Movies
The Conjuring Movies, Ranked
The theme for this month here at Horror Press is “Based on a True Story,” and in my eyes, no franchise better encapsulates the core tenet of that corner of the horror genre than The Conjuring Universe. Let me be very clear: the tenet in question is “This is based on abject lies made by charlatans, but someone wrote a book about it, so it counts,” but nothing wields that approach with quite as much gusto as James Wan’s 2013 movie The Conjuring and the nine-film franchise it spawned. Eight-film franchise, if you don’t count The Curse of La Llorona. But Annabelle is in it, and the guy who directed it somehow conned his way into helming two of the three proper Conjuring movies that followed, meaning he has directed more of these things than James Wan himself.
The theme for this month here at Horror Press is “Based on a True Story,” and in my eyes, no franchise better encapsulates the core tenet of that corner of the horror genre than The Conjuring Universe. Let me be very clear: the tenet in question is “This is based on abject lies made by charlatans, but someone wrote a book about it, so it counts,” but nothing wields that approach with quite as much gusto as James Wan’s 2013 movie The Conjuring and the nine-film franchise it spawned. Eight-film franchise, if you don’t count The Curse of La Llorona. But Annabelle is in it, and the guy who directed it somehow conned his way into helming two of the three proper Conjuring movies that followed, meaning he has directed more of these things than James Wan himself, so I say it counts, dammit.
Anyway, did I mention we’re ranking these movies? Grab your crucifix and make sure those shadowy corners behind you are cleared of demonic nuns, and then we’ll be ready to rock.
The Entire Conjuring Franchise Ranked
#9 The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
This is the first Conjuring without James Wan in the director’s chair, and you can feel it. The precarious balance of a love story about aging with a Catholic mysticism-inflected legal drama requires his deft touch, and it doesn’t get it, leaving this movie as something of an illegible mess.
#8 The Nun II (2023)
Speaking of illegible messes… Michael Chaves’ follow-up to The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (Why did they hand him the keys to the entire franchise, spinoffs and all? Who knows. I’d love to read the tell-all.) is The Nun II. This flavorless slog is only saved from being at the bottom of the list by a deliciously unhinged moment in the finale (Spoiler alert: The real hero of the movie is transubstantiation).
#7 The Curse of La Llorona (2019)
The Curse of La Llorona is the first of its kind. A big-budget Hollywood movie had never been made about La Llorona before. And frankly, it still hasn’t, because this movie makes a hash of her legend. Since when is she like… repelled by the tree that was nearby when she drowned her kids or whatever? What could have been a righteous force of angry dissent against patriarchy and colonization is converted into another boring haunted house jack-in-the-box ghostie. Linda Cardellini is great at screaming, though, somebody get her some Throat Coat, stat.
#6 Annabelle (2014)
The soft spot I have for the supremely dopey Annabelle was only enough to get it placed at No. 6. It’s still just not a very good movie, y’all, and it wastes Alfre Woodard, which is high treason as far as I’m concerned. However, the broad field of references from which it is exuberantly pulling (the Manson Family, Rosemary’s Baby, Mario Bava’s Shock, the list goes on and on) keeps you on your toes as it spins its daffy tale of parenting and terror.
#5 The Nun (2018)
The Nun is absolutely choked with gloomy atmosphere, but it’s just a random assortment of fright gags tossed everywhere. And unfortunately, none of them match the raw, unnerving power of the titular entity’s debut appearance in The Conjuring 2.
#4 Annabelle: Creation (2017)
It could maybe cool it on how many different manifestations the demon has, and it’s a bit over-reliant on CGI. However, director David F. Sandberg has pulled off the impossible, dragging this trashy subfranchise kicking and screaming toward the gliding, eerie aesthetic of the salad days of the flagship Conjuring movies.
#3 Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
Annabelle: Creation seems to enjoy the best reputation of the subfranchise, probably because people hated Annabelle so much that it felt like a breath of fresh air. But Annabelle Comes Home is full to bursting with sleepover movie energy. It’s probably the least “scary” Conjuring movie, but the sheer funhouse glee with which it throws every possible creepy crawly and ghoulie ghosty your way is hard to deny.
