The Conjuring Universe is an American horror franchise and shared universe centered on a series of supernatural horror films. The franchise is produced by New Line Cinema, Atomic Monster, and the Safran Company, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The films present a dramatization of the supposedly real-life adventures of Ed and Lorraine Warren, paranormal investigators and authors associated with prominent yet controversial cases of alleged hauntings. The main series follows their attempts to help people harassed by spirits, while the spin-off films focus on the origins of some of the entities the Warrens have encountered.
The franchise has been commercially successful, grossing $2.7billion against a combined budget of $263million and becoming the highest-grossing horror franchise to date. The franchise has received mixed reviews.
Overview The franchise consists of four films in the main series: The Conjuring (2013), The Conjuring 2 (2016), The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021), and The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025). The first two were directed by James Wan and the next two by Michael Chaves. The first two installments revolve around two of the Warrens' many famous paranormal cases, with the first film depicting the case of the Perron family, who experienced disturbing events in their newly acquired house in Rhode Island. The second film focuses on the controversial case of the Enfield poltergeist while briefly referring to the events that inspired The Amityville Horror. The third entry in the main series, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, was released in 2021 and revolves around the murder trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson in 1981 in Connecticut.
The franchise also includes Annabelle (2014), a prequel directed by The Conjuring cinematographer John R. Leonetti and produced by Wan and Peter Safran, which reveals the history of the Annabelle doll before the Warrens came into contact with it at the start of the first film. A further prequel, Annabelle: Creation (2017), directed by David F. Sandberg, shows the origins of the demon-manipulated doll. A third Annabelle film, Annabelle Comes Home, was released in 2019, with franchise writer Gary Dauberman making his directorial debut from a script he wrote. Wan has likened the story to Night at the Museum, with Annabelle activating the haunted objects in the Warrens' artifact room.
The Nun, a spiritual prequel based on a character introduced in The Conjuring 2, was released in 2018. The plot focuses on the origins of the demonic nun Valak before coming in contact with the Warrens. A sequel, The Nun II, was released in 2023, with Michael Chaves directing and Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, and Akela Cooper serving as writers for the film.
Wan has said they sought accuracy to real life in making the main films, while the spin-offs allowed them to "just explore different sub-genres in the horror genre".
The first two Conjuring films were met with generally positive reviews by both critics and horror fans, with praise for Wan's directing and the main cast's performances, particularly Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga's on-screen chemistry as Ed and Lorraine. Critics also acknowledged the effect the films have had on popular culture as well as in the production of modern horror films. The third entry received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances of Wilson and Farmiga but considered it weaker than the previous Conjuring installments. The first entry in the Annabelle film series received mixed to negative reviews, considered inferior to its precursor. Annabelle: Creation was met with generally positive reviews. Annabelle Comes Home, and The Nun II received mixed reviews. The Nun, on the other hand, received generally negative reviews. The three main films and their five spin-offs were successful at the box office, with combined earnings of over $2.1billion worldwide against a combined budget of $208million, making The Conjuring Universe the highest-grossing horror franchise in history and one of the most critically acclaimed.
Development Development began over 20 years before the first film's debut, when Ed Warren played a tape of Lorraine Warren's original interview with Carolyn Perron for producer Tony DeRosa-Grund. DeRosa-Grund made a recording of Warren playing back the tape and of their subsequent discussion. At the end of the tape, Warren said to DeRosa-Grund: "If we can't make this into a film I don't know what we can". DeRosa-Grund then described his vision of the film for Ed.
DeRosa-Grund wrote the original treatment and titled the project The Conjuring. For nearly 14 years, he tried to get the film made without any success. He originally landed a deal to make the film at Gold Circle Films, the production company behind The Haunting in Connecticut, but a contract could not be finalized and the deal was dropped.
DeRosa-Grund allied with producer Peter Safran, and sibling writers Chad and Carey W. Hayes were brought on board to refine the script. Using DeRosa-Grund's treatment and the Ed Warren tape, the Hayes brothers changed the story's point of view from the Perron family to that of the Warrens. The brothers interviewed Lorraine many times over the phone to clarify details. By mid-2009, the property became the subject of a six-studio bidding war that landed the film at Summit Entertainment; however, DeRosa-Grund and Summit could not conclude the transaction and the film went into turnaround. DeRosa-Grund reconnected with New Line Cinema, who had lost in the original bidding war, and the studio ultimately picked up the film. The same year on November 11, a deal was made between New Line and DeRosa-Grund's Evergreen Media Group.
