How to watch The Conjuring and Annabelle movies in order - Full chronological timeline and release order
The Conjuring and Annabelle movies can be watched in two different orders.
The first film in The Conjuring Universe debuted in 2013, introducing viewers to Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as real-life paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warren.
In the years since, and eight films – comprising sequels, spin-offs and prequels – later, The Conjuring has become the highest-grossing horror franchise of all time, making an astonishing $2.1 billion worldwide.
With many of the films jumping around a bit in time – with all of them set somewhere between the '40s and the '80 – you might be wondering how to watch the Conjuring films in chronological order according to the series timeline, which kicks off with The Nun (which was the fifth film to be released), or simply want to absorb all the eeriness in the order the movies were released.
Whichever is the case for you, we've put that relevant information below. Read on for everything you need about how to watch The Conjuring, Annabelle and The Nun films in order.
Warning: spoilers for all The Conjuring movies follow
How many The Conjuring movies are there?
There are 9 films set within The Conjuring Universe: three Conjuring movies, three Annabelle movies, The Nun, The Nun 2, and The Curse of La Llorona.
Fans will be thrilled to hear that the franchise is set to expand further with a fourth film, titled The Conjuring: Last Rites, which is reportedly being envisaged as a finale to the story of Ed and Lorraine Warren.
A Conjuring TV series that takes place in the same universe has also been confirmed for the streaming platform, Max.
DC Studios co-chairperson and CEO Peter Safran, who has acted as producer for every Conjuring film, is leading the charge.
James Wan, who directed the first two Conjuring movies and produced others in the series, is also in talks to be part of the project.
The Conjuring and Annabelle movies in chronological order
This option gives you the chronological order to watch the movies. You kick off things with The Nun, which is set in 1952, through to The Conjuring 2, set in 1977.
Director Michael Chaves has since argued that The Curse of La Llorona shouldn't be counted, as it wasn't made with the franchise team, but we've left it here for a sense of completeness.
- The Nun (Set in 1952/1971, released in 2018)
- Annabelle: Creation (Set in 1943/1952/1955/1967, released in 2017)
- The Nun II (Set in 1956, released in 2023)
- Annabelle (Set in 1967, released in 2014)
- The Conjuring (Set in 1968/1971, released in 2013)
- Annabelle Comes Home (Set in 1968/1969 or 1971/1972, released in 2019)
- The Curse of La Llorona (Set in 1973, released in 2019)
- The Conjuring 2 (Set in 1976/1977, released in 2016)
- The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (Set in 1980/81, released in 2021)
How to watch The Conjuring and Annabelle movies in release order
This order does what it says on the tin; it follows the order the movies were released. We kick off with our first introduction to Ed and Lorraine Warren and end with a breakaway tale that doesn't feature our main duo.
- The Conjuring (2013)
- Annabelle (2014)
- The Conjuring 2 (2016)
- Annabelle: Creation (2017)
- The Nun (2018)
- The Curse of La Llorona (2019)
- Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
- The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
- The Nun II (2023)
What's the best order to watch The Conjuring and Annabelle movies?
Our view is that the first option – watching them in chronological order – is best as it adds more depth to the events of the original films, meaning you'll get more out of the story when you finally get to them. That said, watching in release order is a more natural fit as the ideas developed over time.
Ultimately, it is up to you and you may enjoy things clicking into place as you go through the movies in order of release.
Whichever you choose, you are guaranteed to have a great and spooky time, though we can't say how much sleep you'll get after getting through them all – so it might be worth watching some comedy picks to calm your nerves.
Where to watch The Conjuring and Annabelle movies in the UK
Unfortunately for UK viewers, only The Conjuring 1 and 2 are available to stream with a subscription to either NOW or Sky Go, but all eight films are can be rented or bought on various digital platforms including Prime Video and Google Play.
Meanwhile, The Conjuring movies are available to buy on Blu-ray and DVD. The Conjuring 1 and 2 comes as a box set, and there's also the first Annabelle DVD as well as Annabelle: Creation.
If you would rather have them in the one box set, you can get The Conjuring 7-Film Collection.
Unfortunately, this doesn't include The Curse of La Llorna or The Nun II, so you'll need to pick those up separately if you want to complete your streaming-free collection.
