Ranking The Conjuring Universe / Tall Man SPEED-ART
Hey Jack, I’m back! This time I’m diving into one of the biggest horror franchises of the modern era: The Conjuring Universe. Which is surprisingly the highest grossing horror franchise of all-time, unless you count inflation, then it gets tricky to figure out who is the winner there. After covering the Evolution of Every Conjuring Demon on my animation channel, I figured since I watched every movie in the series, from Annabelle’s creepy stare to The Nun’s jump-scare fiesta, I’d rank them all from worst to best.
So grab your holy water, light a candle, and let’s get conjured up—without getting possessed in the process.
11. Wolves at the Door (2016) — ★★
Starting off at the bottom, it’s Wolves at the Door.
This one’s technically not part of the official Conjuring canon, but it’s often lumped in with them because of its production team and tone, and a detective character from the original Annabelle makes a small appearance—so I gave it a shot. It’s short, only about an hour without credits, which is nice, but the story just doesn’t have much to offer. It’s not as exploitative as some critics claim, but it’s also not very good. It’s basically a home invasion film loosely inspired by the Manson murders, and that’s about it. Not much “Conjuring” to be found here. So you can skip this one.
10. The Nun (2018) — ★★
In tenth place is The Nun, which, ironically, commits the worst sin a horror movie can: it’s boring.
Despite the eerie setting and a few decent moments (like the bell scene), it just doesn’t hold attention for long. The atmosphere is there, but the jump scares feel predictable, and by the end, I was more sleepy than scared. It’s not totally unwatchable, but definitely the weakest of the Conjuring spinoffs.
9. Annabelle (2014) — ★★
Next up is the original Annabelle.
There are some interesting ideas here, especially around motherhood and the fear of losing a child, but the scares rely too much on cheap tricks. It feels like a rough first draft for the better spinoffs that would come later. Still, it’s not without its creepy moments, and it laid the groundwork for the Annabelle films to come.
8. The Nun II (2023) — ★★½
In eighth place is The Nun II.
It’s an improvement over the first one, with better pacing and a few solid scares, but you can really feel the tropes starting to pile up by this point. The formula’s showing its age, and while it’s competent, it doesn’t leave much of a lasting impression. I like that everyones storyline basically gets wrapped up here, and the demon goat is a cool new villain, although there’s some online discourse over if he’s his own entity or just a form taken by The Nun, so that’s why it’s a little vague in my video. But overall, this is a step up and makes for a pretty easy watch.
7. The Curse of La Llorona (2019) — ★★★
Seventh place goes to The Curse of La Llorona.
This one gets a bad rap, but honestly, I don’t think it deserves it. It’s better than The Nun movies and even the first Annabelle. The story’s simple but effective, the scares are decent, and it actually feels like it belongs in this universe—even if it’s only loosely connected. I guess, since the Warren’s didn’t ever investigate La Llorona, it doesn’t officially slot into the franchise, but I don’t think they ever investigated a Demon Nun either, those movies are just made up gooblygook, so why does this one get ousted. Also Linda Cardellini is the mother in this, ‘nuff said.
Not amazing, but solidly spooky.
6. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) — ★★★
Coming in at number six is The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.
It’s not quite as strong as the first two main films, but it’s still fun to revisit. The shift into a courtroom-based story had potential, but I wish they’d spent more time on the actual trial. Especially since the claims of the demon being real were thrown out by the court almost immediately, would’ve been cool to see that and how they reacted. Then the last half of the film with the Occultist is basically all made up, even more so than the usual Conjuring films making stuff up. Still, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga carry the movie with their chemistry, and it’s a worthy if slightly lesser sequel.
5. The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) — ★★★½
In fifth place is the recent Conjuring: Last Rites.
It might not be as groundbreaking as the first two, but it’s a strong and emotional “conclusion”. I’ve put conclusion in air quotes for those listening. There’s plenty of tension and a handful of genuinely great jump scares. It’s based on one of the most well known cases the Warren’s ever got involved with, and it’s 80s setting gives this film it’s own flavour. It wraps up Ed and Lorraine’s story in a touching way while still keeping the chills coming. I hear they might do a prequel with the younger actors who played them in flashbacks, and I could see them now doing sequels with Judy and her husband taking over the business. It wouldn’t be based in reality, but these movies hardly ever are.
