Before Last Rites: Every film in The Conjuring universe, ranked from worst to best

Growing up in India, my horror education wasn’t defined by Carpenter or Craven but by three men who ruined my sleep: Ram Gopal Varma, Vikram Bhatt, and James Wan. I still remember the climax of 1920, where Rajniesh Duggal stood unflinching against a possessed Adah Sharma, reciting the Hanuman Chalisa with raw conviction. That wasn’t just horror – it was cinema where faith, love, and fear fused into one crescendo.

And then came The Conjuring. Wan’s near-perfect haunted house film wasn’t just about ghosts bursting out of cupboards; it was about craft, patience, and two deeply human anchors: Ed and Lorraine Warren, played with unshakable chemistry by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. The chills were only part of it – the heart built an empire.

Of course, the Conjuring Universe has been a mixed bag (if we’re being honest, mostly misses). Yet here we are, eight films in, waiting for the ninth – The Conjuring: Last Rites. Perhaps it’s the Warrens’ final bow, perhaps not. But before we know, let’s revisit and rank every film in this spooky empire, from weakest to strongest.

So, let’s descend, from the weakest to the strongest, into the dark halls of the Conjuring universe.

8. The Nun (2018)

Taissa Farmiga in The Nun (2018)

Hollywood has milked its share of Catholic imagery: nuns, crosses, stained-glass windows, and cloisters creaking under candlelight. The Nun was Warner Bros. taking that trope and saying, let’s give the demon her own solo. On paper, it must have been terrifying. On reel, it felt like a gorgeously shot Gothic postcard with a jump-scare filter slapped on.

The film had all the tools – Bonnie Aarons’ terrifying screen presence as Valak, a castle-like abbey that looked plucked from Bram Stoker’s nightmares, and Taissa Farmiga (sister to Vera, thus creating the Farmiga family dynasty of horror queens). And yet, it collapsed under its own weight. The scares felt mechanical, the pacing sagged, and the “lore” didn’t deepen Valak so much as reduce her to a franchise mascot.

It’s not unwatchable. Aarons still has a face that makes your blood run cold, and there are moments of atmosphere. But compared to what came before, this was another sign that the Conjuring brand cannot carry its own spin-offs.

7. The Nun II (2023)

Taissa Farmiga as Sister Irene in The Nun 2 (2023)

Credit where it’s due –– The Nun II did try to course-correct. It gave Taissa Farmiga more to work with, improved the pacing, and brought Valak back to a more fearsome presence. The set pieces were sharper, the lighting richer, and the scares less lazy.

But even with these improvements, the movie couldn’t shake the feeling of déjà vu. You still had the same nun-in-the-shadows setup, the same overused abbey/cathedral spaces. Catholic horror tropes may be evergreen, but here they were beginning to feel like reruns. That said, Farmiga (Taissa) showed once again why her family practically rules this franchise.

6. Annabelle (2014)

Annabelle was introduced in The Conjuring

Poor Annabelle. She got the first spin-off treatment and immediately became the kid in class who failed to live up to the family name. Annabelle had a rough time with critics, and yes, it’s uneven. But I’ll defend it as at least creepier than either Nun movie. It has moments that still land. The elevator basement sequence, where the lights flicker and the demon lurks just out of sight, is pure nightmare fuel. The demon silhouette, tall and looming, is the kind of image that sticks. The issue wasn’t the scares but the execution. After the precision of The Conjuring, Annabelle felt like a knock-off. It was the studio saying, “You like the doll, right? Here’s 90 minutes of it.” Luckily, the doll’s reputation was saved with its prequel.

5. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

The Conjuring 3 was a courtroom drama

The third Conjuring film tried something different. Instead of another haunted farmhouse, it gave us a courtroom drama based on the infamous 1981 case where demonic possession was used as a legal defense. Intriguing? Absolutely. Successful? Not entirely.

Without James Wan at the helm, the film lacked the slow-burn mastery of its predecessors. The scares were blunter, the pacing uneven. But – and this is a big but – Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson carried it like seasoned pros. Their chemistry has always been the franchise’s secret weapon. Watching Lorraine dive into visions, or Ed risking his life despite a weakening heart, is where the film earns its weight. It wasn’t terrifying, but it was ambitious. And in horror, I’d rather see ambition stumble than formula succeed.

