How to watch The Conjuring movies in order

Taissa Farmiga in The Nun 2
The Nun II is the most recent instalment in the Conjuring universe. (Image credit: Warner Bros)

The Conjuring has dominated box offices since its inception in 2013. The primary franchise follows Ed and Lorraine Warren as they hunt specters, witches and ghouls and fight to save family after family from demonic possessions. 

The real-life demonologists are portrayed by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, respectively, with each actor's performance being the very reason the franchise has managed to wriggle its way into the hearts of so many. The love of the characters serves as a foundation for the horror, giving director James Wan and other creators of the Conjuring-verse the opportunity to build something truly terrifying.

There's no right or wrong way to dig into the spooks offered by The Conjuring and all of its spinoffs, but we thought we'd make things easier and break down the release and chronological orders for those who want to check out the series in whichever order they so choose. 

If you want to watch the films in order of greatness, check out The Conjuring films ranked worst to best.

The Conjuring series in release order

  • The Conjuring (2013) - Available on Netflix
  • Annabelle (2014) - Rent or buy on Prime Video
  • The Conjuring 2 (2016)  - Available on Netflix
  • Annabelle: Creation (2017) - Rent or buy on Prime Video
  • The Nun (2018) - Rent or buy on Prime Video
  • The Curse of La Llorona (2019) - Rent or buy on Prime Video
  • Annabelle Comes Home (2019) - Rent or buy on Prime Video
  • The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) - Available on Hulu
  • The Nun (2023) - in theatres since September 8, 2023

The chronological order (found below) comes with a couple caveats. It might be easier for viewers who are coming into the Conjuring-verse blind to watch the three core The Conjuring films before diving into all the respective spin-offs. Annabelle will make enough sense without series context, but Valak (the titular Nun) might not make a lot of sense — or be nearly as engaging to viewers — without the context of the Warrens and their battle.

For those who have seen these films before, the below order needs no addendums! 

The Conjuring series in chronological order

  • 1952: The Nun
  • 1955: Annabelle: Creation
  • 1956: The Nun 2
  • 1967: Annabelle 
  • 1971: The Conjuring 
  • 1972: Annabelle Comes Home
  • 1973: The Curse of La Llorona 
  • 1977: The Conjuring 2
  • 1981: The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.


She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress