A24 is creating a subtle horror movie universe, and it can serve as a great stand-in for The Conjuring franchise. The Conjuring series began over a decade ago with the 2013 James Wan film that told the story of a duo of private investigators who try to help a family that is going through a paranormal event. While the main series was followed up three years later with The Conjuring 2, the franchise also has several in-universe spinoffs, including 2014’s Annabelle and The Nun movies. It is now the highest-grossing horror franchise of all time.

Horror has already started strong this year, including for franchise films. This includes The Conjuring series, which will release what is expected to be the last movie within their mainline franchise with Last Rites. 2025 has also seen the release of the highly-anticipated and long-delayed sequel film Final Destination: Bloodlines, and in a couple of months will see the reboot of I Know What You Did Last Summer. A24 has just released an original horror film, and it can supplement an exciting new movie universe.

Bring Her Back Is The Second Film In A24’s Secret Horror Movie Universe

It Is Set In The Same Universe As Talk To Me

This year, A24 has had somewhat of a rough start horror-wise due to disappointments like Opus and Death of a Unicorn. However, they are redeeming themselves with their newest release, Bring Her Back. Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, the movie stars Sally Hawkins as a foster mother who takes in two siblings after they experience a family tragedy. The movie also stars Billy Barratt, Jonah Wren Phillips, Mischa Heywood, and Sora Wong. The movie had a small but reasonable opening for a horror film, making $7 million.

Bring Her Back represents the Philippous’ second collaboration with A24 as the first was Talk to Me in 2023. Bring Her Back is not a sequel to Talk to Me, and the two have different plots and entirely different characters. It has been confirmed by the directors, however, that the two horror movies exist in the same universe. The directing duo confirmed this detail in May, with Danny Philippou noting “because we are writing our own films, they are automatically set in some sort of universe” with his brother adding “and there’s going to be something to prove that soon.”

Now, the actual connections between Talk to Me and Bring Her Back exist only in a broad sense. Setting wise, both films take place in the directors’ home country of Australia. They also both involve some kind of supernatural and mysterious enтιтy that is used (or misused) by each film’s characters. Furthermore, these films both tackle themes of grief, with Bring Her Back showing an especially tragic story about a woman who is devastated by the death of her daughter, Cathy.

Michael Philippou has not fully clarified what he meant by saying that there is “going to be something to prove” the movies’ connections soon, but there is a way that the films could link up soon. Development is underway on Talk 2 Me, a sequel to the directors’ 2023 movie. This film has the opportunity to fully cement the connections present within the shared Bring Her Back and Talk to Me universe, expanding on the themes and even potentially introducing crossover characters.

Bring Her Back & Talk To Me Are Very Different From The Conjuring Movies

Their Supernatural Elements Are More Subtle

While they share some similarities with supernatural issues, The Conjuring franchise is very different from Bring Her Back and Talk to Me. Whereas the Philippous in-universe duology is far more subtle, The Conjuring movies really like to physicalize their supernatural antagonists. In the first movie, one of the most shocking elements is the reveal of Bathsheba Sherman, who is played by Joseph Bishara. The second Conjuring universe movie, Annabelle, even dials this up by focusing on a creepy doll from the first film.

While some of the supernatural elements are physicalized through Ollie in Bring Her Back, for example, the Philippous focus more on the unseen supernatural elements. Instead, they take a more visceral look at how these hauntings affect the main characters. These A24 films are also much more sparing in the exposition. Whereas The Conjuring movies use their sprawling universe to explain the lore more in-depth, the Philippous rely more on the audience to piece together what is happening in these rituals and hauntings through small glimpses and the characters’ reactions.

A24’s Horror Universe Is Off To A Better Start Than The Conjuring

Talk To Me And Bring Her Back Have Gotten Good Reviews

Another point in favor of the Philippou’s budding horror universe are the critical reviews. Both Talk to Me and Bring Her Back have been well-received, getting 94% and 90% Tomatometers, respectively. ScreenRant‘s Mae Abdulbaki gave Talk to Me 7 out of 10 stars, writing that the film is “treacherous, gruesome, and heartbreaking all at once.” Mary Kᴀssel gave Bring Her Back 6 out of 10 stars, praising the film’s complicated and well-developed characters as it navigates themes of grief.

By contrast, The Conjuring movies have more inconsistent reviews. The first film got a strong rating, holding an 86% Tomatometer, but subsequent movies saw a decline, especially with a few spinoffs. Annabelle even got a Rotten Score of 28%, as did The Nun (which has a 24% Tomatometer). The Conjuring‘s more sprawling universe meant there would be weaker installments, whereas the Philippous had only made two movies. Still, Bring Her Back and Talk to Me have been more consistent.

That said, The Conjuring movies are still powerful in terms of their box office performance. The franchise has two movies within the top 10 highest-grossing horror films of all time at the worldwide box office, and has even more in the rankings if extended to the top 5. Despite its anticipation, Talk 2 Me is unlikely to reach any of the same heights as these movies. However, Talk to Me was a huge box office hit for A24, making over $91 million worldwide. Combined with their reviews, this shows the films’ power.

With The Conjuring Ending, A24 Should Embrace The Bring Her Back & Talk To Me Universe

They Can Fill An Important Niche

The Conjuring franchise is finally set to wrap up later this year with Last Rites. While it is not out of the question that the franchise will continue to make spinoff films, this will leave a major hole in Hollywood in terms of horror franchises. As such, A24 has the opportunity to capitalize on this gap and lean into their budding horror universe. Talk to Me and Bring Her Back have shown a promising start, and I am confident that they can grow this franchise even further.

The Conjuring: Last Rites is releasing in theaters on September 5, 2025.