You can skip 5 of the 9 titles in the The Conjuring franchise and still follow the main story: The Nun, The Nun II, Annabelle: Creation, Annabelle, and Annabelle Comes Home. The essentials (4 titles) take about 8 hours instead of 17 hours.
- Skippable
- 5
- Essentials
- 4
- Time saved
- 9 hours
Safe to skip
- The Nun2018 · Film · 1h 36m · optionalValak's origin in 1952 Romania; the earliest story. Optional.
- The Nun II2023 · Film · 1h 50m · optionalSister Irene faces Valak again; optional.
- Annabelle: Creation2017 · Film · 1h 50m · optionalHow the Annabelle doll came to be; optional.
- Annabelle2014 · Film · 1h 39m · optionalThe doll's first haunting; optional.
- Annabelle Comes Home2019 · Film · 1h 46m · optionalThe doll loose in the Warrens' house; optional.
Why each one is optional
What each skippable title is, what it adds if you do watch it, and who is in it.
No. 01 · 2014 · Film · 1h 39m · optional
Annabelle
A couple begins to experience terrifying supernatural occurrences involving a vintage doll shortly after their home is invaded by satanic cultists.
Why it matters: The doll's first haunting; optional.
- Starring
- Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, and Tony Amendola
- Director
- John R. Leonetti
- Box office
- $258 million on a $7 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 28%
No. 02 · 2017 · Film · 1h 50m · optional
Annabelle: Creation
Several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a doll maker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon becoming the target of the doll maker's possessed creation—Annabelle.
Why it matters: How the Annabelle doll came to be; optional.
- Starring
- Stephanie Sigman, Talitha Eliana Bateman, and Lulu Wilson
- Director
- David F. Sandberg
- Box office
- $307 million on a $15 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 71%
No. 03 · 2018 · Film · 1h 36m · optional
The Nun
A priest with a dark past and a novice nearing her final vows are sent by the Vatican to Romania to investigate a nun's death and face a demonic force.
Why it matters: Valak's origin in 1952 Romania; the earliest story. Optional.
- Starring
- Taissa Farmiga, Demián Bichir, and Bonnie Aarons
- Director
- Corin Hardy
- Box office
- $366 million on a $22 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 24%
No. 04 · 2019 · Film · 1h 46m · optional
Annabelle Comes Home
Determined to keep Annabelle from wreaking more havoc, demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren bring the possessed doll to the locked artifacts room in their home, placing her “safely” behind sacred glass and enlisting a priest’s holy blessing. But an unholy night of horror awaits as Annabelle awakens the evil spirits in the room, who all set their sights on a new target—the Warrens' ten-year-old daughter, Judy, and her friends.
Why it matters: The doll loose in the Warrens' house; optional.
- Starring
- Mckenna Grace, Madison Iseman, and Katie Sarife
- Director
- Gary Dauberman
- Box office
- $231 million on a $27 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.9 · Rotten Tomatoes 64%
No. 05 · 2023 · Film · 1h 50m · optional
The Nun II
In 1956 France, a priest is violently murdered, and Sister Irene begins to investigate. She once again comes face-to-face with a powerful evil.
Why it matters: Sister Irene faces Valak again; optional.
- Starring
- Taissa Farmiga, Anna Popplewell, and Jonas Bloquet
- Director
- Michael Chaves
- Box office
- $270 million on a $39 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 51%
The essentials, in release order
- The Conjuring2013 · Film · 1h 52mEd and Lorraine Warren take on the Perron farmhouse; the place to start.
- The Conjuring 22016 · Film · 2h 14mThe Enfield haunting and the first appearance of Valak.
- The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It2021 · Film · 1h 51mA murder case blamed on possession.
- The Conjuring: Last Rites2025 · Film · 2h 16mThe Warrens' final case.
Common questions
Do I need to watch every The Conjuring title?
No. You can skip 5 of the 9 titles in the The Conjuring franchise and still follow the main story: The Nun, The Nun II, Annabelle: Creation, Annabelle, and Annabelle Comes Home. The essentials (4 titles) take about 8 hours instead of 17 hours.
How long are the The Conjuring essentials?
About 8 hours for 4 titles, in release order starting with The Conjuring.
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