How does the ending of Annabelle: Creation connect to the rest of The Conjuring universe? Details explored

The devil has a favorite toy in The Conjuring universe: a doll called Annabelle. Annabelle: Creation showed us in 2017 how this doll came into being. It was one of the dolls originally crafted by Samuel Mullins (Anthony LaPaglia) and became a conduit for a demon that tricked the couple into believing they were interacting with their deceased daughter’s spirit.

This is its origin story, but we already got the original Annabelle film in The Conjuring universe in 2014, which kicked off the subseries. That film begins where Annabelle: Creation ends. And this is where the only link appears that connects Annabelle: Creation to the rest of the franchise: the Warrens, Ed and Lorraine, played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga.

In the 2014 film, we see a mention of the demonologists who are core to The Conjuring universe. So, if you put it this way, Annabelle: Creation connects to Annabelle, and the latter is connected to the franchise’s leads. All of this is briefly referenced in the first movie, The Conjuring, which later expanded into a full storyline featuring the Warrens and this doll in Annabelle Comes Home (2019).

Annabelle: Creation ends and Annabelle begins

Annabelle: Creation is the second film in the subseries. (Image via Warner Bros.)

Events in Annabelle: Creation take place around 1958, according to the franchise’s official timeline. After the 2017 film sets the stage for the story we saw in 2014, it ends with a jump forward of 12 years to 1970, where the events of the latter unfold.

At the end, we see Mia Form (Annabelle Wallis) waking up after some disturbance coming from the Higgins’ home, who are their neighbors. This is actually the murder scene carried out by Higgins’ estranged daughter, Annabelle (Tree O’Toole), who later slits her throat in the first movie as she breaks into the Forms’ house.

When the woman slits her throat, her blood comes into contact with the devil’s toy. Mia and her husband, John (Ward Horton), then have to deal with this demonic entity throughout the film. There’s even a scene where they seek help from a priest, Father Perez (Tony Amendola), who in turn tries to reach out to the Warrens. However, before he can contact them, he is hospitalized—courtesy of the devil.

Ed and Lorraine Warren finally comes into the Annabelle game

Annabelle: Creation is the highest-rated film in the subseries. (Image via Warner Bros.)

Well, technically, they were always in the game, as far as the franchise is concerned. In fact, Ed and Lorraine Warren’s first encounter in the series begins with this doll, and they explain to Debbie and Camilla what the deal is with this devilish toy. You can see all of this in the first six minutes of The Conjuring.

Then we have the third film in the subseries, Annabelle Comes Home, which is essentially Annabelle vs. the Warrens’ daughter, Judy Warren (Mckenna Grace). The events take place just a year after The Conjuring, in 1972. And it’s not just this doll—Judy and her babysitter have to deal with all sorts of evil entities.

Annabelle subseries writer Gary Dauberman recently spoke about the possibility of a fourth film, but there’s no official word on its development yet. Meanwhile, we do have The Conjuring: Last Rites, the fourth film in the main franchise, set to release on September 5, 2025.