How to Watch The Conjuring Movies in Chronological Order
Introduction
The Conjuring Universe has quickly become one of the most beloved horror series ever created. Since The Conjuring was released in 2013, its story timeline has expanded into a world filled with cursed dolls, haunted families, and demonic nuns. Unfortunately, their release order does not match that timeline, leaving many fans to ask: When is the best way to watch all five Conjuring movies?
This guide lists the films in chronological order, explains how they connect, and shows how many of the artifacts including Annabelle end up in the Warrens’ Occult Museum.
Why Choose the Chronological Order?
Watching in release order works, but it can feel confusing. Chronological order makes the story flow like history. You see how Valak first appears in the 1950s, how Annabelle is created and cursed, and how the Warrens encounter both later.
This order also highlights the Warrens’ role. They don’t just face each haunting; they also collect the objects linked to evil. Over time, these objects fill their Occult Museum, a real location in Connecticut that still fascinates fans.
Here’s the order, with short notes for each film:
1. The Nun (1952)
Set in Romania. A priest and a novice investigate a death in an abbey and meet Valak, a demon nun. This marks the first step in the universe.
2. Annabelle: Creation (1955, Flashbacks Earlier)
A grieving dollmaker creates Annabelle. The doll becomes cursed and begins her path of destruction.
3. The Nun II (1956)
Sister Irene faces Valak again, this time in France. The story deepens Valak’s role in the universe.
4. Annabelle (1967)
A young couple brings the doll into their home after a cult attack. This connects Annabelle’s story to the Warrens.
5. The Conjuring (1971)
The first film released but the fifth in order. The Warrens help the Perron family with a farmhouse haunting. Their work here sets the tone for the rest of the universe.
6. Annabelle Comes Home (1972)
Annabelle is placed in the Warrens’ artifact room, where she unleashes chaos on their daughter Judy. The film shows how the Warrens’ home became filled with cursed items the beginning of the Occult Museum.
7. The Curse of La Llorona (1973)
Though loosely tied, Father Perez from Annabelle appears. The film retells the Mexican legend of La Llorona, the “Weeping Woman.”
8. The Conjuring 2 (1977)
The Warrens travel to England for the Enfield Poltergeist. Valak takes a central role, linking back to the events of The Nun.
9. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (1981)
Based on the real case of Arne Johnson. The Warrens uncover cult influence behind the possession.
10. The Conjuring: Last Rites (1986)
The final chapter. It tells the Smurl haunting and closes Ed and Lorraine’s cinematic journey.
The Role of the Warrens’ Occult Museum
Across the Conjuring movies, one pattern repeats: cursed objects often end up with the Warrens. Their basement became a locked room filled with items too dangerous to leave behind. This real collection, known as the Occult Museum, still exists in Monroe, Connecticut, though it is no longer open to the public.
In the films, Annabelle is the most famous artifact. But viewers also see glimpses of other haunted items, hinting at new stories. The museum is more than a storage place it is a symbol of the Warrens’ life long fight to contain evil.
Watching the Conjuring movies in order shows how different hauntings across time lead back to the same basement. From abbeys in Europe to homes in America, evil travels. The museum gathers its remnants in one place, making it the thread that connects the universe.
How the Story Connects
When you follow this order, the universe feels like one long story:
- Valak’s first appearance in The Nun makes later encounters more powerful.
- Annabelle’s curse runs through several films, ending in the Warrens’ artifact room.
- The Warrens act as the main link, tying each haunting into a bigger picture.
Step by step, the films build on one another. By the end, you see how all the cases connect.
Conclusion
The Conjuring Universe is more than a sequence of jump scares. It is a long timeline of hauntings, faith, and fear. By watching each Conjuring movie in chronological order, you see how evil spreads across decades and how the Warrens fight to contain it.
From The Nun to The Conjuring: Last Rites, the timeline ends in the Warrens’ home, where cursed objects rest in the Occult Museum. It’s a reminder that each case leaves something behind and that darkness never disappears completely.