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) helps 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.
Years later, the Conjuring Universe is in full-swing, having now expanded into one direct sequel and many spinoffs that have whisked audiences to locales like London, Rome, and Mexico. Since then, we’ve seen a third sequel (The Devil Made Me Do It) and a full expansion spin-offs with The Curse of La Llorona, and two times The Nun. Plenty of confess and keep you up at night, and with that we’re ranking all the Conjuring movies by Tomatometer, with Certified Fresh films first!
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
