5 Ways The Conjuring Universe Is Scarier Than Insidious (& 5 Ways Insidious Is)

5 Ways The Conjuring Universe Is Scarier Than Insidious (& 5 Ways Insidious Is)

Cutting his teeth on the Saw franchise, director James Wan and his production company Atomic Monster Productions envisioned a unique way to influence the horror genre. What began with two inspired films, Insidious and The Conjuring soon exploded into a “shared universe” style set of franchises that changed the way tension was experienced in horror movies.

Insidious offered a terrifying glimpse into a fictional realm called The Further, a parallel dimension full of monstrous entities just waiting to cross over into our world. The Conjuring followed the real-life hauntings and possessions investigated by the paranormal team of Ed and Lorraine Warren. Each film series offered new and depraved reasons to sleep with the lights on.

THE CONJURING: It’s Inspired By True Stories

5 Ways The Conjuring Universe Is Scarier Than Insidious (& 5 Ways Insidious Is)

The Conjuring and its subsequent sequels are inspired by stories, most of them loosely tied together by the husband and wife team of paranormal investigators. They span decades and even continents, as the duo track down hauntings to investigate and hopefully exorcise.

Part of the appeal of The Conjuring Universe is that it’s inspired by events, people, and supernatural circumstances that really happened. While the Warrens’ credibility has been the subject of debate for the longest time, knowing that The Conjuring owes some its ideas to events with a real-life connection gives it an edge that the purely fictional Insidious doesn’t have. Sometimes, the truth is more terrifying than fiction.

INSIDIOUS: The Creepy World-Building

Insidious - The Doll Family in The Further

The Insidious franchise is based on an intriguing premise involving possessions and astral projection. It’s deepened by the concept of The Further, a parallel dimension to our own that’s full of diabolical demons eager to find a human to possess and make their escape.

The Further is explored in a different way in every film, with each sequel contributing to the world-building in new and exciting ways. From the the Lipstick Demon, to the Old Woman, to the Wheezing Demon, each villain inhabiting The Further is more sinister than the last, and all contribute to make the world of Insidious that much more terrifying.

THE CONJURING: It Has Terrifying Spin-Off Characters

Conjuring Universe Watch Order

The Conjuring not only has several of its own films, it also has a popular series of spin-off films created for the characters that came from its engrossing plots. The various dark entities that the Warrens have all received the stand-alone, making them even more horrifying in their backstories.

The demonic doll Annabelle received the greenlight for several films after she first appeared in The Conjuring, and The Nun also went on to launch her own successful franchise. Knowing their stories are based on real events and accounts makes them even more horrifying.

INSIDIOUS: Scary Things Happen In The Daylight

One of the most inventive things that director James Wan did in his Insidious films is make daylight hours unnerving. Ordinarily in horror films, viewers are lulled into a false sense of security when the characters have survived the night, giving them the assumption that things are safe so as long as the sun is up.

Wan keenly identified that it would be far more traumatic for viewers if creepy and unsettling things also occurred in the day, resulting in some truly iconic moments for the franchise.

THE CONJURING: It Has Vengeful Spirits

The demons in The Conjuring universe

If it’s ghost stories that viewers want, The Conjuring Universe has no shortage of specters and spirits. Its focus on the Warrens’ investigations into authentic hauntings provides the basis for some truly shocking occurrences.

The macabre history of the Perron’s farm provided no shortage of fuel to paranormal occasions in the first film, especially when Carolyn got possessed by Bathsheba. And in The Conjuring 2, the horrible possession of the youngest Hodgson sibling by the spirits in her house -including The Nun- was specifically spooky.

INSIDIOUS: Effective Jump Scares

Horror films of the 21st century seem to all have jump scares, to the point where a horror film is exceptional if it leaves them out altogether. Insidious has some of the best in the genre, particularly when they’re combined with its compelling and suspenseful score.

One of the best jump scares in the series occurs with Josh Lambert and the Red Faced Demon, and in the third film, the Man Who Can’t Breathe gives Quinn Brenner quite a fright when she’s trying to fall asleep.

THE CONJURING: It Makes Viewers Care For The Victims

One of the reasons that The Conjuring Universe is so frightening is because the films take their time letting viewers get to know the victims. For instance, getting to know The Warrens to the point where they feel like real people makes what happens to them all the more horrific.

The development of the victims is also important, and helps to situate viewers in their supernatural plights. The more audiences can become empathetic to the victims’ circumstances, the more invested they are in their survival.

INSIDIOUS: Its Expert Use Of Music

Lin Shaye to return for Insidious: Chapter 4

Good music in horror movies is as imperative as convincing special effects because it helps enhance the viewers’ experience. Insidious has some of the most spine-tingling melodies since Psycho and Jaws, and it’s used to great dramatic effect.

Even more important than music is the absence of it, and the Insidious films know exactly when to increase the strings and piano to a crescendo, when to play an innocent sounding children’s song, and when to have no music at all.

THE CONJURING: The Movies’ Interconnected Lore

Part of the enjoyment of the frightening events that occur in The Conjuring Universe is learning about it’s lore. This extensively interconnected series of films creates a spider’s web of chilling stories that have at least some basis in reality. This is perhaps best visualized in the Warrens’ occult museum, which is filled with supernatural artifacts that either showed up in previous films or are teasing an upcoming one.

Being able to listen to real tapes from The Warrens and their paranormal investigations — whether in the scene or in the credits as a bonus — only adds to the sort of disturbing tales viewers’ imaginations can come up with.

INSIDIOUS: The Practical Visuals Are Instantly Iconic

insidious 3 the man who cant breathe

There are stunning visuals in both franchises, but because of the intricacy of the demons and creatures involved with The Further, Insidious is more memorable and aesthetically arresting.

Practical effects, when done correctly in a horror film, are anything but cheesy and the Insidious series knows how important the traditional use of puppetry and real actors in suits is.