The universe of The Conjuring is currently home to eight feature-length films, but do the franchise's short films also count as canon? Back in 2017, the Conjurverse's producer and director of the first two Conjuring movies James Wan teamed with Warner Brothers to announce an exciting contest for fans. The contest, which was part of the marketing blitz for that year's prequel movie Annabelle: Creation, called on amateur filmmakers from around the world to craft their own horror shorts inspired by The Conjuring and its spinoffs.
The rules for the contest, titled "My Annabelle Creation," were simple; shoot a creepy film no longer than two minutes in length that felt as though it could exist within the Conjurverse. These shorts could tackle any supernatural subject the filmmakers wanted to explore, including ghosts, demons, or even haunted objects. It only mattered that the end result was suitably scary and in tune with the aesthetics and tone of the hit franchise itself. Unsurprisingly, entries poured into both director James Wan and Warner Brothers, and the contestants were soon whittled down to find the best short films in the bunch.
In the end, five winners were chosen. These films were then uploaded to Warner Brothers' YouTube channel, where they could be shared with the horror movie community at large. However, arguably the biggest reward for winning the context came with the confirmation that all five shorts would officially be inducted into the Conjurverse too. This makes each of the short films canon to the larger story of the series, but what is each film about and how do they fit into the timeline of the Conjurverse?
Perhaps the most competent and genuinely frightening of the "My Annabelle Creation" series of short films, The Nurse feels as though it was plucked straight out of an unexplored corner of the Conververse. Directed by Julian Terry, it tells the tale of a child recovering from eye surgery in a dimly lit hospital, with her eyes wrapped in thick bandages. When she hears the familiar squeak of the food cart enter her room, she believes the nurse has delivered her dinner. However, this particular nurse is far from the gentle caregiver the little girl was hoping for. At only two minutes - as per the rules of the contest - the film crams its brief runtime with all the chills and scares expected from a full Conjuring movie. The limited breadth of the story makes it hard to determine its placement in the Conjurverse timeline, but the modern equipment in the hospital indicates it takes place within the last decade, possibly concurrent to its 2017 production.
Directed by Liam Banks, The Confession was the United Kingdom's winner for the contest. This chilling short follows a young woman named Fiona who seeks solace in a confessional booth. The terrified woman speaks of horrific entities that haunt her and describes a shadowy being that appears to change size as it slowly gets closer. In the end, Fiona realizes too late that, while she may have fled her home, the evil has followed her into the place she thought would be her sanctuary. Just like The Nurse, The Confession feels very at home in the world of The Conjuring franchise and manages to tell an impactful and creepy tale in the brief runtime. The exact time and setting of this short is unknown, aside from the likelihood it takes place in Great Britain. The clothing and furnishings of the limited sets make the era of the story ambiguous, meaning it could very easily take place during the heyday of the Warren's paranormal investigations during the 1970s or the 1980s.
Mexico's winning entry in the "My Annabelle Creation" contest is courtesy of director Raúl Bribiesca. What's Wrong With Mom? might be the most creatively shot and disturbing film to come from the contest, and follows a distraught daughter as she and her father pray for the safety and health of her mother, who lies possessed by a demon behind a thin shroud in the family's living room. The camera never moves or changes perspective, instead using only one angle to slowly show the mother rise from her bed, begin laughing, and then suddenly teleport away. The "Marifer" demon that possesses her seems intent on harming the daughter too, but the short ends with the family's fate unknown. One of the most unique aspects of this particular film is that it mentions the Warrens by name. While the daughter prays, a knock at the door summons the father away, as he believes the Warrens have arrived to help them. This implies the family had reached out to Ed and Lorraine Warren for help, and that a bigger story involving the ghost-hunting duo unfolds shortly after the short concludes.
Courtesy of Sweden, Blund's Lullaby was directed by Amanda Nilsson and Magda Lindblom. This eerie little film was inspired by the Nordic entity known as John Blund, a kind of Sandman-style apparition that descends upon a small house to strike terror into the heart of a little girl. Without the benefit of dialogue, the film instead relies entirely on its visuals and sound design to deliver its scares. Blund's presence is signified by the appearance of umbrellas that open on their own and surround the girl as she attempts to hide from the creature that's haunting her. Once again, the era of the story is vague, and its connection to local folklore would make it an excellent international case for the Warrens to tackle in a longer-form story.
The final film of the contest is Innocent Souls, which was produced in Colombia and directed by Alejandro López. Two boys enter an abandoned home during the night, and discover a slew of creepy artifacts. One of the boys comes face to face with a demonic presence, but before he can convince his friend of what he's seen, it's too late. Innocent Souls is the simplest of the contest winners, but its setting and unexpected scares make it a great fit with the universe. Like with many of the shorts, the era of the story is left unclear and its placement in the overarching story of the franchise is up to each viewer to decide. No matter where they might fall within the Conjuring timeline, these canon films represent both the creativity of the fanbase and the potential of upcoming stories in the Conjurverse.
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