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 Conjuring Universe has always proved extremely popular with horror audiences – but the latest entry in the long-running franchise has just accomplished a new record, enjoying the best opening weekend of any of the previous movies in the series.
The Conjuring: Last Rites – which is billed as the final entry in the main series starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren – has already raked in a total of $83 million in the US and $187 million globally, further cementing the franchise's place as the highest-grossing horror franchise ever.
It remains to be seen whether such monumental success will see New Line back pedal on their decision to make this the final entry in the main saga, or whether they will continue with their plan on shifting the focus to spin-offs, but it certainly proves that the franchise still has legs.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com ahead of the release, series creator James Wan had explained how he and the rest of the creative team were desperate to give the central pair a fitting send-off with the new film.
"Patrick and Vera know the characters really, really well and they have an ownership to them, as they should," he said. "They know the world, and they feel very connected to them. And the biggest thing that they wanted to do is is the same as what we all wanted... we all feel like we want to be able to send them off in a way that was appropriate, that was worthy of of them, and the movies that they've played together in this franchise."
Ahead of seeing the new movie, fans might be hoping to revisit (or watch for the first time) the previous nine films – comprising sequels, spin-offs and prequels – in the franchise.
But this is no easy feat: the movies jump around a bit in time – with all of them set somewhere between the '40s and the '80.
So, if you're wondering how to watch the Conjuring movies 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, then read on for everything you need to know.
*Warning: spoilers for all The Conjuring movies follow.*
How many The Conjuring movies are there?
There are 10 films set within The Conjuring Universe: four Conjuring movies, three Annabelle movies, The Nun, The Nun 2, and The Curse of La Llorona.
Meanwhile there are further plans afoot, with A Conjuring TV series that takes place in the same universe 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)
- The Conjuring: Last Rites (Set in 1986, released in 2025)
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)
- The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025)
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
The Conjuring 1 and 2 are both currently available to stream with a subscription to Netflix, while the first two Annabelle films and the first Nun film are all available on both NOW and Sky Go.
Meanwhile, all nine of the previously released films are can be rented or bought on various digital platforms including Prime Video and Google Play with Last Rites now playing in cinemas.
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 Llorona 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)
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 feels 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: Last Rites (1986)
After opening with a brief scene set back in 1961, the bulk of the action in Last Rites – which sees Ed and Lorraine take on one final case – takes place in 1986, as they are called in to investigate the real life Smurl haunting.
The case that the film is inspired by actually spanned more than a decade and a half, with the Smurl family first reporting that their Pennsylvania home was haunted as early as 1974, but it was indeed in 1986 that the Warrens arrived to cast their experienced eyes over the case.
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.
- How to watch Marvel movies in order
- How to watch the Avengers movies in order
- How to watch Harry Potter movies in order online
- How to watch James Bond movies in order
- How to watch Star Wars movies in order
- How to watch the Pixar movies in order
- How to watch the Batman movies in order
- How to watch X-Men movies in order
- How to watch Twilight movies in order
- How to watch Alien and Predator movies in order
- How to watch Terminator movies in order
- How to watch Fast & Furious movies in order
- How to watch Halloween movies in order
- How to watch Spider-Man movies in order
- How to watch Star Trek in order
- How to watch Muppet movies in order
...and if you're looking for a TV series, why not binge these?
- How to watch Babylon 5 in order
- How to watch Black Mirror episodes in order
- How to watch the Arrowverse and DC TV shows in order
Conjuring: The Last Rites will be released in UK cinemas on Friday 5th September 2025.
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Cole Luke is a freelance journalist and video producer who contributes to RadioTimes.com's Gaming section. He also has bylines for Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, Network N and more.
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.
