The Conjuring Universe (2024)

The Conjuring Universe is an American horror franchise and shared universe centered on a series of supernatural horror films, produced by New Line Cinema, The Safran Company, and Atomic Monster Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The films present a dramatization of the supposed real-life cases of Ed and Lorraine Warren, paranormal investigators and authors associated with prominent yet controversial cases of haunting. The main series follows their attempts to assist people who find themselves possessed by demonic spirits, while the spin-off films focus on the origins of some of the entities the Warrens have encountered.

The franchise has been commercially successful, having grossed a combined $2.0 billion against a combined budget of $169 million, becoming the second highest-grossing horror franchise. The franchise has predominantly received positive to mixed reviews.

Overview[]

The franchise consists of three films in the main series: The Conjuring (2013), The Conjuring 2 (2016), and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021). The first two films were directed by James Wan, while the third film was directed by Michael Chaves. The first two installments revolve around two of the many famous paranormal cases of which the Warrens have been a part, with the first film depicting the case of the Perron family, who are experiencing disturbing events in their newly acquired house in Rhode Island. The second entry focused on the controversial case of the Enfield poltergeist while briefly referring to the events that inspired The Amityville Horror. A sequel to the two films, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, was released on June 4, 2021, and revolves around the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, a murder that took place in 1981 in Connecticut.

The franchise also includes Annabelle (2014), a prequel directed by The Conjuring cinematographer John R. Leonetti and produced by Peter Safran and Wan, which revealed the events of the doll of the same name before the Warrens came into contact with it at the start of the first film. A prequel, Annabelle: Creation (2017), directed by David F. Sandberg shows the events of the origins of the demon-manipulated doll. A third Annabelle film, Annabelle Comes Home, was released on June 26, 2019, with franchise writer Gary Dauberman making his directorial debut from a script he wrote. Producer Wan has likened the story to Night at the Museum, where Annabelle activates the haunted objects in the Warrens' artifact room.

The Nun, a prequel based on a character introduced in The Conjuring 2, was released in 2018. The plot focused on the origins of the demonic nun Valak before coming in contact with the Warrens. In April 2019, a sequel to The Nun was announced, with Akela Cooper penning the script and Wan and Safran co-producing the project.

Wan stated that they sought accuracy to real life in making the three main films, while the spin-offs allowed them to "just explore different sub-genres in the horror genre".

The first two Conjuring films were met with generally positive reviews by both critics and horror fans, earning praise for Wan's directing and main cast performances, particularly Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga's on-screen chemistry as Ed and Lorraine. Critics also acknowledged the effect the films have had on popular culture as well as in the production of modern horror films. The third entry received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances of Wilson and Farmiga but noted it as weaker than the previous Conjuring installments. The first entry in the Annabelle film series received more mixed to negative reviews, considered an inferior film to its forerunner. Annabelle: Creation was met with generally positive reviews. A sequel to both Annabelle films, Annabelle Comes Home, received mixed reviews. The Nun, on the other hand, received generally mixed to negative reviews. The three main films and its four spin-offs have proven themselves to be successful at the box office, having combined earnings of over $1.9 billion worldwide, against a combined budget of $178.5 million, making The Conjuring Universe the second highest-grossing horror franchise in history and one of the most critically acclaimed.

Development[]

Development began over 20 years before the first film's debut, when Ed Warren played a tape of Lorraine Warren's original interview with Carolyn Perron for producer Tony DeRosa-Grund. DeRosa-Grund made a recording of Warren playing back the tape and of their subsequent discussion. At the end of the tape, Warren said to DeRosa-Grund: "If we can't make this into a film I don't know what we can". DeRosa-Grund then described his vision of the film for Ed.

DeRosa-Grund wrote the original treatment and titled the project The Conjuring. For nearly 14 years, he tried to get the film made without any success. He originally landed a deal to make the film at Gold Circle Films, the production company behind The Haunting in Connecticut, but a contract could not be finalized and the deal was dropped.

