunch. Here, the film mainly focuses on a teen babysitter who ends up in the worst haunted house. The story continues shortly after the end of ‘The Conjuring,’ and things quickly unravel when the doll of Annabelle arrives. The smaller details, such as the doll’s wear-and-tear, make this an impressive addition and one that stands out for all the right reasons.

4. The Devil Made Me Do It tries and succeeds to do something different

The third of the main storyline is ‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,’ but can it outdo the original? Sadly not. Here, we get to see a human villain for the first time, something that really breaks the mold, and see Lorraine and Ed pitted against one another for yet another twist. There are plenty of memorable moments from the story, and trying something new certainly helped this far into the game, helping it go down as one of the better ‘Conjuring’ movies.

3. Annabelle: Creation adds more lore to The Conjuring Universe franchise

The relentless yet terrifying prequel to ‘The Conjuring’ and ‘Annabelle’ comes with ‘Annabelle: Creation,’ a film that shows us what caused the doll to become what she is now. The film comes with plenty of layers of spooks, including eerie music and things-that-go-bump-in-the-night at all the right moments, helping to make this the best of the trilogy and one of the best ‘The Conjuring Universe’ movies overall.

2. The Conjuring 2 is a complete contrast to the original movie

As soon as ‘The Conjuring 2’ gets going, we know we’re going to be in for a ride. While it might not have had the charm of the original, there is something that’s hard not to fall for in this film. The washed-out colors of the first are gone and replaced with a ‘70s-inspired palette that almost makes things more eerie. Team that with some of the best CGI effects in the universe, and it’s hard to deny this is a winner.

1. The Conjuring will always be the best of The Conjuring Universe movies

Can you ever really improve on the original? Not here, as ‘The Conjuring’ still goes down as the best of the universe. It introduces us to characters who will continually appear and brings a terrifying ghost story to life for all to see. By the end, everything feels complete in the story, meaning you shouldn’t walk away disappointed, but evidently, there was more than enough room to build an entire universe from this masterpiece.

Sometimes, you just can’t beat the original. Taking a look at all of ‘The Conjuring Universe’ movies ranked goes to show just that, not that it necessarily means the others are all terrible.