The Nun (1952/1971)
First up is The Nun, set in 1952. The story follows Father Burke and Sister Irene who travel together to Romania to investigate a convent after a nun kills herself. When they set off they're unaware it's all linked to demon Valak, but they soon cotton on.
We also learn that Frenchie is Maurice Theriault in the final scene set in 1971. If you're struggling to remember, that's the person who was exorcised in The Conjuring (the first film released).
Again, that slightly complicates things if you watch the Conjuring movies in the chronological order - you'd maybe stop before that scene then hop back. We'd just watch this scene, remember it and carry on.
Annabelle: Creation (1943/1952/1955/1967)
Annabelle: Creation is the prequel to Annabelle, which was also a prequel to The Conjuring.
The film tells the story of how the demonic doll was created and became possessed. It all began with a car accident in 1943. This is probably the better of the three Annabelle movies.
To make things a little confusing, there's a post-credit scene for this one that teases The Nun, but that's set in 1952 - so you'd need to watch The Nun then come back to Annabelle: Creation just in time for it to pick up the story in 1967.
If you're not wedded to the whole timeline thing then just watch The Nun afterward.
The Nun II (1956)
This direct sequel to the Nun picks up four years after Sister Irene had her first encounter with Valak, with all the action unfolding in 1956.
This time we're in France, with Irene once again seeking to prevent the demon from obtaining a relic that could give the evil entity superpowers – this time the eyes of St Lucy, the patron saint of the blind.
Annabelle (1967)
The first Annabelle film throws you right in at the deep end. The demonic doll causes all sorts of havoc - that's the basic gist of it.
The Conjuring (1968 / 1971)
The first film released in The Conjuring franchise and where it all began. This one is set in the '70s, showing Ed and Lorraine Warren investigating a case where a family has moved into a haunted house. This one is based on a real case (though Annabelle technically is too).
Annabelle Comes Home (1968/1969 or 1971/1972)
The new film, Annabelle Comes Home, starts with the Warrens picking up Annabelle and driving her to their home to leave in their artefacts room where they keep all sorts of creepy things.
It's an extended version of The Conjuring scene (1968), so that's why you recognise it. If you're watching these in chronological order it may seem strange, but stick with it.
The film then moves to 1969 when the Warrens head off on a trip, leaving daughter Judy with a babysitter, Mary Ellen.
The demonic doll gets loose and draws all the other demons out. The artefact room features heavily, providing plenty of Easter eggs (if we can call them that) as there are all the items the Warrens have collected over the years, including the Perron Music Box (it was in The Conjuring).
The Curse of La Llorona (1973)
Next is The Curse of La Llorona. This one is based off the Weeping Woman, a folklore tale. Set in 1973, we see a mother struggling to protect her children. The film will feel a bit odd as there's no obvious connection to the wider Warren story, but Father Perez pops up - he was in Annabelle.
The Conjuring 2 (1976 / 1977)
Back to the Warrens with another 'true story' case with The Conjuring 2. This time it's 1976 and the Warrens investigate the Amityville House case then move to England to look into the Enfield Hauntings in 1977. Both are well-known cases.
The Nun crops up here as well as The Crooked Man, which we mention as he's getting his own film too.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (1980/81)
The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It takes us into the '80s, when the Warrens investigated the possession of David Glatzel, 11, back in 1980. We start things there before picking up the case of Arne Cheyenne Johnson the year after, in 1981.
Yet again we follow a real-life case of the Warrens, with The Conjuring 3 true story covering the case and Arne Johnson's defence that he was possessed. If you want a spoiler-free overview of the film, here's our The Conjuring 3 review.
Read more: Where is Arne Johnson now? What happened after The Conjuring 3
The Conjuring shorts
More of a bonus entry, but as part of the Annabelle: Creation release in 2017, Warner Bros Pictures ran a contest for fans to create short movies that would then be added into The Conjuring Universe. You can watch the winners entries on YouTube.
Are The Conjuring and Insidious movies connected?
It's a common question, but the answer is no, The Conjuring and Insidious franchises are not linked to each other. The only 'link' is James Wan, who directed both the first two Conjuring movies and the Insidious movies. Fun fact: Patrick Wilson starred in both the first two Insidious movies and The Conjuring movies.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