DeRosa-Grund allied with producer Peter Safran, and sibling writers Chad and Carey W. Hayes were brought on board to refine the script. Using DeRosa-Grund's treatment and the Ed Warren tape, the Hayes brothers changed the story's point of view from the Perron family to that of the Warrens. The brothers interviewed Lorraine many times over the phone to clarify details. By mid-2009, the property became the subject of a six-studio bidding war that landed the film at Summit Entertainment; however, DeRosa-Grund and Summit could not conclude the transaction and the film went into turnaround. DeRosa-Grund reconnected with New Line Cinema, who had lost in the original bidding war, and the studio ultimately picked up the film. The same year on November 11, a deal was made between New Line and DeRosa-Grund's Evergreen Media Group.

Films[]

Released films[]

1. The Conjuring (2013)
2. Annabelle (2014)
3. The Conjuring 2 (2016)
4. Annabelle: Creation (2017)
5. The Nun (2018)
6. Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
7. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
8. The Nun II (2023)

Timeline[]

1. The Nun (1952)
2. Annabelle: Creation (1955)
3. The Nun II (1956)
4. Annabelle (1967)
5. The Conjuring (1971)
6. Annabelle Comes Home (1972)
7. The Conjuring 2 (1977)
8. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (1981)

The Conjuring (2013)[]

The first installment of the series (originally entitled The Warren Files, later retitled The Conjuring) centers on the real-life exploits of Ed and Lorraine Warren, a married couple who investigated paranormal events. Patrick Wilson starred alongside Vera Farmiga in the main roles of Ed and Lorraine. The film focused on the Warrens' 1971 case in which they investigated a witch's curse at a farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island. The Conjuring was released on July 19, 2013, to positive reviews. It earned $318 million worldwide against a budget of $20 million, becoming one of the most profitable horror films in history.

Annabelle (2014)[]

A spin-off film, focusing on the origins of the Annabelle doll that was introduced in The Conjuring, was announced shortly after the release of its forerunner, mainly due to the film's worldwide box office success, and positive reception towards the character. The plot focused on John and Mia Form, a married couple expecting a child, whose vintage doll, Annabelle, becomes possessed by a vengeful spirit after a cult couple breaks into their home and are killed. The film was directed by The Conjuring cinematographer John R. Leonetti and produced by Safran and Wan, with Gary Dauberman behind the script. The film was released worldwide on October 3, 2014, to major commercial success, becoming the 14th most profitable horror film in North America. Many critics found Annabelle to be an inferior film compared to The Conjuring.

The Conjuring 2 (2016)[]

A sequel, The Conjuring 2, was commissioned after the success of the original film and was also directed by Wan, with both Farmiga and Wilson reprising their roles. The film focused on the Enfield poltergeist case in London in 1977, while briefly referring to the events that inspired The Amityville Horror. It was released on June 10, 2016, to positive reviews from both critics and audiences; some agreed that the film was vastly superior to other horror sequels, while others debated whether the film had surpassed its predecessor in quality. Proving to be similarly successful to the first entry in the series, the film became another profitable addition to the franchise, having earned $320.3 million worldwide from a budget of $40 million, and becoming the second highest-grossing horror film of all time, after The Exorcist, until It was released in 2017.

Annabelle: Creation (2017)[]

An Annabelle sequel was in development, eventually revealed to be a prequel to the original film. The plot of the film centers on a dollmaker and his wife, whose daughter tragically died twelve years earlier, as they decide to open their home to a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage; the dollmaker's possessed creation Annabelle sets her sights on the children and turns their shelter into a storm of horror. Lights Out director David F. Sandberg replaced Leonetti as director, with Dauberman returning to write the script and Safran and Wan returning to produce. The film was released worldwide on August 11, 2017, to critical and commercial success, with many critics stating Annabelle: Creation was a vast improvement over its predecessor.

