WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, now in theaters and on HBO Max.
In The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, as the Warrens try to figure out how to stop the Occultist, their journey takes them to the Connecticut farm of a retired priest, Kastner. They've found a Satanic totem linked to the possession of young David and Arne, and Father Gordon advised that Kastner could help them glean more intel given his past with the occult. However, as he points them in the right direction to stop the witch, his research and advice also tease a subtle link to the Annabelle movies.
Kastner reveals he came across similar totems in the past when he studied a cult, collecting data and relics to learn more about people who tried to summon demons, seed out curses and carry out the devil's work on Earth. Kastner says this particular relic, a goat skull that homages the Baphomet, is reminiscent of the Disciples of the Ram, whom he had a run-in with in the past as he investigated their acolytes.
Now, for fans of this horror universe, this cult was a key part of Annabelle: Creation and Annabelle, as it was tied to the titular character, a.k.a. Janice. In Creation, she was haunted by a demon on a farm-turned-orphanage owned by the Mullins, and in time, she'd become possessed, escaping after the brutal slaughter of the those living there.
Janice would start calling herself Annabelle as she bounced around to new foster homes, and 12 years later, she'd join the Disciples of the Ram. She'd find herself a boyfriend into the dark arts, and this lead to Annabelle, where she'd end up attacking her adoptive parents, the Higgins, killing them and then taking her own life in a warped sacrifice. However, she would manage to transfer the demonic presence to the doll that the Form family had for their daughter, continuing the doll's ability to haunt humans.
Viewers never did get to see the cult in full-action, but from the way Janice and her boyfriend operated, it's clear they're bloodthirsty. They were all about using humans as vessels and trying to bring up beings from hell to rule, and Kastner indicates that this time, the Warrens may be in over their heads.
Because of this new curse, as well as the fact that the mastermind behind it has perfected the vision of the Disciples, saving people like Arne and risking their own family's safety may not be worth it for the paranormal experts. Sadly, that's all that's mentioned about the cult as they don't play a direct role later on. The witch simply studied them as part of her training and then began enacting these rituals, which would draw the Warrens to her.
Directed by Michael Chaves, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It stars Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ruairi O'Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook and Julian Hilliard. The film is now in theaters and on HBO Max.