Every Horror Movie Based On Ed & Lorraine Warren's Ghost Cases

Ed and Lorrain Warren movies are based on the paranormal investigators’ demon-hunting adventures and are the focus of The Conjuring franchise. Released in 2013, The Conjuring was a huge hit that spawned a lucrative franchise and numerous successful spinoffs. The film followed the characters of Ed and Lorraine Warren, a portrayal of the real-life married couple who claimed to have intervened in numerous hauntings and exorcisms throughout their decades together. With The Conjuring: Last Rites on the way there’s no better time to look back at all the Ed and Lorraine Warren movies — of which there have been dozens.

The third film in the Conjuring franchise, the less scary Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It, looked at the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who claimed demonic possession led him to murder. While the mega-successful Conjuring franchise may be the most lucrative iteration of the Ed and Lorraine Warren movies, the series was far from the first to adapt their stories for the screen. Before the Conjuring franchise began, there were numerous films based on cases that the duo were involved in that are far less famous.

8 The Amityville Horror (1979)

The First Of Dozens Of Ed & Lorraine Warren Movies About The Infamous Haunting

Based on the supposed haunting of the Lutz family in Amityville, 1979’s The Amityville Horror was the first of the Ed and Lorraine Warren movies and also the first of 30 Amityville Horror movies (and counting) to address the contentious real-life case. The Amityville Horror was a huge hit upon release despite some brutal reviews and is still fondly recalled as a classic of the haunted house genre despite feeling incredibly dated.

Interestingly, the Warrens aren’t mentioned in the movie at all and are replaced in the story by a string of priests and nuns brought in to relieve the house of its haunting. This may be because, as iconic horror author Stephen King wrote, this hit was actually as much about the financial woes of the family as their experiences with the supernatural, an idea that was expanded on more explicitly by later entries into the genre.

7 The Haunted (1991)

The First Movie To Feature The Warrens As Characters

One of the less well-known Ed and Lorraine Warren movies, 1991’s The Haunted fared fine in terms of reviews but has been largely forgotten in the decades since its initial release. The made-for-TV depicts the story of the Smurl family, who claim that they were haunted by a demon that caused all manner of horrifying incidents in their home.

Notably, this was the first film to feature Ed and Lorraine Warren onscreen, played here by Diane Baker (Marnie) and Stephen Markle. Despite this, the outing is mostly a merely serviceable horror with little to distinguish the Smurls’ on-screen ordeal from that of the Warrens’ more famous clients.

With that said, it was a minorly successful made-for-TV movie, earning Sally Kirkland a Golden Globes nomination for Best Actress (Anna) and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie (Michael D. Margulies).

6 The Haunting In Connecticut (2009)

A Forgettable And Inaccurate Ed & Lorraine Warren Movie From The 2000s

The Haunting In Connecticut is one of the Ed and Lorraine Warren movies that didn’t fare well with critics. The 2009 horror movie is purported to be based on the true story of Carmen Snedeker, whose home the Warrens proclaimed haunted after launching an investigation into reported paranormal occurrences on the property, a former mortuary.

However, the author of the book on which The Haunting in Connecticut’s story is based later stated that he was told to sensationalize the story and embellish reality, and the movie further exaggerates his version of the case (via Live Science). So, what made it to screens was likely not particularly close to the Warrens’ investigations.

Despite the questionable actuality of the story and the poor critical reviews, the movie was a minor success, with it doing particularly well on home video. As a result, the studios green-lit a sequel that was released on a limited basis in theaters and on Video on Demand in 2013 though the sequel had nothing to do with the Warrens.

5 The Conjuring (2013)

The First Movie In The Hit Ed & Lorraine Warren Franchise

Based on another infamous Warren case, The Conjuring is notable for making the Warrens the focus of its story rather than the Lutz family. Directed by Saw horror franchise co-creator James Wan, this tight, tense, and terrifying horror won critical acclaim for its fictionalized account of the Perron family’s haunting in their Rhode Island home. The movie sees Ed and Lorraine Warren called in after investigating the Annabelle case to help solve this new mystery, and it was a perfect introduction to the Conjuring universe, which grew from here.

Bolstered by some supremely effective scare sequences and a stellar central turn from the always-underrated Lili Taylor, The Conjuring was the first of the Ed and Lorraine Warren movies to make the pair its heroes and stars and remains the most positively received movie made about their adventures. The movie also won accolades at the Empire, Fangoria Chainsaw, and Saturn Awards, making it a huge genre success story.

