The True Chronological Order Of The Conjuring Universe: A Deep Dive Into The Warrens' Timeline (2025 Update)

Understanding the sprawling, interconnected narrative of The Conjuring Universe can feel like navigating a haunted labyrinth. With nine films released and an upcoming finale, the franchise hops across four decades of paranormal history, making the theatrical release order completely different from the in-universe chronological story. As of December 2025, the timeline spans almost 40 years, from the 1950s origins of the demonic nun Valak to the 1980s final cases of Ed and Lorraine Warren. This comprehensive guide provides the definitive, up-to-date chronological viewing order, ensuring you experience the full, terrifying evolution of the franchise's most iconic entities.

This is the ultimate guide to the entire, terrifying saga, including the highly anticipated The Conjuring: Last Rites, scheduled to hit theaters in 2025. Following this timeline allows you to witness the rise of the central demonic forces—Valak and Annabelle—before the famed demonologists, Ed and Lorraine Warren, ever cross their paths. It’s the only way to fully appreciate the narrative threads that connect a cursed doll, a demonic nun, and multiple real-life hauntings.

The Definitive Chronological Timeline of The Conjuring Universe

To follow the story as it unfolds in the fictional universe, you must jump between the main Conjuring films and their spin-offs. This order starts with the earliest recorded demonic activity and builds up to the Warrens' most famous investigations.

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1. The Nun (2018) - 1952
   • Summary: The earliest event in the timeline. Set in a remote Romanian abbey, this film introduces the demon Valak, who takes the form of a terrifying nun. The events here directly lead to the demon’s later encounters with Lorraine Warren.
   • Key Entities: Valak (The Demonic Nun), Father Burke, Sister Irene.
2. Annabelle: Creation (2017) - 1955
   • Summary: This is an origin story for the infamous Annabelle doll. It reveals how a demon was accidentally summoned and attached itself to the doll in the home of a dollmaker and his wife. The ending connects directly to the events of the first Annabelle film.
   • Key Entities: Annabelle, Janice/Annabelle Higgins, Mullins family.
3. The Nun II (2023) - 1956
   • Summary: A direct sequel to The Nun, set four years later in France. Sister Irene must once again face Valak, who is now terrorizing a boarding school. The film further solidifies Valak's connection to the larger universe.
   • Key Entities: Valak, Sister Irene, Maurice (Frenchie).
4. Annabelle (2014) - 1967
   • Summary: The first film to be released chronologically after The Conjuring, but the fourth in the timeline. It shows the initial haunting of a young couple, the Form family, by the possessed Annabelle doll, shortly before she is acquired by Ed and Lorraine Warren.
   • Key Entities: Annabelle, Mia and John Form.
5. The Conjuring (2013) - 1971
   • Summary: The film that started it all. It introduces paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren as they take on their most famous case: the haunting of the Perron family in their Rhode Island farmhouse by the spirit of a witch named Bathsheba Sherman.
   • Key Entities: Ed and Lorraine Warren, Perron family, Bathsheba Sherman.
6. Annabelle Comes Home (2019) - 1972
   • Summary: This film is set entirely within the Warrens' artifact room. After the Annabelle doll is brought home and locked away, she awakens other evil entities in the room, targeting the Warrens' daughter, Judy, and her babysitters.
   • Key Entities: Annabelle, Judy Warren, Ed and Lorraine Warren.
7. The Curse of La Llorona (2019) - 1973
   • Summary: While often considered a standalone film, it is officially part of the universe due to the appearance of Father Perez from Annabelle. The story follows a social worker protecting her children from the demonic spirit of a weeping woman from Mexican folklore, La Llorona.
   • Key Entities: La Llorona, Father Perez.
8. The Conjuring 2 (2016) - 1977
   • Summary: The Warrens travel to North London to investigate the notorious Enfield Poltergeist haunting the Hodgson family. This film features the return of Valak, who is relentlessly tormenting Lorraine, and introduces the terrifying entity known as The Crooked Man.
   • Key Entities: Ed and Lorraine Warren, Valak, The Crooked Man, Hodgson family.
9. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) - 1981
   • Summary: The Warrens investigate the case of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, the first time in US history that a murder suspect claimed demonic possession as a defense. The case leads them to uncover a dangerous cultist and a dark curse.
   • Key Entities: Ed and Lorraine Warren, Arne Cheyenne Johnson, The Occultist.

The Core of the Universe: Ed and Lorraine Warren’s Real-Life Cases

The central pillar of the franchise is the work of real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. The main Conjuring films are based on their case files, providing a chilling layer of topical authority to the horror. The universe’s success hinges on the audience’s curiosity about these real-life events and the people involved.

The first film, The Conjuring, recounts the Perron family haunting in 1971, where the family was tormented by the malevolent spirit of Bathsheba Sherman. The sequel, The Conjuring 2, focused on the famous Enfield Poltergeist case in England, which involved alleged possession and telekinetic activity.

Most recently, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It explored the controversial 1981 trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who claimed he was possessed when he committed a murder. These connections to actual demonology and alleged hauntings are what keep the franchise fresh and terrifying.

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The Future of Fear: The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025)

The chronological timeline is set to continue with the final chapter of the main series: The Conjuring: Last Rites. This highly anticipated film is scheduled for release in 2025 and is expected to conclude the "Phase One" of the Warrens' cinematic journey.

While details remain scarce, speculation and early reports suggest Last Rites may be based on the Smurl Haunting. The Smurl family case, which the real-life Warrens investigated in the 1980s, involved claims of a demonic entity in their Pennsylvania home. This case, if confirmed, would place Last Rites chronologically in the mid-1980s, serving as a powerful, climactic final case for the cinematic Warrens.

How to Watch: Chronological vs. Release Order

The best way to watch the universe depends on your intention. For maximum fright and narrative cohesion, the chronological order listed above is recommended. However, watching them in release order offers a different, more traditional experience where the spin-offs act as surprise backstories for the entities introduced in the main films.

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Release Order (Theatrical Experience):

• The Conjuring (2013)
• Annabelle (2014)
• The Conjuring 2 (2016)
• Annabelle: Creation (2017)
• The Nun (2018)
• The Curse of La Llorona (2019)
• Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
• The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
• The Nun II (2023)
• The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025 - Upcoming)

The release order allows you to experience the universe as the creators intended, with the mystery of the Annabelle doll and the demon Valak being revealed retroactively through their origin stories. The chronological order, conversely, provides a seamless, decades-spanning narrative that truly highlights the inescapable, interconnected nature of the evil the Warrens face.