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The Conjuring universe is making a comeback this month with the latest movie, The Nun 2, arriving on September 8, 2023. Fans of the horror genre are gearing up for more jump scares and spine-chilling stories from their favorite franchise.
It all started when director James Wan and writers Chad and Carey W. Hayes fictionalized the story of real-life paranormal investigator couple Ed and Lorraine Warren with the couple's 1972 Rhode Island battle with a ghost witch.
The first movie of the franchise, titled The Conjuring, was released in 2013. It starred Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga in the leading roles, marking the birth of a new horror franchise that continues to thrill fans even a decade later.
While The Conjuring was the first movie in the franchise, if one looks at it timeline-wise, the movie definitely does not tell the origin story of the horror franchise. Before The Nun 2 releases, here is a look at The Conjuring timeline.
All the films in The Conjuring universe, in order
The Nun (2018)
It all started in the Middle Ages in the Romanian wilderness where a demon-worshipping duke built himself an abbey to carry out his religion. However, the catholic church intervened and claimed it as their own. Following World War 2, the evil that the duke had originally stirred up, resurfaced. It was none other than Valak.
Following this, the Vatican dispatched Father Burke and Sister Irene to look into the matter. They met Maurice "Frenchy" Theriault who aided them in their research to find out the demon and put it to rest. They found a vial of Jesus Christ's blood in the abbey which they used to banish Valak back to Hell.
Annabelle Creations (2017)
However, Annabelle existed long before the Valak narrative did. The Conjuring universe begins in 1943 with the accidental death of a young Annabelle Higgins.
Set after the return of Valak, Annabelle: Creation follows the haunting of a Kansas farm in 1956 when a doll-maker opened his home to six orphans and a nun, only to have a lurking evil released in his own house. The movie introduces us to the evil doll we first saw in James Wan's original movie, who came to be possessed.
The story starts with a car accident in 1943, before shifting to the orphanage in 1955, where the real horror would unfold. To truly follow the chronology, viewers need to watch the beginning of this movie, then switch to The Nun, before switching back to Annabelle: Creation again.
Annabelle (2014)
Annabelle was the second film to be made in Conjuring Universe, but it takes place in 1967 in Southern California, 12 years after the official origin of the doll which was shown in the 2017 prequel. The story follows a young doctor and his wife who bring the cursed doll into their home, little knowing the terror that would follow.
The Conjuring (2013)
The first movie of The Conjuring franchise actually features fourth on the chronological list. Starring Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as real-life paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warren, the movie follows the couple as they aid the Perron family on Rhode Island in 1971, when they move into an old house that is haunted by an evil spirit.
Annabelle Comes Home
After the events of the first two Annabelle films, Annabelle Comes Home is set in 1972 and follows Judy, the Warrens' young daughter. The movie revolves around Judy as she battles Annabelle and other demons that escape the Warrens' artifact chamber while the Warrens are gone.
The Curse of La Llorona (2019)
The Curse of La Llorona is based on Latin American folklore. It is a spinoff movie that follows a mother in 1973 Los Angeles as she struggles to save her children from a malevolent spirit who is trying to steal them. The movie was far away from the said timeline and only Tony Amendola's Father Perez from Annabelle featured as a connecting character.
The Conjuring 2 (2016)
The Conjuring 2 was based on the story of the Enfield Poltergeist in England in 1977. The movie brought back Lorraine and Ed Warren once again as they help a family being haunted by a malevolent spirit. It was with this movie that we were originally introduced to The Nun.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is the eighth film in the franchise and it brings us into the '80s with the horrifying story of the real-life trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who claimed "demonic possession" after he murdered his landlord. Lorraine and Ed Warren returned once again with this movie, drawn into the case after apparently exorcising a demon out of a young boy's body, only to have it accidentally possess Arne.
While we are yet to find out where the franchise places the upcoming The Nun 2, fans can revisit their favorite Conjuring movies according to the timeline.