4 The Conjuring 2 (2016)

The Ed & Lorraine Warren Movie That Dives Into The Enfield Poltergeist

Released three years after the success of the original Conjuring, The Conjuring 2 story only added to the growing franchise. This louder, more action-packed horror story tells the famous story of the Enfield poltergeist, a renowned British haunting that occurred in a family’s council house during the ’70s.

Although imperfect, this installment in the Ed and Lorraine movies catalog was largely seen as a solid sequel and introduced the terrifying Conjuring franchise demon, Valak. The real-life case of the Hodgson family was certainly exaggerated for the movie, although this sequel did at least feature an appearance from a skeptic calling the whole affair into question.

The movie made even more money at the box office than the first Conjuring, bringing in $321 million on a $40 million budget (via Box Office Mojo), so it was a success regardless of its accuracy. The iHorror Awards also honored it with Best Horror Remake/Sequel and named James Wan Best Horror Director for the movie.

3 The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

The Ed & Lorraine Warren Courtroom Drama About Demonic Possession

Based on the real-life case of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, The Conjuring 3 brings the Warrens back to the screen in the form of a courtroom drama rather than their normal haunted house format. Here, the pair are attempting to establish a precedent for Johnson’s claim that demonic possession was responsible for the manslaughter he committed. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It‘s less demon-focused approach is new ground for the couple in terms of genre, but this entry into the roster of Ed and Lorraine Warren movies is solid.

The movie proved the popularity of The Conjuring franchise by making $206 million at the box office in the post-pandemic world, showing that people were willing to show up when a movie was deemed to be a popular addition to a franchise. The critics also left average to above-average reviews, with it sitting at 55% on Rotten Tomatoes. That said, it was successful enough to warrant another Conjuring movie, which is in the works.

2 Annabelle (2014)

The Haunted Doll Is Based On A Real Ed & Lorraine Warren Case

Though the Annabelle sequels were fictional stories, the first was based on another real-life case that Ed and Lorraine Warren encountered, despite them not being in it. As with many Ed and Lorraine Warren movies, it takes some creative liberties; in real life, the haunted doll now in possession of the Warrens is actually a Raggedy Ann Doll, not an antique porcelain doll.

It tells the story of two young nurses who were haunted by a doll possessed by the spirit of a little girl, but the Warrens were called in when things took a sinister turn, and it was determined a demonic spirit was attached to the doll.

If anything, Annabelle proved that the Ed and Lorraine Warren movies could exist outside of the mainline Conjuring series, and it allowed the studio to look for other series to add to the growing franchise. With a $257 million box office (via Box Office Mojo), it made less than the Conjuring movies, but it only cost a lot less too, with only a $6.5 million budget, so the film was a monster success for the studio and allowed them to make a sequel a few years later.

1 Annabelle Comes Home (2019)

Ed & Lorraine Warren Acquire The Haunted Doll In The Sequel

Both Ed and Lorraine Warren are in the sequel Annabelle Comes Home, marking the seventh installment of The Conjuring franchise. The story follows the couple after they take Annabelle back to their museum and lock the doll in her famed case. The Warrens invite babysitter Mary Ellen and charge her with babysitting their daughter Judy for a night while they go out on another case.

Mary Ellen’s friend Daniela comes over and lets Annabelle loose, causing a string of events in which other spirits begin to wreak havoc on the home while the Warrens are out. Ghostbusters: Afterlife‘s McKenna Grace plays Judy, while Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprise their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren. While the Annabelle case is based on a real doll, much of the narrative was made up for the movie.

The Warrens corroborated the scene where Ed drives the doll home and faces supernatural forces, though the movie dramatized the moment. Annabelle Comes Home is dedicated to Lorraine, who passed away on April 18, 2019. The 2017 prequel, Annabelle: Creation, didn’t feature the Warrens despite being (loosely) based on the real-life Annabelle doll.

Other Ed & Lorraine Warren Movies

There are other Ed and Lorraine Warren movies outside The Conjuring universe — including the Steven Spielberg classic Poltergeist. The parapsychologist, Dr. Lesh, who visits the home, is rumored to be based on Lorraine Warren. Also, the entirety of the Amityville universe, which includes 30 films and counting, is based on the famous Warren case. The film The Nun and its sequel, The Nun 2, stars Vera Farmiga’s sister, American Horror Story‘s Taissa Farmiga, and is based on cases built by Ed and Lorraine Warren.

