The Definitive Ranking of The Conjuring Universe Movies From Worst to Best!
5. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
The Devil Made Me Do It feels like a director besides James Wan made a Conjuring movie, which is exactly what it is. I don’t mean that as an insult to Michael Chaves at all. He’s a capable director whose first two feature films have been pretty solid. It’s just that… Well, he’s no James Wan. The Devil Made Me Do It definitely has good parts, most notably a spine-chilling performance by Eugenie Bondurant as “The Occultist.” The main issue with the film overall is that it lacks the same sense of urgency as the last two films in The Conjuring series, which prevented the tension from really building. Despite being a bit underwhelming, The Devil Made Me Do It is still a solid addition to The Conjuring Universe and introduces a new “level of evil” for the franchise to toy with in the future.
4. Annabelle: Creation
For everyone who ever wondered what happened right before the opening of Annabelle, there’s Annabelle: Creation. All joking aside, the actual origin story of the creepiest doll in moviedom does it justice. Shockingly, the events leading to a demonic entity inhabiting an unsettling porcelain doll hit several primo spots in horror movie Bingo, including isolated farmhouses, orphans, and antiquated medical equipment. It’s actually a pretty heartbreaking story, but I won’t spoil it for you. However, I will note that Annabelle: Creation expanded The Conjuring Universe in more than one way thanks to the My Annabelle Creation short-film competition. If I were a betting man, I’d say the odds were good that those short films will be getting the feature-length treatment in the not too distant future.
3. The Conjuring 2
The Conjuring Universe circled back around to focus on the Warrens for the third installment in the franchise and sent them overseas to investigate the Enfield poltergeist. Unlike most horror sequels, The Conjuring 2 is actually a solid follow up thanks to James Wan’s return as director. He uses several same psychological techniques that made the first film so dread-inducing and once again left audiences on the edge of their seats The downside is that the story gets a little convoluted due to a few too many twists. Still, The Conjuring would be a hard act to follow no matter what, but The Conjuring 2 still secured the future of the shared universe by introducing Valak and setting up The Nun. It also perfectly set up another spin-off for The Crooked Man character, who had a recurring role in my nightmares for a while there.
2. Annabelle Comes Home
This is where my views on The Conjuring Universe differ from a lot of other critics. Yeah, Annabelle Comes Home isn’t quite as scary as The Conjuring 2, but it’s basically The Conjuring Universe’s version of The Avengers. We finally get a peek inside the Warren’s vault of cursed objects, which was a disaster just waiting to happen. I mean, who thinks gathering that much evil in one place is a good idea? Plus, I think the door was particleboard… A toddler taking a corner too quickly could break that thing down. Don’t get me wrong, I’m ecstatic that this recipe for disaster came together so perfectly because Annabelle Comes Home is delicious. Of all the movies in The Conjuring Universe, this one has the highest re-watch value. One thing all fans of The Conjuring Universe can agree on, Mary Ellen deserves a spot in the babysitter hall of fame after surviving that night of horrors.
1. The Conjuring
Haunted houses, possessions, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, The Conjuring has got it all! Not only is it the top entry in The Conjuring Universe, but I’d also call it one of the greatest horror movies of all time. It’s a masterpiece of tension and suspense that still manages to make me jump even though I know what’s coming. It’s the sort of film in which you can’t help whispering helpful words of advice like “don’t” and “nope” to the characters on screen, even though they’ll never hear you. It’s the same kind of visceral horror that beats the logical part of your brain into submission, and I loved every moment. It’s no wonder Warner Bros was champing at the bit to have James Wan created a whole horror universe based around it. Here’s hoping they continue to milk this cash cow for a long time to come.
There you have the definitive ranking of The Conjure Universe. Let me know what you think of the order in the comments below and if there are any Warren cases you hope to see join it in the future. The franchise is showing no signs of slowing down, so make sure you check back in the future to see how the rankings above might change.