#2 The Conjuring 2 (2016)
James Wan sure as hell knows how to repackage some of the hoariest tropes in horror cinema history and make them fresh and exhilarating by combining his ever-so-patient creeping dread with a handful of gnarly jolts. The screenplay of this one is kind of a shambles, and the movie is way too proud of its blunt-force foreshadowing. Still, it looks gorgeous, and any film with that creepy-ass scene where the little girl’s silhouette slowly morphs into the ghost of an old man in the background of one long, sustained shot simply can’t be all bad, or even mostly bad.
#1 The Conjuring (2013)
Remember what I said about James Wan and his tropes? There is absolutely nothing in The Conjuring that is new. It is The Amityville Horror with The Exorcist crudely grafted onto the back third of it. But by pouring every ounce of creative energy he has into some stellar scares and by hiring a cast that is more than capable of bringing the unusually well-shaded characters – yes, Ed and Lorraine Warren, but the Perron family as well – he is able to elevate what could have been pretty bland material in anybody else’s hands.
Shudder knows summer is the perfect time to watch scary things in air-conditioned places. Which is why the beloved streamer is giving us newer movies like Heresy, Whistle, This is Not a Test, and Smothered. While it’s always fun to see recent titles arrive alongside classics and deep cuts, my eye isn’t on the films this month. Most of my picks this May are television series and documentaries. Maybe that means I want longer comments with my media and an open library. Or perhaps I’m just reminding myself that I’m a cool nerd and making it your problem too. Whatever the case may be, I have curated another list of titles that I believe deserve our attention. Check out my top five priorities while surfing our favorite streamer below.
Tales From the Crypt (1989 – 1996)
Our beloved 90s anthology is finally making its way to our most cherished streamer. As someone who hasn’t seen Tales From the Crypt since I was a tyke, I’m so giddy that I get to watch it as an adult. More importantly, I get to binge it as John Kassir (the voice of our favorite ghoul) intended. I have been floating since this news was announced at the Overlook Film Festival in April. My insomnia and my Crypt Keeper are about to be reunited, and all is going to be alright in my little world. Come for the celebrities and stay for the puns and wicked deaths. I sincerely hope you call out of work each Friday as a new season gets added to Shudder.
You can watch Tales From the Crypt: Season 1 on May 1st. Subsequent seasons will premiere on Fridays, concluding with Season 7 on June 12
Horror Noire: History of Black Horror (2019)
Based on Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman’s book of the same name, Horror Noire: History of Black Horror is simply that girl. It unpacks the complicated history of Black people in the genre with humor, honesty, and heart. It even gets into the conversations no one seems to want to have and makes room for Black horror icons to actually be heard for once. You could hear the record scratch on Bluesky when this Shudder Original disappeared a few months ago. So, we can all rest easy knowing that it’s coming back home and we can continue to have it in our regular rotation. Horror Noire made many of us feel seen and made us better cinephiles and critics. It’s worth the Shudder subscription on its own if we’re being completely honest.
You can watch Horror Noire: History of Black Horror on May 4th.
The Terror: Devil in Silver (2026)
Your favorite unsettlingly stoic anthology has returned for a new season, and this time, Dan Stevens is in the mix. Stevens plays Pepper, a man with bad luck and a bad temper who gets himself committed to a psychiatric hospital. Any horror fan knows that’s the recipe for many horror bangers, and that’s why I will be sat. The cast also includes CCH Pounder, Judith Light, and Marin Ireland. However, my heart belongs to Karyn Kusama, who is in the director’s chair and the queen of tension. As a Momma Kusma stan account, I am so ready for her to raise my blood pressure and send me to the ER. The demonic duo of AMC+ and Shudder is cooking with this one.
You can watch episode one of The Terror: Devil in Silver on May 7th. Subsequent episodes will premiere weekly, concluding with the season finale on June 11th.
In Search of Darkness 1990-1994 (2024)
We all love to see our faves get together and discuss the horror eras we have romanticized. Which is why watching genre royalty unpack the “lost” decade of horror is something we all probably want to see. As a 90s kid, I feel like we ate pretty well in my day. So, I want to collect all of these stories like infinity stones. Some of the faces we can expect to see are Heather Langenkamp, John Carpenter, Frank Henenlotter, Tim Balme, and Michael Gross. My little nerd heart could bust, and I am happy Shudder is opening the library this May.
