“Why should we let Marvel have all the fun?” That’s the question big-budget Hollywood movie studios have been asking themselves since, well, 2008. The year when Jon Favreau’s Iron Man was first released in theatres and sparked a change in how we would view sequels and shared cinematic worlds forever. Yes, everyone’s eager to replicate the seemingly unstoppable franchise success carved out by the Marvel Cinematic Universe for over 10 years now, with Warner Bros. and the DC Extended Universe, and Universal, having already attempted to kickstart their own shared universes on the big screen. With questionable results.
However, there’s another successful cinematic universe that’s been bubbling up from under the floorboards on the quiet. It’s one which doesn’t require a budget in excess of $100 million to turn an impressive profit. And one which is finding an audience despite not being based on pre-existing material. The Conjuring franchise continues to garner mostly positive critical and commercial response by catering to a devout subsection of popcorn horror fans.
The brainchild of cult horror filmmaker-turned-blockbuster maestro James Wan (original director and co-creator of the Saw series), the first Conjuring movie released in 2013 with various sequels, spin-offs, and short films in hot pursuit. There’s The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2, two Annabelle films — with another slated for 2019 — plus a short called The Nurse. This trend is set to continue with upcoming series spin-off The Nun this September, but what if you’re not already invested in Hollywood’s underdog shared universe? We’ve taken the time to get you up to speed.
The Key Players
The Nun will mark the third spin-off from the core movies, and it’s unusual in that it’s a horror series where its creature-centric offshoots are slowly outpacing the main features that birthed them. Were it not for The Conjuring 1 and 2, however, there’d be no other regions to explore. So, it’s here where we’ll start.
The two core Conjuring films follow the exploits of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, portrayed respectively in both films by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson. What gave the original Conjuring a slight scarier edge than its contemporary competition was that it was apparently based on the real-life investigative duo’s real-life case files dating back to the 1970s — Amityville included. The Conjuring smartly capitalised on the classic horror staple of sprinkling in added authenticity.
While the first film could be criticised for doubling down on the modern ‘jump scare’ approach to horror ushered in by Wan and Wilson’s previous work on the first two Insidious films, its period setting and earnest performances gave The Conjuring a heightened degree of tension. So much so that the mere sound of two hands clapping in the weeks after seeing the movie made for many a sleepless night.
What’s great about The Conjuring’s 2016 follow-up is that it doesn’t fall into the sequel trap of thinking that ‘bigger is better’. Rather than insurmountably upping the stakes, they’re kept personal to key players Ed and Lorraine. That’s despite swapping out the previous film’s one supernatural force (Bathsheba) for two in the form of Valak, the demon nun, and the Crooked Man – more on them later! The Conjuring 2 sees evil fought on two fronts whereby the Lorraine attempts to prevent her husband’s death while both venture to London to save a family suffering a possession.
In just two movies, The Conjuring cinematic universe cemented itself as a horror forced to be reckoned with, bringing in both mass audiences and big bucks. Together, the series so far has accumulatively grossed $1,203,451,000 worldwide on a budget of just over $80 million. Impressive!
Monsters So Far
Which demonic beings have we met to date, and which are we destined to see again?
Bathsheba (The Conjuring)
A movie monster worth putting your hands together for, The Conjuring’s Bathsheba is the child-sacrificing demon witch intent on causing problems for the Perron family. We haven’t seen, nor are likely to see, her in any other film in the series. It’s safe to say that the Warrens’ exorcism did just the trick the first time around!
Annabelle (The Conjuring, Annabelle Trilogy)
The real-life Annabelle doll has become the poster child for the entire Conjuring universe. We initially got a glimpse during the first movie’s prelude and she’s since formed the basis of a prequel trilogy documenting events leading up to the Warrens’ investigation of her. The first Annabelle is a series low point but David F. Sandberg’s prequel Annabelle: Creation is well worth a look. Especially considering the third film rolls around in 2019.
Valak, Demon Nun (The Conjuring 2, The Nun)
Those wanting to prep themselves for this year’s The Nun should absolutely witness Valak’s first appearance in The Conjuring 2. While not the chief antagonist, her presence works like a ticking time bomb that could potentially lead to Ed Warren’s demise. The upcoming spin-off winds back the clock in true Annabelle fashion, where, in 1952 Romania, the mysterious death of a nun awaits investigation.
The Crooked Man (The Conjuring 2)
By far one of the scariest creature designs to plague the Conjuring universe, what made the Crooked Man’s appearance in the mainline sequel so scary was how fleeting it was. With a bowler hat tipped down covering his eyes, all that’s visible of his face in the shadows is that disturbing creepy smile to haunt the Hodgson children. A Crooked Man spin-off is currently in development, making it highly likely he’ll be grinning horrifically again soon.
The Nurse (The Nurse)
To coincide with the release of Annabelle: Creation the director challenged members of the public to make their own horror short set in the Conjuring universe. The Nurse was the award-winning entry, depicting a hospital ward nurse in search of a child’s eyes suitable to replace her own. Though only just over two minutes long, the film is bleakly atmospheric. Who knows if she’ll appear again?
More Scary Stories to Look Forward To
As you can probably already tell, there are multiple moving pieces to New Line Cinema’s Conjuring universe. The best part for horror fans is that it’s showing no sign of slowing down. Looking ahead following the release of The Nun later this year, James Wan is on record as stating that a sequel is set to be fast-tracked should it be successful. We’ve already mentioned that the next entry after that will be the third (and presumably final) Annabelle movie, this time with trilogy writer Gary Dauberman set to direct.
And though we’re set to see the return of The Conjuring 2’s Crooked Man in his own standalone movie, a third entry in the main trilogy is likely to take priority. Ed and Lorraine Warren were still left with many literal demons to wrestle with by the end of the second film. And with Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson’s natural chemistry, it’d be a shame to deny a satisfying conclusion for this screen relationship. Wherever the series ends up going beyond that is anybody’s guess, but the options are endless for this shared horror universe that can’t and won’t be exorcised.