The Nun Review

R: Terror, violence, and disturbing/bloody images

Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, Atomic Monster

1 hr and 36 minutes

Dir: Corin Hardy | Writer: Gary Dauberman

Cast: Demián Bichir, Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet

Out of all the current existing horror franchises, it is needless to say that “The Conjuring” is one of, if not the best that is out there. It is a game changer for Warner Bros considering the fact that they managed to make 4 successful films for that universe.

“The Conjuring” was great.

“Annabelle” was blegh.

“The Conjuring 2” was great.

And “Annabelle Creation” was inventive as hell.

This is the house that director James Wan built and he treats it like his baby; this is obvious in each installment. Now we have “The Nun”, the second spin-off courtesy of the “Conjuring” films. The Nun was the creepy antagonist that gave the Warrens hell in “The Conjuring 2” and now it’s time for her to get her own movie!!

Will it be as inventively fun as “Annabelle Creation”, or will it be just another cash grab spin-off like the first “Annabelle”?

When a young nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania takes her own life, a priest (Demian Bichir) with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of her final vows (Taissa Farmiga) 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 in the form of the same demonic nun that first terrorized audiences in “The Conjuring 2,” as the abbey becomes a horrific battleground between the living and the damned.

THE GOOD

Excluding the first “Annabelle”, there has been a formulaic pattern with these “Conjuring” movies, and for the most part it works. This formula is blatantly present in “The Nun”. The most beneficial aspects of these movies that keep the franchise afloat are the use of practical effects, well-written and/or likable characters, and most of all the framework. Those were the reasons why the first movie worked and all of those elements are mimicked here in a way that still feels refreshing and new.

The majority of the horror sequences are wildly inventive in regards to crafting, which results in a number of big scares, and it effectively pays off. There are scares that catch you off guard, but when it is not trying to deliver a jump scare, there is visually disturbing imagery bound to add to your nightmare fuel. Despite this, there are some beautiful shots that are mesmerizing to look at. Hardy infuses his own artistic flair into the film that shows he’s not just mimicking Wan’s formula. There are moments where he bears some similarities to Wan, but then Hardy displays a shot or two that are entrancing. There is a transition that occurs near the end of the movie and it's one of the most masterful transitions I’ve seen in a horror film. It left me wondering:

What sets “The Nun” apart from the other films it’s connected to is primarily the setting. This time around our story takes place in, not a haunted house but, a haunted abbey in Romania that might as well be a castle. It would be easy to just have the film get by with the castle’s creepy atmosphere, but director Corin Hardy goes all out by making nearly each corridor of the interior and exterior of the Romanian nunnery terrifying. With each room a character walks into, a new inventive horror sequence occurs. There are horrific sequences that take place in the garden and it’s some of the most creative scenes that the franchise has to offer so far.

The movie only features three central characters and they are mostly well developed and all have their own distinctive charm that the audience doesn’t only root for, but also resonate with. With each character we get to to know, the film plants elements that foreshadow future scares as our leads have to face their own inner demons, primarily Sister Irene (Farmiga) and the Vatican priest, Father Burke (Bichir).

Then, you have a guy named Frenchie (Bloquet) who serves as the comic relief who is funny from time to time, but some of his jokes fall flat. I give him this though: there is an action that he does at the end of a terrifying sequence that is completely goofy, which had me rolling in laughter.

Out of all the characters provided, the person who is the most developed is Sister Irene. This is Taissa Farmiga’s vehicle because she has the only driven story that is followed through. Sometimes it kind of plays similar to a coming of age story where she has to learn the proper etiquette to be a nun in order to stop evil. It kind of sounds stupid when you put it like that, but it’s executed efficiently on screen. Another advantage that the movie establishes early on is that she can see into the future “That’s So Raven” style which leads to great visual moments that play contextually into the story.

THE BAD

Making backstories for these spooky apparition figures is usually simple. Conventionally, it ends up going something like, “Oh, a psychopath killed their spawn and now they got the power to possess others.” It's not as stupid as I described, but it tends to run along those lines. Now, the exposition of how this demonic nun came to be is really dumb. No spoilers, but even as of right now (as I’m typing this review) I still can’t comprehend her backstory. It’s extremely convoluted for the most part and all of this information is thrown at you for three minutes. Thankfully, there are visuals to go with that narration and even then you go:

I’m telling you, I wrote down keywords in my notebook: dark ages, knights, evil, blood of Jesus, and even trying to string them together I ended up going:

When it comes to the characters, there are some really great moments where we get to know and resonate with our leads. Bichir’s Father Burke is the one who exhibits an emotional depth that you attach yourself with, but soon after, it’s completely dropped. After he reveals his past, it leads to a psychological sequence and that's it. Mind you, this happens so early on that after it concludes, Burke has barely anything to contribute to the rest of the story. He’s just in one corridor in the abbey doing research and that’s it. Someone in my audience said, “Wow, he didn’t do anything in this movie.” I thought, “Well, he’s a priest in a horror movie. They generally don’t do anything beneficial except use that cross on the demon.” It’s a cliche trope. But thinking about it, and I had to agree, “What did Father Burke contribute? What did he do?”

THE RENDY

By God, Taissa Farmiga looks just like her older sister (Vera). There are moments where she has her hair up in a bun and in several side shots she looks just like her sister, yet there’s no family correlation between Sister Irene and Vera's character Lorraine Warren. I’m not saying they should’ve cast someone else, because Farmiga does a great job and delivers a fine leading performance, but it will certainly confuse audiences.

LAST STATEMENT

Well-crafted and visually inventive, “The Nun” continues “The Conjuring” franchise winning streak by retaining the same thematic formula and dark atmosphere the previous chapters manifested, while still managing to feel refreshing.

I can’t wait for the next “Conjuring” movie for the sake of seeing what new scary apparition they create and attempt a spinoff for. That statement may have a cynical tone, but I genuinely do mean it.

Rating: 3.5/5 | 77%

Super Scene: Father Burke Vs. The Garden