In addition, the Spanish tale of The Curse of La Llorona makes no mention of the Warrens, but it is based on the Mexican folklore of the Weeping Woman. All in all, there are plenty of horror movies both outside of and within The Conjuring universe that are based on the experiences of Ed and Lorraine Warren, and there will surely be more to come — they’ve led a fascinating life.

The Nun Is Connected To Several Ed And Lorraine Warren Movies

The Nun is a spinoff movie set within the events of The Conjuring movie universe. Like some of the other spinoffs and sequels to the Ed and Lorraine Warren movies, the Warrens don’t feature in The Nun.The Nun does center on a demon that they discover in an earlier movie though: Valak. Valak is the real main antagonist in The Conjuring, and the demon takes many forms in the different movies. Both the Crooked Man and the Nun are versions of Valak.

It’s the latter that appears in both The Nun and its sequel. Valak is first mentioned in The Conjuring, becoming a full-blown antagonist in The Conjuring 2. The Nun, however, is set before the events of those movies, giving fans of the Ed and Lorraine Warren movies an idea of what Valak was up to before crossing paths with the Warrens. Valak, sealed in a rift below an abbey in Romania, emerges when bombs during World War II reopen that seal.

It takes the form of a nun so it can torment those who reside there until Sister Irene believes she seals it away again. Valak even has cameos in the Annabelle movies that spin out of the Conjuring universe. In Annabelle: Creation Valak appears in a photograph from the abbey in Romania. Footage of Valak being exorcised from the character Maurice, who appears at the end of The Nun, also appears in Annabelle Comes Home. Valak’s connections to so many other Ed and Lorraine Warren movies make it clear that the demonic entity is a major threat in the Conjuring universe.

What Warren Case Will The Conjuring: Last Rites Be Based On?

The Conjuring franchise is going to continue with The Conjuring: Last Rites. Speculation is rampant about which Warren case The Conjuring: Last Rites will cover. While the Smurl haunting was chronicled in The Haunted, it’s one of the biggest contenders to make it to the big screen. The Smurl haunting is one of Ed and Lorraine Warren’s largest cases, with patriarch Jack Smurl claiming he was sexually assaulted by one of the spirits in his home.

Lorraine believed the Smurl house was infested with four spirits, including a demon which used the other three to attack the family. If studios want to go a similar route as The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, the next installment could cover the Donovan family. This family experienced blood running from their faucets and unidentifiable animal noises in their home, only for the Warrens to find out that the daughter had been experimenting with an Ouija board.

Of course, there is also a Conjuring TV series in development for Max. There are no details about the series, which could feature more of the Warren’s most famous stories, while Ed and Lorraine’s movies aren’t finished yet.

Which Ed And Lorraine Warren Movie Is The Best?

Horror as a genre can be hit-and-miss, even within (and perhaps especially) within individual franchises, and movies based on Ed and Lorraine Warren’s cases are no exception. There are those who wonder which is the best movie based on Ed and Lorraine Warren, perhaps hoping for an answer that uncovers a hidden, under-the-radar gem. However, as disappointingly obvious an answer as it may be to both devout fans of the horror genre and those with a deep interest in the paranormal husband-wife duo, The Conjuring movies remain the best films based on the Warren’s case files.

The Conjuring movies from worst to best are all considered among the best supernatural horror movies of the 21st century so far, and there’s a reason. The franchise is a masterful exploration of everything that makes movies based on hauntings, demons, and supernatural entities so great. However, it should be noted that the quality of the films isn’t necessarily because they feature Ed and Lorraine Warren, although the inclusion of the pair (and how the narratives, both realistic and fictional, utilize them as characters) certainly helps. Within the franchise itself, many consider The Conjuring 2 to be the best overall, making it the strongest individual film based on Ed and Lorraine Warren and their investigations into the supernatural.

That being said, there are some who don’t consider The Conjuring franchise to be the best movies based on Ed and Lorraine Warren’s investigations. There are many who would rank 1979’s The Amityville Horror as the true holder of the title. There’s definitely an argument for this being the case, especially if one’s tastes veer more towards classic horror than modern. It’s a debate that could go on ad-infinitum, especially since a lot of what makes either The Amityville Horror or The Conjuring better in the eyes of the viewer is subjective. However, since Ed and Lorraine Warren don’t actually feature as characters in Stuart Rosenberg’s 1979 classic, The Conjuring is technically more suited to be considered the best.