Ranking The 21 Best Scares In "The Conjuring" Trilogy

    *Clap, clap*

    Jeremy Hayes
    by Jeremy Hayes

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    With the release of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It in theaters and on HBO Max, the Ed and Lorraine Warren trilogy is now complete.

    Lorraine and Ed Warren sitting at a table
    Warner Bros.

    Here's a list of the trilogy's 21 scariest moments:

    *WARNING*: This post contains spoilers for The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.

    21. Speaking to Bill Wilkins (The Conjuring 2):

    Ed looking away from an old man in an armchair
    Warner Bros.

    I feel bad because this beat out Bill saying, "This is my house" for the first time while in the girls' bedroom, but this scene is too good to pass up.

    The way it is shot and the morphing of Janet into Bill is truly haunting. My favorite scene in the trilogy, but not the best scare.

    20. Carolyn wakes up from her nap (The Conjuring):

    Warner Bros.

    A creepy moment of Bathsheba hovering over Carolyn, who has had the worst time in this house, plus a little blood vomit. Yum.

    19. "I know who you are" (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It):

    Warner Bros.

    There's no escape for Arnie. This chilling moment emphasizes that the curse will follow Arnie to his death unless someone can figure out a way to stop it.

    18. Mama Hodgson becomes a believer (The Conjuring 2):

    Warner Bros.

    A truly underrated scare and scene in The Conjuring 2 is when the dresser moves to block the door as Mama Hodgson is accusing the children of making things up. It is a great breakaway from the initial "parents not believing their kids after the first incident" trope in horror films.

    Plus, look at Janet's face. James Wan knows how to find great child actors.

    17. Crawling at Arnie (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It):

    Warner Bros.

    Arnie, are you okay? Are you okay, Arnie?

    Creepy visual is creepy.

    16. The exorcism of Carolyn Perron (The Conjuring):

    Covered figure tied to a chair, levitating in the basement
    Warner Bros.

    Great scene, but specifically, the levitation moment is beautifully terrifying.

    It also shows that Bathsheba is willing to drop her vessel on her head just to escape the exorcism.

    15. Bill gives Janet an ungodly surprise (The Conjuring 2):

    Warner Bros.

    Another example of how a jump scare can be scary, but the buildup can be even scarier. From Bill's whistling to the crosses turning upside down, this whole sequence is fantastic.

    14. The ole "ghost in a white sheet" gag (The Conjuring):

    Warner Bros.

    Anything during the day in horror movies always seem to be more effective as a jump scare. This one in particular is a really cool effect that doesn't linger for too long.

    13. She won't let her leave (The Conjuring):

    Carolyn screaming on the floor while holding onto the wall
    Warner Bros.

    Carolyn screaming for help as Bathsheba pulls her back into the basement might be the most underrated, chilling moment in the whole series.

    As far as possession horror films go, I don't think I ever felt worse for someone than in this scene.

    12. Bill laughs through Janet (The Conjuring 2):

    Girl smiling creepily
    Warner Bros.

    This face is so creepy, I had a hard time believing a young actor could look so evil. Which is why the real case is so polarizing. Plus, Bill's old-man laugh adds to the eeriness.

    11. I'll take nun of that, thank you (The Conjuring 2):

    Lorraine looking into a mirror and a creepy nun standing behind her
    Warner Bros.

    A great opening with the Rhode Island case, and oddly enough, the jump scare wasn't great, but the nun appearing behind her in the mirror actually got a flinch out of me the first time.

    Patrick Wilson's Elvis music break:

    Ed Warren with a guitar
    Warner Bros.

    Only teasing. But you all deserve something a little lighter before you dive into the top 10.

    10. The rocking chair (The Conjuring):

    Woman on a rocking chair with Annabelle the Doll
    Warner Bros.

    No jump scares here. Just creeps. Two creeps, to be exact: Annabelle and Bathsheba.

    Brushing a doll's hair has never been so creepy.

    9. "Bathsheba!" (The Conjuring):

    Warner Bros.

    We see Bathsheba's true form. Yikes.

    Carolyn seriously deserved a medal after what she went through.

    8. The Crooked Man shows us a lovely smile (The Conjuring 2):

    Warner Bros.

    There was a Crooked Man, and he walked a crooked mile... "There he is." —Erik Estrada

    The dangling clothes inside the tent paid off with a fantastic jump scare.

    7. Some lively nun artwork (The Conjuring 2):

    Warner Bros.

    Okay, so the nun painting running at Lorraine is a little silly, but the buildup is extraordinary. From the lights going out to the shadow walking to the painting, Valak really became one of the most feared entities in The Conjuring universe because of this scene.

    6. Lorraine alone in the basement (The Conjuring):

    Lorraine in a dark basement and someone else is with her
    Warner Bros.

    Most of the moments on this list are a single moment, but this was a whole scene. I remember how unnerved the theater was the second Lorraine fell though the floor into the basement.

    At this point, the audience knew the dark things Lorraine can see, so we knew there'd be no punches pulled in this scene. Plenty of scares, topped off by Bathsheba chasing Lorraine up the stairs and stealing her necklace.

    5. Life, and death, through Lorraine's eyes (The Conjuring):

    Warner Bros.

    Maybe the most haunting moment of the trilogy.

    After seeing Insidious, I've learned that James Wan loves putting scary things over Patrick Wilson's shoulder.

    4. "Mom, who's that?" (The Conjuring 2):

    Spooky nun standing at the end of hallway
    Warner Bros.

    Nope.

    That's all. Keep moving before this screenshot becomes a GIF.

    3. "My house!" (The Conjuring 2):

    Warner Bros.

    Day scares, man. Too good.

    I'm expecting the chair to rock back and forth, but instead, we get our first look at a yellow-eyed Bill. Try your inside voice next time, Bill.

    2. Bathsheba...from the top of the dresser (The Conjuring)!

    Warner Bros.

    Maybe one of the most effective scares. At this point in the film, the most ghostly thing we witnessed was the little clapping hands. To go from clapping hands to a whole Bathsheba is an unexpected jump.

    Speaking of jumps, how about that leap by Bathsheba?

    1. Hide and clap (The Conjuring):

    Warner Bros.

    This scene was so well done.

    The buildup in the basement, the match, Carolyn's face...all horror at its finest. Other than Ed Warren speaking to Bill in the sequel, this has to be my favorite scene in the Conjuring trilogy, and by far the scariest.

    What Conjuring moment or moments give you the heebie-jeebies? What did I miss? Comment below!