The Nun 2
Release Date: September 8, 2023
Directed By: Michael Chaves
Written By: Ian Goldberg & Richard Naing, and also Akela Cooper
Starring: Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Storm Reid, Anna Popplewell, and also Bonnie Aarons
Rating: R for fierce web content and also some fear
Runtime: 110 mins
Reflecting back on the sequel-happy 1980s that almost eliminated the scary style, you could believe that developing out this globe would certainly be a difficult business alluring catastrophe, yet the what’s what is that the Conjuring canon has actually created an unusual and also favorable record when it pertains to 2nd and also 3rd tales. The Conjuring 2 is far better than The Conjuring; both Annabelle Creation and also Annabelle Comes Home transcend to Annabelle; and also currently supervisor Michael Chaves has actually maintained the pattern passing making The Nun 2 substantially far better than The Nun.
The brand-new flick does have some battles that expand straight from its area in the canon, as its timeline placing as an innovator does have an adverse influence on the risks, yet it discovers success many thanks to its solid major personalities, an engaging enigma, and also greater than a couple of majorly shocks. It improves the tale that came prior to it, and also while not providing one of the most enjoyable finishing in the Conjuring Universe, it doesn’t leave a bad taste that spoils the ride.
While Irene works to figure out what’s going on, however, we already know: Maurice a.k.a. “Frenchie” (Jonas Bloquet), who helped Irene defeat Valak in Romania, left that confrontation possessed by the demon and has been unknowingly spreading evil ever since. He ends up getting a job as a groundskeeper at an all-girls school in Aix En Provence, France and starts to find some happiness for himself – but Valak has its own reasons for wanting to be there, and Sister Irene must figure out why before it’s too late.
An exciting mystery unfolds in The Nun 2, but the third act has canon issues.
While The Nun is a movie that never fully pops because of its simplicity, the sequel draws you in with its parallel plot lines and capitalizes on its intriguing characters. You’d think that knowing that Maurice is possessed and at the center of all the bad things that are happening would undercut mystery and tension on both sides of the story, but the script is most clever in the way in which it molds itself around that knowledge. On the Irene and Debra side of the story, we may know more than they do about the location of the evil they’re searching for, but their investigation is compelling because they are not only looking for Valak, but also what Valak is after (a search that ultimately adds some cool, fresh mythos to the canon). As for Maurice, he is wholly unaware himself that he is “with demon,” and that ignorance keeps the door wide open for terror at the school where he works/lives.
The screenplay for The Nun 2, credited to Ian Goldberg & Richard Naing and Akela Cooper, is more nimble and adventurous than you’d expect – though it also can’t quite solve what feels like an inevitable stakes problem in its third act. The movie suffers from unique prequel/sequel existence: fans of The Conjuring Universe already know what the future holds for both Maurice and Valak thanks to The Nun, The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2, and the new film can’t quite find a way to both wrap up its own story and dovetail with existing continuity. Admittedly there isn’t anything featured that a theoretical The Nun 3 couldn’t fix, but it holds The Nun 2 back from wrapping up neatly and leaves timeline messiness in its wake.
The Nun 2 delivers big scares with creative setup and execution.
The film marks the third time that Michael Chaves has delivered an installment of this franchise, following The Curse Of La Llorona and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, and his growth as a director is evident, as The Nun 2 is his scariest movie yet. It kicks off with a bang – some simple audience teasing quickly escalating to some fiery, unholy death – and it keeps the horror flowing throughout. It does not keep you on your toes at all times, as the movie makes obvious efforts to tee up its biggest sequences, but even when you’re properly braced for what’s coming, you still get a jolt, and also there’s plenty of creativity to appreciate (some of the highlights including some page-flipping eerie-ness at a magazine stand and excitement inside an abandoned chapel). Without giving away too much, Valak isn’t the only monstrous horror in the film’s third act, and it’s a freaky delight.
After 10 years and nine films, The Conjuring Universe has actually one of the strongest track records in horror movie history, and also The Nun 2 contributes positively to that legacy. While there are worse examples of it in 2023 alone, the movie does suffer a bit from being a middle chapter, as it feels held back by its own canon in some respects, yet it certainly capitalizes on a wonderful protagonist in Taissa Farmiga’s Sister Irene and also provides a pleasant dosage of scares to begin creepy period.
