When James Wan unleashed The Conjuring on audiences back in 2013 fans hoped for a sequel, but never expected it to spawn and entire new horror universe. Now after one sequel with 2016s The Conjuring 2 and the spin off series featuring Annabelle hitting theaters in 2014 and 2017 it became clear that there was something more happening here. Now the next chapter in the The Conjuring Universe is here with The Nun focusing on the entity from the Conjuring 2, but does it offer up a fun new scary chapter to the Conjuring Universe or will it fail to conjure up the scares?
The Nun follows a young nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania who takes her own life so a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate. Together they uncover the order’s unholy secret. Risking not only their lives but their faith and their very souls, they confront a malevolent force that turns the abbey into a horrific battleground between the living and the damned. The film stars Demian Bichir, Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Charlotte Hope, Ingrid Bisu, and Bonnie Aarons, reprising her role as The Nun from the Conjuring 2. Being a fan of the franchise I was looking forward to this film, but always stay skeptical on how they will work. Thankfully this one delivered everything I was hoping for.
The timeline to this story does in fact take it further back than any of the other films thus far making it the first in the franchise. They do a great job with opening it up with some clips from The Conjuring 2 to remind the3 audience of the demon Nun’s first appearance before getting into the meat of this story. The story was surprisingly simple and to the point making it work for me all the better. They take a little to get to the real fun after a short crazy opening, but once it does it never fully lets up until the very end.
There are a ton of jump moments that work although some do play more to the generic feel as opposed to those using more misdirection. I was pretty impressed how far they went with some of the blood and in your face scares as well as opposed to the usual straight ghost hauntings in the other films in the franchise. This made this one stand out as something different that I loved although might not work for others. There are some great visuals throughout that fully enhanced the overall feel of the film as well as some insanely awesome shots including one of a character rising from the water that is sure to stand out.
They aren’t breaking down anything new in the world of horror with The Nun, but just the idea of an evil nun stands apart on its own. This is a great horror flick and offers up a great connection to both the Conjuring films that had me all in by the time the credits rolled. If you are a fan of any of the films in The Conjuring Universe then you need to head to the church and check out The Nun.
Review by Bobby Blakey - Bobby reviews way more movies on his own website than the genre-specific ones I post here. Check out Bobby's awesome website and his live show he co-hosts with his wife, Drusilla, at Hollywood Matrimony.
