What to Stream: Where will ‘The Nun II’ rank in the Conjuring Cinematic Universe?

With the release of “The Nun II” this week, the Conjuring Cinematic Universe grows larger, ballooning to eight sequels and prequels stemming from James Wan’s 2013 horror flick, “The Conjuring,” about paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, largely set in the 1960s and ’70s.

The Warner Bros. property is one of the steadiest and sturdiest recent horror franchises, though it boasts some big highs and big lows among the lineup of spooky stories loosely based on true hauntings and popular lore. Viewers could watch them in release order, or chronological order, but here’s a ranking from the best to the worst (according to this critic). Fortunately, they are all available to stream on Max, except for, frustratingly, the best one.

1. “The Conjuring 2”: It’s a sequel better than the original, though not by much. James Wan returned for “The Conjuring 2,” which sees Ed and Lorraine heading to jolly old England to scare a demon out of a family’s house. Back in 2016, our review said that Wan and cinematographer Don Burgess displayed, “a mastery over the camera as a storytelling tool (to create) evocative, bone-chilling suspense,” and that, “in laying bare of the process of sight, Wan mirrors the interlocked, and sometimes contradictory, themes of vision and belief.” This boasts an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and is available to rent it on all digital platforms.

2. “The Conjuring”: Ten years ago, our introduction to Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren in the first film was enough to set off a nine films and counting franchise. “The Conjuring” earned an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes with Manohla Dargis saying in the New York Times that, “the dread gathers and surges while the blood scarcely trickles in ‘The Conjuring,’ a fantastically effective haunted-house movie.” Stream it on Max.

3. “Annabelle: Creation”: Between “Lights Out” and “Shazam!,” director David F. Sandberg popped into the CCU with the prequel “Annabelle: Creation” (2017) about the terrifying talking doll that Ed and Lorraine keep locked in their room of haunted objects. With a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes, our review said, “The film relies more on spooky bumps and jumps, than overwhelmingly horrific violence or gore, and Sandberg nails the tone that is equal parts scary and winking.” Stream it on Max.

4. “Annabelle Comes Home”: The third “Annabelle” sequel was helmed by longtime CCU writer Gary Dauberman in 2019, which was sort of an Ed and Lorraine Greatest Haunted Hits when their daughter, played by McKenna Grace, and her babysitter endure the hell that breaks loose when a friend meddles in the spooky room. Our review said, “Dauberman creates an atmosphere of incredible tension as the three young women tangle with various spirits, ghosts, and ghouls.” The film has a respectable 64% on Rotten Tomatoes. Stream it on Max.

5. “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It”: For the third Ed and Lorraine-focused movie in 2021, it was diminishing returns, with only 55% on Rotten Tomatoes, but the formula, and the performances, remain appealing. Our review said, “for the many reasons that this franchise works, Farmiga and Wilson are chief among them, as they take what could otherwise be hokey 1970s ghost-hunter characters and infuse them with a deep sense of faith, humanity, and above all, love.” Stream it on Max.

6. “The Nun”: The operatic gothic horror of the “The Nun” (2018) and a memorable villain make this film “a total, screaming blast.” As we said in the review, the style is, “lush, operatic, hardcore Catholic horror,” and that it, “may be ominous, richly textured, and morbidly fascinating, but storywise, it remains shallow.” It’s a risk with only 24% on Rotten Tomatoes, but still, give it a go, especially with the new one hitting theaters. Stream it on Max.

7. “Annabelle”: With only a 28% on Rotten Tomatoes, the haunted doll prequel suffered from being the first CCU sequel out of the gate in 2014, as many likely assumed it was a gimmicky cash grab (the franchise does rake in ticket sales at the box office). But Robert Abele at the L.A. Times said the film, “works enough devil figurine juju to make for a modestly hair-raising prequel.” Stream it on Hulu and Max.

8. “The Curse of La Llorona”: This 2019 spinoff strayed the farthest from Ed and Lorraine, tackling the La Llorona legend. Unfortunately, it only got a 28% on Rotten Tomatoes, and our review said it was, “middling B-movie schlock that goes for the low-hanging fruit,” and that, “wail as she might, the silly, not scary ‘The Curse of La Llorona’ never reaches the operatic heights that the best of this franchise can offer.” Nevertheless, stream it on Max to complete the CCU.