2013’s “The Conjuring” kickstarted a new horror cinematic behemoth. In addition to the mainline series, where the timeline can get a little confusing, there are a ton of spin-offs like “Annabelle” and “The Nun” that have all been released to varying quality. But when it comes to the worst film in “The Conjuring” franchise, one is head and shoulders above (below?) all the others. 

It doesn’t matter if you look at IMDb’s ratings or /Film’s review, “The Curse of La Llorona” is widely considered the worst of the bunch. Linda Cardellini plays a mother trying to save her two children from a malevolent entity trying to steal them away. It’s a decent enough premise, but sadly, the execution is severely lacking, which is undoubtedly why it currently stands at a 5.3/10 rating on IMDb with 62,000 audience votes cast. 

Even “The Conjuring” franchise as a whole seemed to want to distance itself from “La Llorona.” It’s not technically part of the overarching series, but it does include an appearance from Tony Amendola as Father Perez, who previously starred in “Annabelle.” But that’s not the only way “La Llorona” connects to other “Conjuring” movies. Despite helming the lowest-rated film in the franchise, director Michael Chaves must’ve made a good impression on someone because he’s directed multiple “Conjuring” films since. 

“The Curse of La Llorona” may not have been everyone’s cup of haunted tea, but sometimes to succeed in the entertainment biz, it’s about making a good impression behind the scenes. That’s clearly what happened here, as Michael Chaves was assigned director duties for “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” in 2018 before “La Llorona” had even come out. James Wan, who directed the first two “Conjuring” movies as well as produced “La Llorona,” gave a statement to The Hollywood Reporter:

“While working closely with Chaves on ‘The Curse of La Llorona,’ I got to know him as a filmmaker. Chaves’ ability to bring emotion to a story, and his understanding of mood and scares, make him a perfect fit to direct the next ‘Conjuring’ film.”

Chaves would also go on to direct “The Nun II.” Both “The Devil Made Me Do It” and “The Nun II” were met more positively than “La Llorona,” garnering scores of 6.3/10 and 5.6/10 on IMDb, respectively. And Chaves’ work within the franchise has been met with praise, like in Jeremy Mathai’s review of “The Nun II” for /Film: “The horrifically haunting magazine sequence plastered all over the movie’s marketing hits just as hard, even if the trailers ‘spoiled’ how this jump-scare unfolds.”

Chaves isn’t done yet. He returns to direct “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” which comes out in theaters on September 5. It might be the last of the mainline “Conjuring” movies, but if there are any more spinoffs, Chaves’ name is bound to be in contention to direct.