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(Photo by Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection. THE CONJURING: LAST RITES)

All Conjuring Universe Movies Ranked

The first Conjuring movie descended with one of the great marketing hooks: That the MPAA had slapped it was an R rating for simply being too scary. And, for once, the movie itself lived up to the marketing hype: With nary any blood or boobs, The Conjuring jammed audiences into a non-stop claustrophobic horror thrill ride, as Ed and Lorraine Warren investigated paranormal activity in the ’70s. A Certified Fresh rating (a first for director James Wan) helped in securing a sequel, a $300 million worldwide box office haul all but guarantees it – and The Conjuring 2 was almost as scary as the original.

From there, the Conjuring Universe expanded into sequels and spin-offs that have whisked audiences to locales like London, Rome, and Mexico. With The Conjuring: Last Rites ostensibly tying up the entire franchise, we’re ranking all the Conjuring movies by Tomatometer, with Certified Fresh films first!

#1

The Conjuring (2013)
Tomatometer icon 86%

#1
Critics Consensus: Well-crafted and gleefully creepy, The Conjuring ratchets up dread through a series of effective old-school scares.
Synopsis: In 1970, paranormal investigators and demonologists Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed (Patrick Wilson) Warren are summoned to the home of [More]
Directed By: James Wan

#2

The Conjuring 2 (2016)
Tomatometer icon 80%

#2
Critics Consensus: The Conjuring 2 can't help but lose a bit of its predecessor's chilly sting through familiarity, but what remains is still a superior ghost story told with spine-tingling skill.
Synopsis: In 1977, paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren come out of a self-imposed sabbatical to travel to Enfield, [More]
Directed By: James Wan

#3

Annabelle: Creation (2017)
Tomatometer icon 70%

#3
Critics Consensus: Annabelle: Creation adds another strong chapter to the Conjuring franchise - and offers further proof that freaky-looking dolls remain reliably terrifying.
Synopsis: Former toy maker Sam Mullins and his wife, Esther, are happy to welcome a nun and six orphaned girls into [More]
Directed By: David F. Sandberg

#4
#4
Critics Consensus: Fun for fans even if it isn't as frightening as some of its predecessors, Annabelle Comes Home suggests there's still some life left in the Conjuring franchise.
Synopsis: Determined to keep Annabelle from wreaking more havoc, paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren lock the possessed doll in the [More]
Directed By: Gary Dauberman

#5
Critics Consensus: The Devil Made Me Do It represents a comedown for the core Conjuring films, although Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson keep the audience invested.
Synopsis: "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It" reveals a chilling story of terror, murder and unknown evil that shocked [More]
Directed By: Michael Chaves

#6
Critics Consensus: Purportedly Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson's final outing as the Warrens, Last Rites underwhelms as a climactic chapter for The Conjuring but solidly upholds the franchise's spooky standards.
Synopsis: The Conjuring: Last Rites delivers another thrilling chapter of the iconic Conjuring cinematic universe, based on real events. Vera Farmiga [More]
Directed By: Michael Chaves

#7

The Nun II (2023)
Tomatometer icon 51%

#7
Critics Consensus: Scarier than its predecessor, The Nun II makes for an entertaining addition to the Conjuring franchise despite not being the most original horror sequel.
Synopsis: 1956 -- France. A priest is murdered. An evil is spreading. The sequel to the worldwide smash hit follows Sister [More]
Directed By: Michael Chaves

#8

Annabelle (2014)
Tomatometer icon 28%

#8
Critics Consensus: Annabelle borrows unabashedly from better horror films, content to leave viewers with a string of cheap jolts that fail to build on the far more effective The Conjuring.
Synopsis: John Form (Ward Horton) thinks he's found the perfect gift for his expectant wife, Mia (Annabelle Wallis) : a vintage [More]
Directed By: John R. Leonetti

#9
#9
Critics Consensus: Content to coast on jump scares rather than tap into its story's creepy potential, The Curse of La Llorona arrives in theaters already broken.
Synopsis: In 1970s Los Angeles, the legendary ghost La Llorona is stalking the night -- and the children. Ignoring the eerie [More]
Directed By: Michael Chaves

#10

The Nun (2018)
Tomatometer icon 24%

#10
Critics Consensus: The Nun boasts strong performances, spooky atmospherics, and a couple decent set-pieces, but its sins include inconsistent logic and narrative slackness.
Synopsis: When a young nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania takes her own life, a priest with a haunted past [More]
Directed By: Corin Hardy