Yahoo News A timeline of The Conjuring universe
The Conjuring universe is back to scare us again this year with the long-awaited release of the third movie, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are back as Ed and Lorraine Warren as the duo investigate another real-life case. This time though, there won't be a haunted house in sight, which is a bit of a blessing since we've spent a long time in our homes this past year, and we don't want to imagine them being haunted.
The movie will be out in cinemas on May 28 in the UK and June 4 in the US (where it will also be available on HBO Max), which makes it the perfect time to rewatch the entire series to date or discover what the fuss is about is you've never seen them before.
Like any good cinematic universe, The Conjuring series is not just about the Warrens and has grown to feature spin-off movies for villains in the main movies, including a whole trilogy (of varying quality) for the cursed doll Annabelle.
Watching them in order is not as easy as you might think. It can get surprisingly complicated, so be warned. And don't turn off the lights...
Here's how to watch The Conjuring series, in the precise timeline order. WoOoOoOoOoOohhh.
Annabelle: Creation – 1943 / 1952 / 1955 / 1967
Watch now: Prime Video | iTunes
Annabelle: Creation is a prequel to Annabelle, itself a prequel to The Conjuring.
It expands on how the evil doll we first saw in James Wan's original movie came to be possessed, starting out with a car accident in 1943, before moving into an orphanage in 1955, where it gets good.
But if you really want to see these movies chronologically, you actually need to watch the beginning of this movie, before switching to the post-credits scene as that's a teaser for The Nun, set in 1952.
Then you can watch the majority of The Nun, before switching back to Annabelle: Creation, all the way through to its coda in 1967.
The Nun – 1952 / 1971
Watch now: Prime Video | iTunes
The Nun is set in 1952 and, thankfully, stays there for the majority of its running time as Catholic priest Father Burke (Demián Bichir) and nun in training Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) investigate the suicide of a nun at a convent in Romania, unaware it's linked to the demon Valak.
However, then the very final scene of the movie skips ahead to 1971 and a scene we saw in The Conjuring as it's revealed that Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet) is actually Maurice Theriault.
He's the person we saw being exorcised by the Warrens in The Conjuring, so if you wanted to watch the whole series chronologically, you'd actually have to stop The Nun here and watch this scene at the exact same time it occurs in The Conjuring. (We won't blame you if you skip that exercise.)
Annabelle – 1967
Watch now: Prime Video | iTunes
You can now get through Annabelle, which sees the creepy doll making its first movements into the realm of the damned. Unfortunately, this is definitely the worst of the series – but watching it right after Creation does improve it somewhat.
Annabelle Comes Home – 1968 / 1969 (or 1971 / 1972)
Watch now: Prime Video | iTunes
The third Annabelle movie – Annabelle Comes Home – kicks off with the Warrens bringing Annabelle to their cursed artefacts room. It's an extension of the scene we saw in the cold open of The Conjuring, set in 1968.
So technically, you'd have to watch that bit first, then come back to Annabelle Comes Home if you want to be specific.
The movie skips ahead a year to 1969 and takes place across one night as Annabelle decides to wake up fellow evil spirits to target the Warrens' daughter, Judy, after her babysitter's friend makes the mistake of letting Annabelle loose.
Or so we thought. However, it seems that the majority of Annabelle Comes Home could be set in 1972. There's the Perron music box in the artefacts room from The Conjuring and a popular 1971 song plays during the movie.
We have a feeling they forgot that The Conjuring cold open took place in 1968...
The Conjuring – 1968 / 1971
Watch now: Prime Video | iTunes
Now we finally get to the first movie in the series, which is also arguably the best. James Wan leaned into his influences for The Conjuring, updating movies such as The Changeling and Burnt Offerings for a modern generation.
As with those movies, the terrifying events take place in the '70s, specifically 1971 as Ed and Lorraine Warren helping out a large family who have moved into a haunted farmhouse. It's based on a "true" story, if you believe ghosts and farmhouses are real (farmhouses probably are real, to be honest).
Although if you want to truly watch this in chronological order, you'll have to pause for a bit after the Annabelle opening set in 1968, and watch Annabelle Comes Home, before coming back to the rest of The Conjuring. Simple, right?
Or if Annabelle Comes Home is set mainly in 1972, you'd have to watch the opening of that movie after The Conjuring cold open, then come back to the rest of The Conjuring, before watching the rest of Annabelle Comes Home.
Simple, right?
The Curse of La Llorona – 1973
Watch now: Prime Video | iTunes
We didn't know it in advance, but The Curse of La Llorona is actually part of The Conjuring universe.
Set in 1973, we catch up with Father Perez (Tony Amendola) from Annabelle as he chats to Anna Garcia (Linda Cardellini) about that time he battled an evil doll. That's about the only Conjuring connection though.
That doesn't mean we won't see La Llorona in future movies though...
The Conjuring 2 – 1976 / 1977
Watch now: Prime Video | iTunes
Another movie that's based on a true story – if you think that ghosts making people levitate is more likely than a teenager jumping off a bed.
The Conjuring 2 saw the Warrens investigate the Amityville house in 1976, before moving on to a case in the UK in 1977, which we knew as the Enfield Hauntings, which is where the potential bed-jumping shenanigans took place.
Throwing in the aforementioned Nun for good measure, as well as a creepy dude known as The Crooked Man (who's getting his own movie too, what is this, The Avengers?), The Conjuring 2 marked a turning point for the franchise, where it really started to become the MCU of horror movies.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It – 1980/1981?
For now, we're taking a guess that The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It will follow the real-life timeline of the story upon which it's based — that of Arne Cheyenne Johnson.
In 1981, he was charged with manslaughter for murdering his landlord, but claimed that he was possessed by a demon. The Warrens first investigated the apparent possession of 11-year-old David Glatzel in 1980, so the movie could well start in that year, before moving on to cover the case of Arne Cheyenne Johnson in 1981.
No specific timeline for the third movie has yet been confirmed, though.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is out in UK cinemas on May 28 and in US cinemas on June 4. It will also be available to watch in the US on HBO Max from June 4 for 31 days.
Digital Spy's digital magazine is back! Read every issue now with a 1-month free trial, only on Apple News+.
Interested in Digital Spy's weekly newsletter? Sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox – and don't forget to join our Watch This Facebook Group for daily TV recommendations and discussions with other readers.
You Might Also Like
