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The $2 billion-grossing “Conjuring” universe will grow by one more film this Friday with the release of “The Nun II,” which will see Taissa Farmiga reprise her creepy role as Sister Irene.
The original “Nun” movie, which followed Sister Irene as she fended off the possessed demon nun Valek in 1952 Romania, debuted in 2018 and earned $366 million worldwide on the way to becoming the top-grossing in the “Conjuring” franchise to date.
If you’re looking to binge the whole “Conjuring” series ahead of the newest installment, you’ll be able to find every film in the franchise on a streaming platform. You can also stream the entire “Conjuring” series for free by signing up for a free trial of Prime Video’s Max add-on. Sign up for a free trial here.
Of course, those familiar with filmmaker James Wan’s demon-busting adventures knows that the films weren’t released in chronological order. If you’re looking to wade through the horror series in order, you’ll want to start off in 1950s Romania with “The Nun” and close out your marathon binge with 2021’s “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.”
Below, check out where (and in what order) to watch all the “Conjuring” films ahead of “The Nun II” this weekend.
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The Nun (2018)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Picture Cast: Taissa Farmiga, Bonnie Aarons, Demián Bichir, Jonas Bloquet
Synopsis: In this chilling prequel, Bichir and Farmiga team up as a priest and novitiate, respectively, sent by the Vatican to investigate the death of a young nun in a remote Romanian village who takes her own life under mysterious circumstances. As they delve deeper into the eerie secrets of the convent, they confront malevolent forces and an unholy presence in the form of a nun (reprised by Aarons from “Conjuring 2”).
Variety review: “Employing just about every trick from the Hammer Horror playbook without wasting time trying to make any sense, it provides a serviceable 96 minutes of standard-issue jump scares and supernatural hokum, keeping the franchise fresh in moviegoers’ minds and raking in some easy cash while we wait for the next proper installment.”
Where to watch: Max, Prime Video
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Annabelle: Creation (2017)
Cast: Anthona LaPaglia, Samara Lee, Miranda Otto, Brad Greenquist
Synopsis: The fourth installment in the “Conjuring” Universe, “Annabelle Creation” is set just a few years after “The Nun” in 1955 California. It depicts the origin of one of the most iconic “Conjuring” characters, the eponymous Annabelle, a haunted doll first introduced in “The Conjuring.”
Variety review: “Despite being stuck with a lame script, ‘Lights Out’ director David F. Sandberg manages to conjure some effective scares in New Line’s demon-doll prequel.”
Where to watch: Max, Prime Video
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Annabelle (2014)
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett C Cast: Ward Horton, Annabelle Wallis, Alfre Woodard, Tony Amendola
Synopsis: In “Annabelle,” John Form believes he’s discovered the ideal gift for his pregnant wife, Mia: a charming vintage doll clad in an elegant white dress. However, their joy takes a sinister turn when their home is invaded by a group of devil worshippers one fateful night. The cultists launch a brutal assault on the couple and attempt to summon a demonic entity. In doing so, they defile the nursery by inscribing a bloody rune on the wall and staining Mia’s doll with their blood, transforming the once-beautiful doll into a conduit for unspeakable evil.
Variety review: “The scares are cheap but periodically effective in ‘Annabelle,’ a cut-rate spinoff from James Wan’s superlative haunted-house hit ‘The Conjuring’ that (partly) makes up in crude shock effects what it lacks in craft, atmosphere and just about every other department.”
Where to watch: Max, Prime Video
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The Conjuring (2013)
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston, Lily Taylor
Synopsis: The first of what would become a cult-favorite franchise, 2013’s “The Conjuring” stars Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as a pair of investigators that are summoned to the home of the Perron family after a supernatural force has made itself known.
Variety review: “The mere sound of two hands clapping will have audiences begging for mercy in “The Conjuring,” a sensationally entertaining old-school freakout and one of the smartest, most viscerally effective thrillers in recent memory.”
Where to watch: Max, Prime Video
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Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection Cast: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Mckenna Grace, Madison Iseman
Synopsis: In their relentless pursuit to contain Annabelle’s malevolent influence, paranormal experts Ed and Lorraine Warren imprison the possessed doll within their home’s cursed artifacts chamber. However, this decision inadvertently rouses evil spirits dwelling in the room, plunging a night of unspeakable horror upon their 10-year-old daughter, her companion and their babysitter.
Variety review: “Annabelle, the devil doll who is not possessed (got it?), presides over a hyper grab bag of a haunted-house thriller that fails to conjure much fear.”
Where to watch: Max, Prime Video
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The Curse of La Llorona
Cast: Linda Cardellini, Raymond Cruz, Patricia Velasquez, Marisol Ramirez
Synopsis: In the backdrop of 1970s Los Angeles, the infamous specter known as La Llorona haunts the city after dark, targeting innocent children. Despite the ominous cautionary words of a distressed mother, a social worker and her own children become entangled in a chilling supernatural dimension. Their sole chance of surviving La Llorona’s perilous vengeance lies in the hands of a disillusioned priest skilled in mystical arts and dedicated to warding off malevolent forces.
Variety Review: “An efficiently formulaic shocker inspired by the centuries-old Mexican legend of the titular bogeywoman.”
Where to Watch: Max, Prime Video
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The Conjuring 2 (2016)
Cast: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Madison Wolfe, Frances O’Connor
Synopsis: Farmiga and Wilson reprise their roles as Lorraine and Ed Warren after they come out of a self-imposed sabbatical to travel to Enfield, a borough in north London. There, they meet Peggy Hodgson, an overwhelmed single mother of four who tells the couple that something evil is in her home. When the youngest daughter starts to show signs of demonic possession, the pair try to help the besieged girl only to become the next targets of the malicious spirit.
Variety review: “’The Conjuring 2′ makes it easy to revel, because Wan has a gift that most slam-bang horror directors today do not: a sense of the audience — of their rhythm and pulse, of how to manipulate a moment so that he’s practically controlling your breathing.”
Where to watch: Available to rent/purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.
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The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ruari O’Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook
Synopsis: The eighth film in the franchise is also the eighth film you should watch if going in chronological order. In the 2021 film, Ed and Lorraine Warren take on one of the most sensational cases of their careers after a cop stumbles upon a dazed and bloodied young man walking down the road. Accused of murder, the suspect claims demonic possession as his defense, forcing the Warrens into a supernatural inquiry unlike anything they’ve ever seen before.
Variety review: “’The Devil Made Me Do It’ is less scary than its predecessors, but what I found unintentionally funny is that as the identity of the perpetrator comes to the fore, the culprit is showcased exactly as if she were… another demon!”
Where to watch: Max, Prime Video