You can watch episode one of In Search of Darkness 1990-1994 on May 11th.
Something Is About to Happen (2023)
Things take a turn for a woman who loses her job as a computer programmer. The only movie in my roundup this month goes to the one I perhaps know the least about. Truthfully, I am just here for horror movies about women going through it. Excuse me as I gesture to the world and my bank account. More importantly, Spanish-language horror rarely fails me. So, I am willing to look past the two-hour and two-minute runtime. I am ignoring that it is listed as a romantic horror. I’m doing this because I expect my kind of chaos, and I hope I am right. From one down girl to another, I am rooting for this character on sight.
You can watch episode one of Something Is About to Happen on May 15th.
That is what I plan to use my Shudder Saturdays for this month. Let us know what you’re plotting to hit play on in the comments because we’re nosy.
Is anyone else remembering we have movies at home and logging in a lot of Netflix hours this spring? I know I am, and I keep finding more hidden treasures on this app. They collect so much international media and never tell us they have it. I find this frustrating as I pull up late to things I’m probably going to love. Quite a few foreign films make it into my lineup this month. Two of them I have never heard of before and are newer titles that should be getting some attention, in case they’re some of the best of their respective years. One is French, and we all need to revisit it for reasons that I’ll explain later.
Another thing worth noting about Netflix’s recent additions is an American show called Man on Fire. This serialized adaptation of A. J. Quinnell’s novel of the same name stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. He’ll be playing the character my generation associates with Denzel Washington because of the 2004 film adaptation. As a nerd who has been wondering why Yahya hasn’t been on my screen for a minute, I will probably have finished binging this before you even make it to the end of this article. I digress! Here are the five movies I plan to watch this month on Netflix!
180 (2026)
An act of road rage leaves a young boy in critical condition and his father seeking revenge. As usual, Netflix has not really advertised this South African thriller. However, I love revenge and am always game for a new release. So, I’m happy the powers that be put this in the recent lineup. It looks good, which gives me hope that this is going to be a gritty and bloody adventure. Fingers crossed, a few of you also hit play on this one because I’d like more quality South African thrillers that are easily accessible in America. I’m tired of hunting them down years after the fact.
Benedetta (2021)
A nun has religious visions that threaten the core of the Church while she is also having a secret affair in the 17th century. You are probably confused as to why Paul Verhoeven’s French psychological romantic drama is in my Netflix round-up. Especially if you clocked the long run time, and now I love a 90-minute or less movie. Listen! If you give me a nun having visions and having a lesbian affair in a period piece, it is my sworn duty to tell everybody. It is also my job to rewatch it for reasons. Don’t say I never did anything for you!
Him (2025)
A young athlete discovers why you should never meet your heroes when he is invited to train with a football legend. People were way too mean to this movie. It’s giving Neon Demon and Black Swan for Black male athletes. It’s not perfect, but the aesthetics and vibes are on 10. More importantly, Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers deliver some pretty fantastic performances that keep you locked in. I’m excited to revisit it and see if I like it more (or less) than when I caught it in theaters. Hopefully, more people will do the same now that the more biased discourse has died down.
Mudborn (2025)
A spirit terrorizes a video-game designer and his pregnant wife. I have no idea what to expect from Meng-Ju Shieh’s Mandarin supernatural horror film. However, I’m excited to see what this spirit is about. Again, Netflix continues to drop the ball on advertising international films. So, it’s up to us to find it in the streets and raise the alarm. In a perfect world, this movie will be the nightmare fuel I’m always seeking out. However, at the end of the day, I’m just happy to show up and support international films helmed by people of color. It’s a win-win situation, however I look at it.
Scream (2022)
A new Ghostface is terrorizing Woodsboro 25 years after the original killing spree rocked the town. As a Wes Craven stan account and fan of Radio Silence, I was so happy this movie turned out awesome. I can still say this is one of my favorite horror wins of this decade because it showed this franchise still had some life in it. It also introduced us to our Core Four, led by my new favorite final girl, Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera). As someone who enjoyed these first six movies, I will always clear my schedule for a marathon and am happy to see Scream (2022) on Netflix this month. I plan to rewatch it and continue being salty that I will never know how this new trilogy was supposed to end.
That’s what I have this month. Happy Netflixing to each and every one of you!