4. Annabelle: Creation (2017) — ★★★½
In fourth, I’ve got Annabelle: Creation.
This one is a huge step up from the original. The scares feel earned, the pacing’s tighter, and the ending has a clever twist that ties the films together, almost retroactively making the first film a little better. It has characters that you actually feel for and want to see make it out from under Annabelle’s thumb. It’s classic haunted-house fun, and one of the better-crafted spinoffs in the whole franchise. It’s directed by David F. Sandberg, who also directed Lights Out and the Shazam! movies. So some actors carry over from and into those films.
Honourable Mention: The Demon Murder Case (1983) — ★★½
Before we get to the top three, I want to highlight a couple of earlier films based on real-life Warren cases that predate the modern Conjuring Universe. The Demon Murder Case (1983) This TV movie tackles the same story as The Conjuring 3, but in a much more grounded, realistic way. It’s not a great film by any stretch, but it’s free to watch on YouTube, and there’s a certain charm to its low-budget earnestness. It also stars Kevin Bacon in the lead role. The Warren’s have been renamed here for legal reasons, but if you watch it, you’ll know which characters they’re supposed to be.
Honourable Mention: The Haunted (1991) — ★★★
Then there’s The Haunted, a surprisingly solid early-’90s TV film about another Warren investigation. For what it is, it’s pretty good—just don’t expect modern Hollywood flair. It’s interesting to compare this one to The Conjuring: Last Rites, since both cover similar ideas in very different ways. This is more closely based on the book about this case, so if you want a more “real” take on The Conjuring 4’s story, this is pretty interesting.
3. Annabelle Comes Home (2019) — ★★★½
In third, I’ve got Annabelle Comes Home.
This one’s my favourite of the Annabelle films. It’s a blast, filled with new demons, fun scares, and even a few heartfelt moments with Lorraine Warren. It feels like a creepy night at a museum, but with cursed objects. Easily the most entertaining of the spinoffs in my opinion. It doesn’t have the same fear or dread that is instilled in Annabelle: Creation, but for pure entertainment I like this one just a little better.
2. The Conjuring (2013) — ★★★½
Runner-up goes to the original Conjuring.
James Wan knocked it out of the park with this one—tense direction, smart pacing, and a lived-in world that made it feel real. Even if the real Ed and Lorraine Warren were a bit morally gray, their movie counterparts are a ton of fun.
It’s one of those horror movies that works both as a scare-fest and as a throwback to 1970s haunted house cinema. Pair this one with a rewatch off the original Amityville Horror, then follow up with the next entry on this list.
1. The Conjuring 2 (2016) — ★★★½
And in first place is The Conjuring 2.
The opening actually calls back to Amityville Horror here, so if you’d like you could watch the Amityville Horror 2 between Conjuring films to act as a little mid-qual, plus that’s the best Amityville Horror movie in my opinion. But back to the subject at hand, James Wan pulls no punches in the Conjuring 2—taking the Warrens across the pond to London for the Enfield haunting. The scares are creative, the emotional beats land, and there’s even a touch of humor to balance it out. I think this might be the funniest of the films, maybe it’s that added British wit.
It’s bigger, scarier, and somehow more heartfelt than the original. For me, it’s the perfect balance of chills and charm—and easily the best Conjuring film.
So that’s my ranking of The Conjuring Universe!
It’s a wild mix of haunted houses, cursed dolls, demon nuns, and occultists, but even the weaker ones have their moments. What’s your favourite entry in the series? Let me know in the comments, and check out my Evolution of Every Conjuring Demon animation if you haven’t already—it’s a spooky deep dive. I definitely started that video thinking I’d have maybe a dozen demons and spirits to cover, but it ended up being like over 40, so I definitely learned a lot about this franchise, so check it out if you want to increase your dark knowledge.
I’d also like to thank my patrons, including Julia Moreira and Ethan Kahl, and until next time, I’ve been Aaron—and I’ll tell you something later!