The Nun Review
6 / 10. Atmospheric and good performances but lacking some good scares, not up to par with The Conjuring films
The Nun is a gothic supernatural horror film directed by Corin Hardy and written by Gary Dauberman, from a story by James Wan and himself. It ties into The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2 and is the fifth instalment in the Conjuring Universe franchise.
Set in Romania in 1952, Roman catholic priest Father Burke (Demián Bichir) is sent by the Vatican with a young nun, Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga), to investigate the deeply creepy Saint Cartha's monastery, as a nun has seemingly taken her own life there. They are taken to the monastery by Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet), who originally discovered the nun’s body, and together the three uncover an unholy and supernatural infestation and risk their lives to end it.
I looked forward to this for a long time as a fan of the Conjuring, and Annabelle movies. It is darkly atmospheric with haunting Romanian settings and filming locations, which are utilised well through the cinematography.
The thing that made the demonic Nun, an incarnation of demon Valak, so creepy as a brief encounter in The Conjuring 2 was the mystery of her and the brief glimpses, but here she lacks that punch. She is too visible, too soon, and the biggest scare was on the trailer, so I knew that was coming. Bonnie Aarons does a fantastic job as the Nun, she has such a striking face for this type of role.
I love Demian Bichir and he was great as Father Burke, and it was good casting to use Taissa Farmiga (Vera’s younger sister) as Sister Irene. Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet) provided some comic relief, if a little creepy, at times.
I guessed a major twist coming a mile away, but the film is enjoyable. The link back to Lorraine Warren’s original encounter with Valak was effective and a good tie in, but there was more they could have done with the plot, and it’s just not up to par with other Conjuring Universe films.