How The Conjuring Became the Highest‑Grossing Horror Franchise

Starting with the first film in 2013, The Conjuring universe has grown into one of modern Hollywood’s most reliable horror brands. The latest film, The Conjuring: Last Rites, just became the 2nd highest-grossing horror movie of all time with a worldwide gross of $494.7 million, and the franchise — 10 blockbuster films to date — is the highest-grossing horror series ever with a total of $2.8 billion worldwide, even as the quality of later entries has dipped.

One major appeal is the “based on a true story” branding centered on real-life paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga). Presenting each haunting as an actual Warren investigation blurs fiction and reality; on-set reports from the first film included mysterious bruises on child actors and moving curtains, Farmiga reportedly waking at the witching hour, and from The Conjuring 2 onward priests and exorcists were hired to bless the sets.

The article also notes the July 2025 death of paranormal investigator Dan Rivera while leading a tour featuring the real Annabelle doll. James Wan’s filmmaking and inventive scare construction are another factor. The films rely on long takes, wide shots, and silence to build tension, with sequences like the Hide-and-Clap scene from the first Conjuring singled out as a flawlessly executed scare.

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