James Wan's The Conjuring universe has evolved into several spin-offs, but only the Annabelle movies make sense when compared to the others.
The Conjuring spawned several spin-off movies, but only the Annabelle series makes sense in comparison to the others that came from it, such as The Nun and The Curse of La Llorona. Despite the successes of each installment in the franchise, none have been able to live up to the standards of the original movies or those that feature one of the world's most haunted dolls. Here's why the Annabelle trilogy is the only spin-off series out of The Conjuring universe that makes sense.
Based on the real-life cases of Ed and Lorraine Warren, each The Conjuring movie delves into one of the most popular hauntings or possessions that the couple dealt with during their years as paranormal investigators. In 2013, The Conjuring premiered and detailed the story of the Perron family and the witch, Bathsheba Sherman, that reportedly tormented their home. The movie features a snippet of Annabelle, which foreshadowed what was to come in the series. The following year, the first Annabelle installment released and told the story that led to the Warrens taking ownership of the doll and housing it in their Occult Museum. Upon release, its reviews were fairly mixed due to its inability to live up to The Conjuring, but that did not stop it from expanding with a prequel in 2017 and a sequel in 2019. In the midst of these releases, The Conjuring universe expanded with The Conjuring 2, The Nun, and The Curse Of La Llorona.
While the movies are dramatization of supposedly true events, only The Conjuring franchise and the Annabelle franchise retain a sense of realism behind their creation. The Nun merely came from the brief cameos Valek had in previous installments in the franchise as well as the minute stories where Lorraine Warren reported seeing a ghostly nun. The Curse Of La Llorona isn't based on any real-life experience that the Warrens had. It is solely inspired by the Hispanic-American folklore of a weeping woman who seeks out children. There are several reasons why Annabelle is the only sensible spin-off in The Conjuring universe, especially considered the direct ties the doll has to the Warren family, who serve as the foundation of the movies.
Paranormal horror movies don't have to be based on true events, but it does help garner a larger audience and establishes a level of fear that's rooted in real-life. While mythology and folklore are important elements to movies like The Curse Of La Llorona, it does not necessarily mean they belong in a cinematic universe that's predominately based on the cases of Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Warrens never encountered the La Llorona spirit, therefore, it does not make any logical sense for it to be part of The Conjuring universe. Furthermore, the events in The Nun did not happen to the extent that the movie depicts, which leads to further questioning on the validity of the Warren family. The two have been the center of controversy for their lack of evidentiary support that the events detailed over their lifetime as paranormal investigators actually happened. Additions such as The Curse Of La Llorona and The Nun do not help their overall image.
In regard to Annabelle, there is a lot of truth behind the mythos they reveal in The Conjuring and the current trilogy. The Annabelle doll is in fact haunted, as many people have investigated the history of Annabelle and uncovered just how valid the Warrens' claims are. Even Zak Bagans, of Ghost Adventures fame, wants to acquire her for his own haunted doll collection; he claims to know just how powerful the entity inside of her is. Even further than being the most truthful spin-off, Annabelle is the most well-established demonic character within the original movie and its sequel. Annabelle impacted the Warren family personally by targeting their daughter Judy, which is showcased in both The Conjuring 2 and Annabelle Comes Home. The instances that set off the chain of events in the original 2013 movie are even rooted in the doll's history.
Ultimately, the Annabelle trilogy is the only one that makes sense because it is based on the true events, unlike The Nun and The Curse Of La Llorona. This doesn't necessarily make it better than the others in the context of reviews, but it undoubtedly had an impact on the spin-off's overwhelmingly positive praise from fans. Because of this, it would be in the best interest of The Conjuring series to look into similar cases, as detailed in Annabelle, if they intend on creating any more spin-off movies, as this key factor may ensure the success or failure of future spin-off movies in the franchise.
