7 scariest scenes from the Conjuring universe

The Conjuring: Last Rites premiered on September 5, 2025, closing out over a decade of Ed and Lorraine Warren's brush with paranormal activities. From The Conjuring (2013) to its finale, horror movie fans have been immersed in a dark and gritty world of jump scares, horrific scenarios, and deeply dangerous evil. So, there is no dearth of scary scenes in the franchise.

While some movies outperformed others in the horror department, many memorable moments had fans falling off their seats in fright. From the intentionally spooky camera angles and the tense buildups to the eventual reveal, the movies offer scary moments like never before.

Disclaimer: All opinions in this article belong to the writer. Spoilers ahead. The list is in no particular order.

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Hide and clap, the Valak painting, and other top-scariest scenes in the Conjuring universe

1) The wardrobe moment in The Conjuring (2013)

Cindy's sleepwalking leads to Bathsheba (Image via YouTube/Warner Bros.)

Plot: Carolyn and Roger Perron enlist the help of paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, when they and their five daughters experience bone-chilling activity in their new house.

The Conjuring is a horror zeitgeist, defining the art of a spectacular jumpscare. One of its defining moments is the buildup to Bathsheba's reveal on top of the wardrobe. It is a typical setup: Cindy is headbanging the wardrobe yet again, waking an alert Andrea. She knows all the ways to calm Cindy's sleepwalking and succeeds in bringing her back to bed. But the wardrobe doesn't stop rattling.

Cindy startles awake as Andrea approaches the wardrobe, and the scene vibrates with anticipation. But there's the bait and switch. She throws it open, and it's empty. But Cindy's eyes are above Andrea's head. Lurking in the shadows is the grungy Bathsheba, who not just startles everyone, but lunges for Andrea without second thought.

The scene's choreography and the eventual reveal break even the most hardcore horror fan.

Where to watch: HBO Max/Hulu/Prime Video

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2) Valak's painting in The Conjuring 2 (2016)

Valak appears in the hallway (Image via YouTube/Warner Bros.)

Plot: Ed and Lorraine Warren travel to England to investigate paranormal activity in the Hodgson family home.

Valak's appearance is terrifying even in the painting Ed creates, so when the cloaked nun appears in the dimly-lit hallway of the Hodgson house, it is a hair-raising affair. But that is just the beginning. After Lorraine follows Judy's raised hand to the study, the shaky camera angles, the silhouette of the painting, and the abrupt music from the record player set the scene for a horrific reveal.

Lorraine watches in horror as the lights switch off on their own, the door and windows shut jarringly, and a shadow emerges. It lurks its way to the painting, and the tension builds as hands curl from behind it, and runs headfirst towards Lorraine, screaming bloody murder. The anticipation pays off in the Conjuring universe.

Where to watch: HBO Max/Prime Video

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3) The basement elevator sequence in Annabelle (2014)

Mia running from the basement (Image via YouTube/Warner Bros.)

Plot: John gifts his wife, Mia, a rare vintage porcelain doll for their soon-to-be-born daughter. Unbeknownst to them, the doll is possessed by malevolent forces that disrupt their lives.

The Conjuring universe uses lighting to its advantage, and this scene in Annabelle is a perfect example. Mia is in the basement when a baby stroller rolls into the frame. A baby's wails fill the room, but when Mia reaches into the stroller, a dark hand possesses her. If this isn't scary enough, what comes afterwards makes it worse.

Mia runs to the elevator and frantically closes it. But it keeps pinging open in the basement, and the lights flicker out, leaving fans and Mia with narrow lighting from the torch. She makes a run for it as lightning comes crashing down, and the creature reveals itself on the fire escape stairs in a perfectly timed jumpscare. It is one of the most traditional-looking devils in the franchise, and spooks everyone.

Where to watch: Netflix/Prime Video

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4) The Hide and Clap sequence in The Conjuring (2013)

The iconic hide-and-clap sequence (Image via YouTube/Warner Bros. UK & Ireland)

One of the scariest scenes in The Conjuring universe is the hide-and-clap sequence. It cemented the franchise's timelessness by being in every promotional video. But the scene itself is simple: Carolyn hears clapping sounds coming from the basement. She thinks it's one of the kids, but they're asleep as picture frames smash on the ground. Then, she hurtles down the stairs, and things look dire.

The stray ball dropping from the shadows, the basement bulb exploding, and the matchstick dimly illuminating the unknown all make this scene a masterclass in tension building. But the final blow lands when a pair of ghostly hands clap from behind Carolyn, and her strangled screams echo as the light goes out.

Where to watch: HBO Max/Hulu/Prime Video

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5) The ferryman attack from Annabelle Comes Home (2019)

The Ferryman's coins (Image via YouTube/Warner Bros.)

Plot: Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) restrain the demonic Annabelle doll in their home. But when their daughter, Judy, and her friend, Mary, unwittingly unleash her demonic powers, they encounter spirits far beyond their control.

An unknown entity stalks Mary Ellen, and all she has to rely on is a flickering torch and the sound of metallic coins dropping to the floor. But that makes this one of the scariest scenes in the Conjuring universe. Her ragged breath and the soundtrack amp up the discomfort of the scene, but nothing beats the grand reveal.

As she holds up the large, shiny coin to the light, it transforms into an eye, revealing the grotesque ferryman with pennies for eyes. Her theatrical scream accentuates the punchy jumpscare, and fans get a glimpse of the evil, which, in this case, is the entity that ferries people to their death in the underworld.

Where to watch: HBO Max/Prime Video

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6) Arne kills Bruno in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

Arne is possessed by the devil (Image via YouTube/Warner Bros.)

Plot: In 1981, Ed and Lorraine intervene when an eight-year-old named David gets possessed by a demon. Things go south when Arne, David's sister's boyfriend, intervenes during the exorcism and invites the demon into his body.

While this might be the weakest installment in the Conjuring universe, one scene stands out. No one except Ed knows that the demon entered Arne's body, and when he wakes up in the hospital to warn everyone, fans know something bad is on the horizon. Arne looks zoned out, calm right before the storm.

The music is turned all the way up, a very drunk landlord, Bruno, is happily dancing away, and Arne hallucinates. The sounds die down, his eyes widen, and he envisions Bruno hurting Debby by turning into a demon. The swiveling camera angles, the yellow and red lighting, and Arne's hallucination of Bruno all happen so fast that the multiple stab sounds are the least of anyone's worries.

Where to watch: HBO Max/Prime Video

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7) The magazine scare in The Nun 2 (2023)

Sister Irene confronts Valak (Image via YouTube/Warner Bros.)

Plot: In Michael Chaves's horror sequel, Sister Irene and Sister Debra team up to investigate paranormal deaths across Europe. They must face the ultimate evil in Valak and save people before it's too late.

While the setup is similar to the painting reveal in The Conjuring 2, the storytelling once again makes this one of the scariest scenes. The camera continues to show the same shots: One of sister Irene's petrified face, and the other, of a stand of magazines fluttering in the breeze. It is a slow buildup, and the director does not use flashy techniques to jump scare the audience with Valak's reveal.

The magazine pages turn, first slow and then rapid, to reveal the outline of a figure fans are all too familiar with. A picture of a mountain forms Valak's face, and Sister Irene realizes too late that she is not alone. When she turns back to check around her, the jump scare is imminent and executed perfectly, as Valak appears from the pages.

Where to watch: HBO Max/Prime Video

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Watch The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) in theatres worldwide.