Films Released Film U.S. release date Director Screenwriter(s) Story by Producers The Conjuring James Wan Chad Hayes & Carey W. Hayes Tony DeRosa-Grund, Peter Safran and Rob Cowan Annabelle John R. Leonetti Gary Dauberman Peter Safran and James Wan The Conjuring 2 James Wan Chad Hayes, Carey W. Hayes & James Wan and David Leslie Johnson Chad Hayes, Carey W. Hayes & James Wan Peter Safran, Rob Cowan and James Wan Annabelle: Creation David F. Sandberg Gary Dauberman Peter Safran and James Wan The Nun Corin Hardy Gary Dauberman James Wan & Gary Dauberman Annabelle Comes Home Gary Dauberman The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It Michael Chaves David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick James Wan & David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick The Nun II Ian Goldberg & Richard Naing and Akela Cooper Akela Cooper The Conjuring: Last Rites Ian Goldberg & Richard Naing and David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick James Wan & David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick
The Conjuring (2013)
The first installment of the series centers on the real-life exploits of Ed and Lorraine Warren, a married couple who investigated paranormal events. Patrick Wilson starred alongside Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine. The film focuses on a 1971 case in which the Warrens investigated a witch's curse at a farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island. The Conjuring was released on July 19, 2013, to positive reviews. It earned $320million worldwide against a budget of $20million, becoming one of the most profitable horror films in history.
Annabelle (2014)
A spin-off film, focusing on the origins of the Annabelle doll introduced in The Conjuring, was announced shortly after the release of its forerunner, mainly due to the film's worldwide box-office success and the character's positive reception. The plot focuses on John and Mia Form, a married couple expecting a child, whose vintage doll, Annabelle, becomes possessed by a vengeful spirit after two devil worshippers break into their home and are killed. The film was directed by The Conjuring cinematographer John R. Leonetti and produced by Safran and Wan, with Gary Dauberman behind the script. It was released worldwide on October 3, 2014, to major commercial success, becoming the 14th most profitable horror film in North America. Many critics found Annabelle inferior to The Conjuring.
The Conjuring 2 (2016)
A sequel, The Conjuring 2, was commissioned after the success of the original film and was also directed by Wan, with both Farmiga and Wilson reprising their roles. The film focused on the Enfield poltergeist case in London in 1977, while briefly referring to the events that inspired The Amityville Horror. It was released on June 10, 2016, to positive reviews from both critics and audiences; some agreed that the film was vastly superior to other horror sequels, while others debated whether the film had surpassed its predecessor in quality. Proving to be similarly successful to the first entry in the series, the film became another profitable addition to the franchise, having earned $320.3million worldwide from a budget of $40million, and becoming the second highest-grossing horror film of all time, after The Exorcist, until It was released in 2017.
Annabelle: Creation (2017)
An Annabelle sequel was in development, eventually revealed to be a prequel to the original film. The plot of the film centers on a dollmaker and his wife, whose daughter tragically died twelve years earlier, as they decide to open their home to a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage; the dollmaker's possessed creation Annabelle sets her sights on the children and turns their shelter into a storm of ultimate evil. Lights Out director David F. Sandberg replaced Leonetti as director, with Dauberman returning to write the script and Safran and Wan returning to produce. The film was released worldwide on August 11, 2017, to critical and commercial success, with many critics stating Annabelle: Creation was a vast improvement over its predecessor.
The Nun (2018)
A spin-off film titled The Nun, featuring the "Demon Nun" character Valak from The Conjuring 2, was directed by Corin Hardy, with The Conjuring 2 co-scribe David Leslie Johnson initially announced as the writer before being replaced by Gary Dauberman and Wan, who also produced with Safran. Demián Bichir and Taissa Farmiga starred in the lead roles, while Bonnie Aarons reprised her role as Valak in the film. The plot of the film follows a priest and a novitiate as they investigate an unholy secret and confront a malevolent force in the form of a demonic nun (Valak). The film was released on September 7, 2018, and grossed $365.6million on a budget of $22million, becoming the highest-grossing film in the franchise.
Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
The third installment in the Annabelle series, Annabelle Comes Home, featured Gary Dauberman as a writer and the director in his directorial debut. It was based on a story treatment written by Dauberman and Wan. Wan and Peter Safran co-produced the project.
Annabelle Comes Home takes place after Annabelle and The Conjuring and focuses on the doll after she was kept in the glass box in the Warrens' museum. Wilson and Farmiga reprised their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren, alongside Mckenna Grace as Judy Warren and Madison Iseman as Judy's teenage babysitter. The film was released on June 26, 2019.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
After The Conjuring 2 was released, Wan revealed he would not return to direct another installment in the series, due to scheduling conflicts, but expressed interest in seeing other filmmakers direct more "Conjuring" films. Wan said that the next film in the series would take place during the 1980s and spoke of ideas for the films to explore lycanthropy, citing An American Werewolf in London and The Hound of the Baskervilles as inspiration. Safran stated that the next film would not be a haunted house movie. David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick was hired to write the screenplay.