The Conjuring Timeline Explained Before Last Rites

The Conjuring Universe spans decades of supernatural hauntings, but the timeline before “The Conjuring: Last Rites” actually begins in 1952—not with Ed and Lorraine Warren’s famous investigations, but with a Romanian monastery where a demonic entity called Valak first appears in “The Nun.” To understand what happens in Last Rites, you need to grasp that the entire franchise is built on interconnected cases spread across nearly four decades, from the 1950s through the 1980s, with each film revealing a different piece of how malevolent supernatural forces operate.

The Warren cases escalate in scope and intensity as you move through the timeline, building toward the climactic haunting of the Smurl family home in 1986 that serves as the central narrative of Last Rites.

The core timeline before Last Rites contains four main Conjuring films plus multiple spinoffs exploring the possessed doll Annabelle and the origin story of Valak itself. This isn’t a straightforward narrative where you watch events unfold chronologically—instead, the films jump between the 1940s, 1950s, 1970s, and 1980s, deliberately constructing the Warren mythology backward.

Understanding this structure is essential because Last Rites doesn’t exist in isolation; it’s the culmination of everything that came before, and missing the connections will leave you confused about why certain demons or objects matter to the overall story.

Table of Contents

• When Does The Conjuring Universe Actually Begin?
• The Warren Cases Begin in Earnest in 1971
• The Timeline Accelerates Through the 1970s and Early 1980s
• Chronological Order vs Release Order—Why It Matters
• The Smurl Haunting and Last Rites’ Central Mystery
• How Valak and Supernatural Entities Connect the Entire Universe
• What You Absolutely Need to Know Before Last Rites

When Does The Conjuring Universe Actually Begin?

The earliest event in the conjuring Universe takes place in 1952 at a Romanian monastery, where “The Nun” shows us the first encounter with Valak, a powerful demonic entity that becomes the supernatural backbone of the entire franchise.

This film doesn’t involve Ed and Lorraine Warren at all; instead, it focuses on a young nun named Sister Irene who must confront an ancient evil that has been dormant for centuries.

The monastery setting is deliberately isolated and atmospheric, establishing the idea that these demons aren’t confined to modern suburban homes—they can exist anywhere, waiting for the right circumstances to manifest.

What’s important here is that Valak is established as an ancient force, not something newly awakened, which explains why this demon appears in multiple later films with such lethal consistency.

Before 1952, the Annabelle films explore the origins of the possessed doll in the 1940s-1950s, showing how a seemingly innocent toy becomes an object of genuine supernatural danger. The Annabelle spinoffs reveal that the doll doesn’t create evil—instead, it acts as a conduit or beacon for entities that are already present.

This distinction matters because it sets up a limitation: the doll itself isn’t the source of power, and destroying or containing it doesn’t solve the underlying problem.

What makes these early stories significant is that they establish the Warrens’ obsession with documenting and containing dangerous artifacts, a practice that directly leads to their later investigations of active hauntings.

The Warren Cases Begin in Earnest in 1971

“The Conjuring” (2013) represents the first major Warren case shown in the films, taking place in 1971 when Ed and Lorraine investigate the Perron family’s Rhode Island home.

This film serves as the franchise’s narrative anchor because it introduces both the Warrens as protagonists and establishes their methodology: they interview witnesses, research the property’s history, and attempt to help families trapped in supernatural situations.

The Perron case involves a vengeful spirit with a deeply personal motivation, making it clear that not all hauntings are random or demonic—some are the result of human tragedy that refuses to rest.

This is a crucial warning for anyone entering the franchise: the Warrens’ cases often involve real people with real trauma, and the supernatural elements are frequently connected to historical wrongs or murders.

What separates The Conjuring from later films is its focus on a single household haunting, but the case also hints at larger supernatural networks. The film mentions other artifacts and cases in the Warrens’ collection, suggesting that this is one mystery among thousands they’ve encountered.

By 1971, the Warrens are already experienced investigators, but The Conjuring shows them at a vulnerable point where they’re still learning how deep the supernatural rabbit hole goes.

The Perron case becomes the template for all subsequent Warren investigations in the timeline, establishing a pattern where a family is targeted, the Warrens are called in, and the solution involves understanding the spirit’s grievance rather than simply exorcising it.

The Timeline Accelerates Through the 1970s and Early 1980s

“The Conjuring 2” (1976, set in 1977) moves the action across the Atlantic to England, where the Warrens investigate the famous Enfield poltergeist case involving a young girl named Janet Knapp and her family.

This case is significantly more complex than the Perron haunting because it involves multiple witnesses, a poltergeist rather than a single ghost, and evidence that the supernatural activity is specifically targeting a child.

The 1977 setting is significant because it shows the Warrens’ reputation growing; they’re now being called internationally to handle cases that local authorities can’t explain.

The Enfield case also introduces the limitation that not every haunting has a neat resolution—the poltergeist activity seems to feed on the family’s distress, creating a feedback loop that makes intervention difficult.

Just four years later in 1981, “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” depicts the Warren investigation into the murder trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson in Connecticut. This case marks a turning point in the franchise because it moves beyond household hauntings into courtroom drama and the question of demonic influence over human behavior.

The film explores whether external supernatural forces can genuinely control a person’s actions, introducing a new type of horror—not the fear of a haunted house, but the fear that demonic possession could lead to violent crimes with legal consequences.

