Call for Papers

Currently consisting of seven (eight if one counts The Curse of La Llorona) interconnected films with additional entries in the pipeline, The Conjuring universe (2013-present) serves as one of the touchstone horror franchises of the modern era. Despite rising to industry prominence as one of the most profitable horror franchises of all time and one of the few properties to effectively execute a shared universe story world, The Conjuring universe has only been the subject of a few studies where it is often assessed alongside analogous, but thematically different, films such as Paranormal Activity (2009) and Insidious (2011). To fill this gap, the proposed collection will offer the first in-depth academic analysis of The Conjuring universe, its constituent films, and its mythology.

Suggested topics for this proposed collection include but are not restricted to:

• The Conjuring universe’s use of religious iconography
• Analyses of themes that cut across films in The Conjuring universe
• Close analyses of individual texts (e.g., The Nun, Annabelle: Creation) in The Conjuring universe
• Assessment of the real-life cases informing The Conjuring universe, including Ed and Lorraine Warren
• Analyses of ‘sub-franchises’ (e.g., The Conjuring and Annabelle) in The Conjuring universe

Please send by (December 1) a 200–400 word abstract and a 50–100 word academic biography: Todd Platts (toddkplatts@gmail.com).

Preference will be given to proposals received by December 1, 2021. All notifications of acceptance will be emailed no later than December 31, 2021. If an abstract is accepted, essays can be expected to be between 6,000 and 7,500 words in length (including references).

Further inquiries should be sent to Todd Platts (toddkplatts@gmail.com).