The Nun (2018)[]

A spin-off film titled The Nun, featuring the "Demon Nun" character Valak from The Conjuring 2, was directed by Corin Hardy, with The Conjuring 2 co-scribe David Leslie Johnson initially announced as the writer before being replaced by Gary Dauberman and Wan, who also produced with Safran. Demián Bichir starred in the lead role, while Bonnie Aarons reprised her role in the film. The plot of the film follows a nun, a priest and a novitiate as they investigate an unholy secret and confront a malevolent force in the form of a demonic nun. The film was released on September 7, 2018, and grossed $365.6 million on a budget of $22 million, becoming the highest grossing film in the franchise.

Annabelle Comes Home (2019)[]

The third installment in the Annabelle series, Annabelle Comes Home, featured Gary Dauberman as a writer and the director in his directorial debut. It was based on a story treatment written by Dauberman and Wan. Wan and Peter Safran co-produced the project.

Annabelle Comes Home takes place after Annabelle and The Conjuring and focuses on the doll after she was kept in the glass box in the Warrens' museum. Wilson and Farmiga reprised their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren, alongside Mckenna Grace as Judy Warren and Madison Iseman as Judy's teenage babysitter. The film was released on June 26, 2019.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)[]

In 2016, Wan stated that though he would not be directing another film in the series, due to scheduling conflicts, "there could be many more [Conjuring] movies because the Warrens have so many stories", acknowledging that "there are other filmmakers that I would love to sort of continue on the Conjuring world". Wan said that the next film in the series would take place during the 1980s and spoke of ideas for the films to explore lycanthropy, citing American Werewolf in London and The Hound of the Baskervilles as inspiration. Safran stated that the next film would not be a haunted house movie. David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick was hired to write the screenplay. In August 2017, Wan explained that the third movie had been in development a long time, as all the creative minds involved wanted it to live up to the quality of the previous two films.

In October 2018, Michael Chaves was announced as the film's director, after previously directing The Curse of La Llorona. Wan was impressed while working with Chaves on the film, and claimed that Chaves would make a great addition to the creative team. Wilson and Farmiga reprise their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren, with the plot revolving around the real-life "Devil Made Me Do It" case, a legal trial where the defendant claimed to have been possessed during the crimes of which he is accused. Production began on June 3, 2019. The film was initially scheduled for a September 11, 2020, release, before being pushed to June 4, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The movie was, however, released by Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema in the United Kingdom on May 26, 2021. The film was theatrically released in the United States on June 4, 2021, where it also had a month-long simultaneous release on the HBO Max streaming service.

The Nun II (2023)[]

Future Films[]

The Conjuring: Last Rites[]

In October 2022, a fourth Conjuring was revealed to be in development. David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick would write the script, while James Wan and Peter Safran would return as producers. Wan later confirmed that Wilson and Farmiga would reprise their respective roles. In April 2023, during CinemaCon, the film's title was revealed.

The Curse of La Llorona (2019) references this franchise, but has been officially declared not to be an entry.^[1]

Cancelled Films[]

The Crooked Man[]

In May 2017, Safran said that the Crooked Man was being considered by the studio, for a feature film. By June of the same year, a spin-off film titled The Crooked Man, featuring the character of the same name from The Conjuring 2, was in development with Mike Van Waes writing the script based on a story treatment by Wan. Wan and Safran are set to produce the project. Wan later told that The Crooked Man is in the early stages of development and that the intent with the movie is to develop a "dark fairytale" sub-genre of horror films.

By September 2018, Safran gave an update on the project stating that the script was in progress of being written and that the studio intends to wait until the story is fully developed before production will begin. He further explained that the intention is for each of the different films in the franchise to have its own style.

In November 2022, the project was scrapped.

Short Films[]

1. The Nurse (2017)
2. The Confession (2017)
3. What's Wrong With Mom? (2017)
4. Blund's Lullaby (2017)
5. Innocent Souls (2017)

In July 2017, Warner Bros. Pictures, in conjunction with Wan, announced the "My Annabelle Creation" competition as a promotion for the then-upcoming film Annabelle: Creation. Participants of the competition were to shoot a short film which would "feel like (it) could exist within the established Conjuring world", with the winning films' directors having their films made a part of the shared film universe, and winning a trip to Los Angeles to meet with David F. Sandberg, the director of the film. The entry deadline was July 27 with five separate competition winners being selected from the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Sweden and Colombia.

