In recent years The Conjuring-verse has become one of the biggest money-making franchises, not just in horror genre but also generally. Starting in 2013 with The Conjuring, this James Wan directed scary movie took the world by storm as it instantly became iconic upon its release. The Conjuring was critically and commercially successful and instilled hope within Warner Brothers that they could spin this off into its own cinematic universe. After MCU, the Conjuring-verse has been one of the most successful cinematic universes, even  though the quality of some of the recent entries have gone down. The Conjuring 3 Review: The Warrens' Scariest Case Ever Is Terrifyingly Satisfying for the Critics!

The main Conjuring movies present a dramatization of events  of the supposed real life cases of Ed and Lorraine Warren, who are paranormal hunters. while most of the spinoff expand the horror lore that were presented in the main canon. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga play the roles of Ed and Lorraine Warren respectively.

So with the release of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It this week, we are going to be ranking all The Conjuring Universe movies that came before it based on their IMDb score.

The Curse of La Llorona 

A Still from The Curse of La Llorona

IMDb Rating: 5.3

This Michael Chaves directed spin-off sees the film take on the Latin American folklore of La Llorona. It follows a mother in 1973 Los Angeles who must save her children from a malevolent spirit who is trying to steal them. Starring Linda Cardellini in the lead, the movie was lambasted by critics for being the weakest film in the franchise. The Curse of the Weeping Woman Movie Review: The Horror Offering Is Clichéd but So Frighteningly Entertaining.

The Nun 

A Still from The Nun

IMDb Rating: 5.3

The Nun is directed by Corin Hardy and is a spin-off\prequel of The Conjuring 2. Borrie Aarons reprises her role as Valak, the Demon Nun from The Conjuring 2. The plot follows a Roman Catholic priest and a nun in her novitiate as they uncover an unholy secret in the 1952 Romania. The film just goes great as a double feature with The Conjuring 2. However, The Nun has been criticised for not making good use of its gothic atmospheric horror, and for keeping Valak too long in the shadows. The Nun Movie Review: The Most-Awaited Chapter in the Conjuring Universe Sadly Disappoints.

Annabelle 

A Still from Annabelle

IMDb Rating: 5.4

The first spin-off in The Conjuring universe, the plot follows around the doll that the Warrens investigated in The Conjuring. It mainly focused on fleshing out the origins of the Annabelle doll. The film, while itself quite underwhelming, is still able to deliver on some really frightening scenes especially the staircase sequence.

Annabelle Comes Home

A Still from Annabelle Comes Home

IMDb Rating: 5.9

The seventh installment in The Conjuring Universe, the film is a sequel to 2014’s Annabelle and 2017’s Annabelle: Creation. It even brings the two main leads from the main Conjuring films. Ed and Lorraine Warren in extended cameos. The movie follows the Warrens after they take the Annabelle doll into their own possession. but the over-inquisitive friend of their daughter's babysitter releases the malevolence within the house when the Warrens are out, leaving the kids to fend themselves against all the evils Annabelle now controls.

Annabelle: Creation 

A Still from Annabelle: Creation

IMDb Rating: 6.5

A prequel to 2014’s Annabelle, this is the fourth installment in The Conjuring Universe. While the first Annabelle helped in fleshing out the story of how the Annabelle doll become the vessel for evil, Annabelle: Creation specifically focuses how it came out to be. It received positive reviews upon its release and was lauded for being better than its predecessor.

The Conjuring 2 

A Still from The Conjuring 2

IMDb Rating: 7.3

This 2016 horror film sees James Wan returning in the director’s chair and churning another thrilling horror film. It’s the second film in The Conjuring series and the third film overall in the franchise. The Conjuring 2 continues to tell the stories of Ed and Lorraine Warren as it sees them travel to the United Kingdom to assist the Hodgson family, who are experiencing poltergeist activity at their house in 1977.

The Conjuring 

A Still from The Conjuring

IMDb Rating: 7.5

The one where it all started. Released in 2013 and directed by James Wan, The Conjuring was the first installment in this horror franchise. The film follows Ed and Lorrain Warren, who are associated with investigating and writing about cases of haunting. They come to the assistance of the Perron family, who experience increasingly disturbing events in their farmhouse in 1971.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It will have its worldwide release on June 4, 2021 in select theatres. There is also a simultaneous release on HBO Max in specific regions, where theatres are not open but the streaming service is available. However, James Wan won't be directed the threequel, instead it would be Michael Chaves, who interestingly made the weakest film in the whole series.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 31, 2021 04:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).