Is Insidious part of The Conjuring Universe?

With so many horror movies available, in cinemas, online, and on home video, it can often be quite difficult to keep track of all the different franchises. In some cases, such as the Jaws series or the Psycho films, it’s fairly straight forward to know what movies belong to what franchise, but from time-to-time it can get a little more complex.

In the case of The Conjuring Universe, it can become a little confusing keeping tabs on all the different entries. New movies are being added to the series all the time, and some tend to slip in, under the radar.

There is also some confusion as to whether certain films are part of The Conjuring Universe, because not all the films in the series carry The Conjuring name. And then there are the Insidious movies, which appear to create a great source of confusion too, as some people think they are part of The Conjuring Universe and some think they are not.

So, let me clear up any confusion between The Conjuring and Insidious series, by answering the all-important question: Is Insidious part of The Conjuring Universe?

Insidious is not part of The Conjuring Universe. The Conjuring and Insidious movies are not related, they do not feature any of the same characters, and their stories are in no-way intertwined.

The Insidious franchise began in 2010, and to date features multiple entries, including Insidious (2010), Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015), and Insidious: The Last Key (2018).

The Conjuring Universe started in 2013, and so far, includes: The Conjuring (2013), Annabelle (2014), The Conjuring 2 (2016), Annabelle: Creation (2017), The Nun (2018), The Curse of La Llorona (2019), Annabelle: Comes Home (2019) and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021).

There is no crossover between the two franchises and to date, there are no plans to bring the two universes together. In fact, the movies are owned by different movie studios, with Insidious residing with Sony, and The Conjuring housed at Warner Bros. Pictures/New Line Cinema.

If you think they are part of the same universe, you are mistaken. They are not.

So, if the two franchises are separate entities, why do some movie fans get confused between Insidious and The Conjuring? Well, it has a lot to do with the people involved in the pictures, which is causing the confusion.

James Wan directed Insidious and Insidious 2. He was also one of the co-editors on Insidious, along with Kirk Morri.

James Wan also directed The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2. And yep, you guessed it, both of these films were edited by Kirk Morri.

So, from a visual standpoint, thanks to the involvement with Wan and Morri, both The Conjuring and Insidious share a similar aesthetic. It should also be noted that Wan is a name that is associated with both franchises because he has helped to make them both successful.

Another key connection between the two franchises, which often causes great confusion, is the involvement of actor Patrick Wilson. The actor plays prominent roles in both movie universes.

In the Insidious movies, Wilson plays the role of Josh Lambert – one of the main characters in the series. Over in The Conjuring Universe, Wilson plays Ed Warrant – again, one of the main characters.

As both the Insidious and The Conjuring were released within years each other, and Wilson pops up in both movies, it’s not difficult to see how the two series can blur into one. But for the record, they are not connected… and now you know.  

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Thank you for taking the time to stop by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about The Conjuring and Insidious – I hope it has proved useful. For more horror-related content, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.

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