4. Annabelle Comes Home (2019)

Annabelle Comes Home had a young cast in Mckenna Grace, Katie Sarife, and Madison Iseman

If Creation saved Annabelle’s reputation, Comes Home gave her a playground. This was the MCU crossover of cursed artefacts – every trinket in the Warrens’ room got a chance to shine.

It wasn’t the scariest film of the series, but it was the most playful. It felt like a haunted-house ride at a theme park, with one scare after another popping out. Critics may not have loved it, but fans had a blast. It’s the kind of movie you put on with friends, scream at, laugh at, and rewind your favorite moments. And that’s not a bad legacy for a spin-off.

3. Annabelle: Creation (2017)

Annabelle Creation (2017)

David F Sandberg deserves applause for resurrecting a franchise that seemed doomed. Creation is easily one of the scariest entries in the whole universe. The slow-burn farmhouse setting, the tragic origin of the doll, and the relentless dread all came together beautifully. Sandberg understood what makes horror tick: anticipation. Every creak of a floorboard, every shadow moving in the corner, every drawn-out silence — it’s unbearable in the best way. And when the scares hit, they hit hard.

It’s not just a scary movie – it’s tragic. The idea of a grieving couple allowing evil into their home out of desperation adds layers that elevate it above cheap thrills. This was Annabelle’s redemption arc.

2. The Conjuring (2013)

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga in The Conjuring

The film that started it all. James Wan didn’t just direct The Conjuring; he orchestrated it like a maestro. Every scare is earned, every sound design choice deliberate. The Perron family’s haunting isn’t just terrifying, it’s grounded in emotion. We care about this family, which is why when the evil tightens its grip, the audience leans forward, hearts pounding. The clap game is now legend – a masterwork in how to turn a children’s activity into pure terror.

And then, of course, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. Their Ed and Lorraine weren’t caricatures of ghost hunters; they were a couple deeply in love, whose faith in each other was as powerful as their faith in God. Without them, none of this works.

1. The Conjuring 2 (2016)

The Conjuring 2 introduced its fans to Valak

If The Conjuring was the birth of a phenomenon, The Conjuring 2 was James Wan flexing like a horror maestro who knew exactly what he was doing. Sequels often water things down, but this one doubled everything, the scares, the stakes, the emotions, and somehow made it even better.

The setting moved to London’s Enfield, where a working-class family was plagued by poltergeist activity. On paper, it had every chance of being too much: a ghostly old man, a demonic nun, and even the Crooked Man thrown into the mix. Too many villains, too many threads. But Wan choreographs it like a conductor balancing clashing instruments into a single symphony.

Valak, of course, steals the film. She doesn’t need screeching violins or gallons of gore. She just stands. My favorite horror scene of all time, Lorraine slipping into a vision in her own living room, her daughter frozen, pointing down the hallway, whispering, “Mom, what’s that?” And then the pan to Valak, looming in silence. No lunge. No shriek. Just presence. That moment has haunted me longer than any jump scare ever could.

But what makes The Conjuring 2 truly special is how it keeps its emotional core intact. Lorraine’s visions of Ed’s death cast a shadow over every frame, and yet, the Warrens’ love becomes their greatest weapon. Amidst all the chaos, there’s that unforgettable scene where Ed sings “Can’t Help Falling in Love” to calm the terrified Hodgson family. It’s absurd, it’s tender, it’s James Wan at his most audacious, dropping Elvis into a horror film and making it work.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga’s chemistry is the franchise’s true superpower. Horror often isolates its characters, but the Warrens face the darkness together. Their bond gives the film a beating heart under all the dread.

Eight films later, the Conjuring Universe has given us scares, duds, cursed dolls, and a pair of married demonologists we’ve grown to love. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga made Ed and Lorraine Warren more than just ghost hunters, they became horror cinema’s heart. And with Vera’s real-life sister Taissa keeping the torch alive in the Nun films, the family ties run deeper than the franchise ever planned.

Now, as The Conjuring: Last Rites arrives, it feels like closing a book we’ve lived inside for over a decade. Whatever Ed and Lorraine face in their final chapter, one thing’s certain: this universe may have been uneven, but it was never soulless.