The Johnson case is based on a real-world incident, which adds a layer of authenticity that makes the supernatural claims feel more grounded. By this point in the timeline, the Warrens are battle-hardened investigators dealing with increasingly complex cases involving multiple families, institutional skepticism, and the intersection of theology and criminal justice.

Chronological Order vs Release Order—Why It Matters

Understanding the Conjuring Universe requires distinguishing between when films were released and when their stories take place. “The Nun” was released in 2018 but takes place in 1952, decades before any Conjuring film’s events. “Annabelle Comes Home” was released in 2019 but explores 1940s origins.

Meanwhile, “The Conjuring” came out in 2013 but is set in 1971, and the subsequent sequels jump forward in time rather than backward.

This non-linear storytelling creates a comparison problem: you could watch The Conjuring first and be completely confused about Valak’s role in the universe until seeing The Nun, or you could watch chronologically by year and lose the narrative momentum of the main Warren investigations.

The deliberate scrambling of timeline and release order serves a specific purpose—it allows the filmmakers to build mythology gradually while maintaining narrative surprise. If you watched everything in chronological order starting with The Nun in 1952, you’d know exactly what you’re dealing with by the time you reach the 1970s cases.

Instead, the release order lets you experience the Warrens’ investigations first, then retroactively learn that they’re up against something far more ancient and pervasive than any single haunting.

However, this structure can be frustrating because it means watching the same entity (Valak) behave differently across different stories, sometimes as the primary threat and sometimes as background mythology. Before watching Last Rites, understanding whether you should go chronologically or by release date is your first decision.

The Smurl Haunting and Last Rites’ Central Mystery

“The Conjuring: Last Rites” (2025) features two critical timeframes: a 1964 flashback involving a haunted mirror and a Warren investigation, and the main narrative set in 1986 based on the real Smurl family haunting in Pennsylvania.

The 1986 investigation shows Jack and Janet Smurl’s family moving into what appears to be a normal home, only to encounter escalating supernatural activity that terrifies multiple generations.

This case is significant because it combines elements from all previous Warren cases—it involves a family home like the Perron case, mysterious objects like the Annabelle situations, and potential possession like the Johnson trial.

The Smurl case is based on actual events, which carries the same weight as the Enfield and Johnson cases that preceded it.

The 1964 mirror subplot in Last Rites creates a warning about the franchise’s escalation: supernatural objects and entities seem to be interconnected across decades, suggesting that the cases aren’t isolated incidents but part of a larger pattern of demonic activity.

By 1986, the Warrens are facing hauntings that span generations and connect to ancient forces like Valak.

What makes Last Rites particularly important is that it arrives chronologically at the end of the Warren timeline shown in the films—after this 1986 case, there are no other films set later, suggesting that the franchise is approaching some kind of conclusion or climax.

The limitation here is that without understanding the previous cases, you won’t grasp why the Smurl haunting is so dangerous or why it represents an evolution in the Warrens’ investigations.

How Valak and Supernatural Entities Connect the Entire Universe

The revelation that Valak—the demon from 1952 Romania—appears throughout the Conjuring Universe ties everything together thematically and narratively. This demon isn’t just one threat among many; it’s positioned as a primary malevolent force that manifests in different forms and situations.

When you trace Valak’s presence through multiple films, you realize that the Conjuring Universe isn’t simply about isolated hauntings but about a systematic supernatural war where certain entities operate across decades and continents.

The doll Annabelle, the spirits in the Perron house, the poltergeist in England—some of these are directly influenced or enabled by Valak’s presence, while others are separate but operate in the same supernatural ecosystem.

This interconnected universe becomes clearer as you move through the timeline toward Last Rites. The Warrens gradually understand that they’re not fighting random ghosts or isolated demonic possessions—they’re confronting a coordinated supernatural threat that predates modern civilization.

By the 1986 Smurl case in Last Rites, the Warrens should have enough experience and knowledge to anticipate what they’re facing. However, the franchise consistently demonstrates that knowledge doesn’t guarantee victory, and understanding the enemy doesn’t prevent tragedy.

This is a key limitation: the more the Warrens learn about these entities, the more they realize how deeply entrenched supernatural forces are in the world.

What You Absolutely Need to Know Before Last Rites

To properly understand “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” you should watch at minimum the main four Conjuring films in chronological order by year, not release date: The Nun (1952), The Conjuring (1971), The Conjuring 2 (1977), and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (1981).

This gives you four decades of Warren cases and establishes their growing expertise and reputation. You’ll also benefit from watching at least one Annabelle film to understand how possessed objects function in this universe, though it’s not absolutely essential.

The key takeaway before watching Last Rites is understanding that the 1986 Smurl case represents the culmination of everything the Warrens have learned—and perhaps more than they can handle.

The 1964 flashback in Last Rites involving the haunted mirror suggests that the Warrens may have encountered connected cases decades earlier than we’ve seen in other films. This detail underscores the interconnected nature of the universe and hints that there’s more history to these cases than the films have fully explored.

Before sitting down to watch Last Rites, you should also know that the Smurl case is based on real events, which means the film is working from actual accounts of a family’s supernatural experiences, lending it the same grounded authenticity as the Enfield and Johnson cases.

Understanding that these are based on real people and real investigations adds weight to the scares—these aren’t pure fiction, but dramatizations of events that genuinely happened.

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