top of page
  • Writer's pictureAmanda Naccarato

Review: The Nun

Updated: Sep 2, 2020


Image from Warner Bros


Amanda Naccarato | TV & Movies


The highly anticipated Conjuring spinoff, The Nun, has dominated the box office for two weeks, raking in over $200M worldwide.


Directed by Corin Hardy, the latest film of The Conjuring franchise stars Taissa Farmiga, Demián Bichir, Jonas Bloquet and Bonnie Aarons.


Set in 1952, The Nun centers around a priest with experience in the paranormal and a novice nun who are sent to a Romanian Abbey after the Vatican learns news of a Sister found hung outside the property.


Image from Amino


As Father Burke (Demián Bichir) and Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) begin investigating the evil that lurks within the monastery, they soon uncover the horrifying history of this eerie Abbey and come face to face with the demonic entity terrorizing the area.


Filled with unexpected twists and turns, this R-rated film is the perfect horror movie to transition you into October and get you hyped for Halloween.


Like Jumpscares? This is the film for you.


While The Nun is the fifth film to be released in The Conjuring Universe, it is chronologically the prequel to the entire franchise, pre-dating both The Conjuring and Annabelle sequels.

Hence, the movie explores the backstory of Valak, the demonic nun who was summoned by a duke in the Abbey, setting in motion the events of the following Conjuring films.


The Nun efficiently does just this, however, it lacks genuine fright.


The mere frightening moments in the film are the arbitrarily placed jumpscares that rely heavily upon the fear of Valak established from The Conjuring 2.


Image from Wiffle Gif


Similarly, the general storyline at times becomes difficult to follow as many scenes unfold so fast viewers have no time to process what exactly happened.


The few characters that forward the plot of the film are very two-dimensional, lacking any real backstories or even character arcs that would establish a genuine connection with the audience.


Not to say that The Nun is a terrible film, because it’s certainly not. Where it does fall short is in its quality, especially in comparison to its predecessors, including The Conjuring and Annabelle, which were exceptionally well-made and genuinely terrifying.


Is it actually based on true events?


While The Nun is rooted in some reality, the terrorizing antagonist is not. Valak, the demonic nun, is instead a mythological character.


According to the demonology grimoire, The Lesser Key of Soloman, Valak is a demon who takes the form of a child with angel wings that rides on the back of a two-headed dragon (pictured below).


Image from Mythology Wiki


While Valak is grounded in mere mythology, that should not undermine the validity of the other films in The Conjuring franchise, which are solely based on the real-life supernatural experiences of paranormal investigators Lorrain and Ed Warren.


If that’s not enough to keep you up at night, then perhaps the Warren’s Occult Museum in Monroe, Conn. which is home to many haunted artifacts including the original Annabelle doll will.


Our rating:


6.5 out of 10


Watch the trailer below and check out Cineplex.com for showtimes!



0 comments
bottom of page