The Scariest Moment from Every Conjuring Universe Movie

The Scariest Moment from Every “Conjuring” UNiverse Movie

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the scariest moment from every “Conjuring” universe movie.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the most horrifying scene from each movie so far released in this supernatural horror series.

Which scene do you think is the scariest? Let us know in the comments below!

Bathsheba’s Literal Jump Scare

“The Conjuring” (2013)
The famous hide and clap sequence became the most recognizable scene from the first “Conjuring” after being plastered all over the movie’s marketing material (xref). But it’s arguably not the scariest. That distinction belongs to Bathsheba hiding atop Andrea and Cindy’s wardrobe. The scene begins with Andrea waking up to the sounds of Cindy banging her head against the wardrobe door. That’s certainly creepy enough, but it only gets worse from there. The doors start banging again after Andrea brings her sister back to bed. When she goes to investigate, Cindy gasps right before Bathsheba pounces and jumps on top of her sister. It’s a brilliantly effective scare because the movie combines all sorts of different techniques into one. We have a shocking reveal of something sinister, an inhuman face, and a loud noise designed to startle viewers. It’s a terrifying combination that leaves us screaming.

Entering & Escaping the Basement

“Annabelle” (2014)
Annabelle’s sequence in “The Conjuring” proved so popular that the creepy doll earned her own spin-off that contained its fair share of effective scares. Perhaps the most unsettling mment comes when Mia goes to the basement of her apartment building. While moving some things to storage, Mia becomes wary when a creepy, old fashioned baby stroller rolls into view. The basement echoes with the ghostly sound of a baby screaming before she’s attacked by the demon. Although this demon would later be used to great effect when it made a full appearance in “Annabelle Comes Home”, it’s still scary here. The malicious being haunts Mia in the elevator in a brilliant sequence. We feel a sickening combination of claustrophobia, the natural fear of the dark, and some fantastic sound design that forgoes music in favor of suffocating silence. Talk about anxiety.

Valak, The Demon Nun

“The Conjuring 2” (2016)
Director James Wan returned for “The Conjuring 2” to give moviegoers some of the most effective frights of the decade. Who could forget the “My house!” jump scare? The debut of the Crooked Man, who’s set to star in his own spin-off film, was also terrifying. But it was the Demon Nun A.K.A. Valak who stole the show. The being appears eerily standing at the end of a hallway. When Lorraine goes to follow the spine-chilling creature, she finds herself in a room that only contains an incredibly realistic painting of the nun. The tension builds to an almost unbearable level as viewers wait for Valak to spring to life. But the scene continually subverts our expectations in horrifying ways. It’s surprising and scary scenes like that solidify James Wan’s reputation as one of the leading names in horror.

The Bell Tolls for Carol & Nancy

“Annabelle: Creation” (2017)
A series of creative scares and the fruitful direction of David F. Sandberg garnered a good reception for this “Annabelle prequel”. One of the movie’s greatest scenes focuses on Carol and Nancy horsing around under a blanket fort. As they tell creepy stories about the reclusive owner of the house, Mrs. Mullins, the two laugh and pretend to be scared— until they actually are. After an unanswered bell rings throughout the house, their sole flashlight goes out. They can only panic as the bell continues and a shadowed figure grows closer and closer to them. Director David Sandberg builds incredible tension through the use of sound and excellent pacing. Thanks to his strong filmmaking, we’re just as startled as Nancy and Carol when the inevitable jump scare and ghostly face finally appears.

An Eerie Opening Scene

“The Nun” (2018)
After Valak became incredibly popular from an appearance in “The Conjuring 2”, it got a spin-off film in “The Nun”. The narrative begins properly in Romania in 1952. After two nuns walk down a creepy corridor, they are attacked by a sinister force. The one who is injured warns her sister that the evil entity needs a host. Unwilling to become the vessel for a demon, Sister Victoria decides to take her own life. The moments leading up to this dark event are absolute nightmare fuel. As the shadowy demon nun approaches the sister in the dark hallway, all the lights are extinguished. To cap off the scene, we see what happened to the nun when a villager discovers her in the daylight. The horrifying imagery is so graphic we won’t even show it to you.

La Llorona Attacks Sam

“The Curse of La Llorona” (2019)
Although the titular La Llorona herself had no direct connection to either the Warrens, Valak, or Annabelle, she was definitely scary enough to warrant a full film. She’s based on real legends told in multiple cultures that usually scare children into behaving. Like the real legend, the “Conjuring’s” La Llorona is connected to water. This was extremely evident when she attacked Anna in a petrifying pool scene. But that’s not La Llrorna’s scariest appearance near water. When Sam is in a bathtub, the demon pretends to be her mother Anna. Suddenly, it holds her underwater. The images of La Llorona hunched over the bathtub and leering above the water as she submerges Sam is absolutely frightening. In typical “Conjuring” style, the scene ends with a hair-raising jumpscare as the real Anna comes face-to-face with a screaming La Llorona.

The Ferryman

“Annabelle Comes Home” (2019)
The Ferryman was introduced in “Annabelle Comes Home'' as a terrifying interpretation of Charon. That mythological figure typically brings deceased souls to the afterlife. The Ferryman, on the other hand, collects souls for itself and torments them for its own twisted amusement. During the movie’s scariest sequence, it uses falling coins at night to force babysitter Mary Ellen to investigate the sound with a flashlight. She eventually comes across a shadowed figure cloaked in the dark. And its eyes are in the form of shining coins. It’s a great scare that once again plays to the series’ strengths and its penchant for keeping the scary monsters shrouded in the dark. Luckily, Mary’s able to keep it at bay with a little light. Unfortunately, it's only a matter of time before The Ferryman returns for her soul.