TV Series[]

Upcoming TV Series[]

• Unnamed The Conjuring HBO Series (TBA)

Comic Books[]

Released comic books[]

• The Conjuring: The Lover (2021)
• Tales From The Artifact Room (2021)

The Conjuring: The Lover (2021)[]

In April 2021, DC Comics began forming a new horror imprint called DC Horror with a series of comics set in the Conjuring Universe, with the first of these released on June 1 the same year. The Conjuring: The Lover is a 5-issue limited series that serves as a prequel to The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. The story involves a college student named Jessica's struggles with college life and her discovery that something sinister is targeting her. Each issue will include back-up stories, which explore the cursed artifacts in the Warren's basem*nt museum. The limited series is co-written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Rex Ogle, with artwork by Garry Brown and cover art by Bill Sienkiewicz. The back-up stories featuring the occult items from the Warrens' artifact room will be written by various writers: the first by Scott Snyder, with Denys Cowan serving as artist, the second from writer Che Grayson and artist Juan Ferreyra, the third from writer Tim Seeley and artist Kelley Jones, followed by the fourth from writer Ray Fawkes and artist Christopher Mitten. On March 8, 2022, a trade hardcover was be released.

Motion Comics[]

DC Horror Presents: The Conjuring: The Lover #1[]

On the Blu-ray release of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It a motion comic of the Lover's first issue was released.

Reception[]

Box Office Performance[]

The franchise has been notable for its profit, with The Conjuring and its follow-up having earned a combined profit of $260 million, according to Deadline, while Annabelle managed to make 40 times its $6.5 million budget. Film critic and box office expert Scott Mendelson of Forbes has called the franchise the "first successful post–Marvel cinematic universe".

Critical and Public Response[]

Lawsuits[]

Norma Sutcliffe and Gerald Helfrich, previous owners of the house on which The Conjuring was based, have sued Wan, Warner Bros. and other producers in 2015 because their property was being constantly vandalized as a consequence of the film. Entertainment Weekly obtained documents in which the owners affirm various invasions and ratify that they have found numerous objects affiliated with satanic cults. The lawsuit also reveals that the previous owners bought the house in 1987 and lived "in peace" until 2013. Both owners had been seeking unspecified damages. When questioned, a spokesperson for Warner Bros. declined to comment on the issue.

Gerald Brittle, author of a book about the Warrens called The Demonologist, filed a $900 million lawsuit on March 29, 2017, against Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, Wan and others, claiming that he had the exclusive rights to the Warrens' story and that it had been illegally stolen by the studios and producers. The case was scheduled to go to trial on April 16, 2018, with a Warner Bros. spokesperson commenting: "We're pleased the Court significantly narrowed the case and look forward to addressing the remaining claims at summary judgment. Mr. Brittle's claims are not only without merit, but contradict Mr. Brittle's prior admissions in other failed lawsuits concerning The Conjuring movies". However, on December 13, 2017, Warner Bros. settled the lawsuit, revealing that Tony DeRosa-Grund, the producer of the original film, was the "mastermind" behind the lawsuit, without Brittle ever having been involved. A spokesperson commented: "New Line has contended all along that DeRosa-Grund was the mastermind behind the lawsuit, was controlling and directing the lawsuit, and had attempted to enter into secret side deals with Brittle". Brittle himself commented that "Mr. DeRosa-Grund has been controlling this litigation from the start. [...] Based on a review of text messages between Mr. DeRosa-Grund and my attorney, I understand that he even threatened my attorneys that if they sent information from me without him seeing it first they would be fired." Brittle went into further detail in the settlement. This follows repeated failed lawsuits by DeRosa-Grund to Warner Bros. for claims of owed millions of dollars from the franchise to the point where he was getting into trouble with the courts and settled with Warner Bros. to never sue them again for anything related to the franchise.