The Conjuring Universe in Order: Release vs Chronological
The Conjuring universe is horror's biggest shared franchise: the main Conjuring films plus the Annabelle and Nun spin-offs, all connected, all set decades apart. It's also one of the few franchises where chronological order is a genuinely popular choice. Here are both.
Release order
- The Conjuring (2013) — The Warrens' first case on film, and still the series' best.
- Annabelle (2014)
- The Conjuring 2 (2016) — The Enfield case.
- Annabelle: Creation (2017) — A prequel to Annabelle — and better than it.
- The Nun (2018) — The earliest story chronologically, set in 1952.
- Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
- The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
- The Nun II (2023)
- The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) — Billed as the Warrens' final chapter.
Chronological order (by story date)
The Nun (1952) → Annabelle: Creation (1955) → The Nun II (1956) → Annabelle (1967) → The Conjuring (1971) → Annabelle Comes Home (1972) → The Conjuring 2 (1977) → The Devil Made Me Do It (1981) → Last Rites. It flows surprisingly well, and the era-hopping is fun — but the spin-offs are weaker films, so a newcomer starting with The Nun risks giving up before reaching the good ones.
Recommendation
Start with The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2 — the main films are the spine and the quality. If they hook you, go back for Annabelle: Creation and The Nun, then fill in the rest chronologically. The universe usually streams on one or two services per country but individual entries drift in and out constantly — search each film on this site to see the current state where you are.