Back in 2013, The Conjuring absolutely blew me away. It was smart, it was well-produced and well-written, it had fantastic actors and, most importantly, it was terrifying. James Wan delivered on all the pure elements audiences have come to love about good horror films while simultaneously leaving his trademark touch on the overall story and feel of the film. Little did anyone know, though, was that The Conjuring would soon spawn an entire MCU-esque universe of films filled to the brim with killer dolls and demonic nuns.
And there is in fact a better way to binge all of them than in just mere order of when they were released.
The Conjuring (2013), set in 1971.
Other than being a fantastic horror movie in and of itself, The Conjuring remains the best entry in the universe -- at least for now. It’s a no-brainer as the kickoff to this spooky binge, and of course introduces one of the most important threads throughout all of the films: Ed and Lorraine Warren who are portrayed by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga like they were born for the roles.
Annabelle: Creation (2017), set in 1955.
Already veering off of the release schedule, Annabelle: Creation should be viewed second for two reasons. One, it’s genuinely the second-best film in the universe, even as a sequel to a spinoff, with fantastic scares and an intricate plot to boot. And two, it’s best to watch the tale of Annabelle in chronological order, other than her appearance in The Conjuring, to really get to know the demonic little doll.
Annabelle (2014), set in 1967.
It works out that the first Annabelle spinoff falls in the middle of the three, timeline-wise. It’s a good enough movie, a little more predictable than the other films, but it still offers just enough to keep you going. Not to mention, the doll is all the more unsettling after watching its true origin story.
Annabelle Comes Home (2019), set in 1972.
Hopefully, you haven’t had enough of staring into the demonic, soulless eyes of the Annabelle doll because this film dials up the screen time not only for her, but also for the many other evil entities tucked away in the Warrens’ house. They’re of course let out and fun, terrifying chaos ensues. It’s also a great segway into focusing back on Ed and Lorraine after spending so much time with Annabelle.
The Conjuring 2 (2016), set in 1977.
The Conjuring 2 was kind of a letdown. It wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it certainly doesn’t even come close to the brilliance of the first in terms of scares or plot. At the same time, though, it works well in the context of bingeing the universe as a whole, and Farmiga and Wilson continue to get more and more comfortable in their portrayal as the lovable Warrens.
The Curse of La Llorona (2019), set in 1973.
Other than the appearance of Father Perez, who had a large role in Annabelle, The Curse of La Llorona doesn’t have much of a connection to the larger universe. While also being just an okay horror movie, it then fades into obscurity a little bit when compared to the rest of the films. It’s best to view it towards the end, so as to not interrupt the overarching binge, but not dead last so there’s still some curiosity left for future films.
The Nun (2018), set in 1952.
You’ll get just about what you expect from The Nun: a pretty decent, albeit a bit more typical when it comes to horror tropes, film about a demonic nun. The best part about watching this film last, however, is the rumor that the main character, Sister Irene, is actually a young Lorraine Warren. It’s yet to be confirmed, but with the characters played by sisters Taissa Farmiga and Vera Farmiga -- who have a 21-year age gap in real life -- in films set about 20 years apart, it leaves a little bit of intrigue as fans await the release of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It in 2021 to see even more crossing threads of this fantastically horrifying universe of films.
Sometimes binge-watching leads to discovering an innovative and thought-provoking new show, and sometimes it leads to watching every single one of The Conjuring universe movies in the span of a couple of days solely because it’s Halloween season. Hopefully, this has served to help anyone reading to successfully achieve the latter of the two in the best way possible.
Jackson Horvat is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Jackson by tweeting him at @horvatjackson.
