Here we are: 5 films delve into one of the weirdest cinematic universes with The Nun, the latest in the Conjuring franchise. It was truly amazing to watch producer James Wan and his co-workers weave a summer surprise with a fully embodied world that carries its own ambiance. But for a cinematic universe to succeed, its films must succeed on their own as well, not just exist to serve the larger story. While the movie offers some fun here and there, The Nun seems to be trying to succeed by relying only on the fame of its name and visual strength, which takes us on a superficial, albeit entertaining, journey through what the movie's propaganda posters call: Conjuring ".
Veteran horror fans will be disappointed to learn that The Nun is by no means a nightmare movie. Director Corinne Hardy relies heavily on well-known metaphors, whether taken from horror films in general or from the Conjuring universe in particular. All of the sudden moments of horror seem as if they were previously known, with visual cues or clearly during the dialogue. Will anyone watch a horror movie in which he will "accidentally" mention that the bells are put in the shrouds in the event that a live person is buried by mistake, and he is not expected to return that to the movie in some way? How many times can the camera be pointed towards where you thought Valak would appear only to fool you and appear elsewhere?
One of the early incarnations of entity in The Nun is almost straight from The Conjuring 2, which was a very powerful appearance then in that movie, but the remake of this horror moment is much less impressive than the first. When you have an entire movie dedicated solely to a villain who has only ever appeared in the series with heroes whose existence is balanced, it's disappointing to see that the movie turns to old tricks early on.
Entity Valak (or Valak the Defiler, Profane, or Marquis of Snakes if you're not a fan of brevity) gets some opportunities to shine, and the accompanying music with foreboding rhythms always helps stimulate your mood well every time the entity appears. But of course, this precedent part faces the same problem as many of the previous ones: we know that any defeat for Valak will be temporary, as he is destined to afflict Ed and Lauren Warren in years to come. The only way to circumvent this issue is to make the viewer feel connected to the characters Valak is tormented by. The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2 movies work well because Ed and Lauren's relationship is strong and loving, so anytime they're in danger, we feel real and sincere interest in what will happen to them.
Although the movie isn't particularly terrifying, it does offer some beautiful cinematic scenes and gruesome imagery, which match the terrifying 1970s aesthetic we saw in the original Conjuring. And Hardy does a fantastic job using the frame of the movie in 1950s Romania to create an intimidating atmosphere and mood. Unfortunately, it doesn't put the characters anywhere new or shocking, and most of it introduces old horror moments that we've seen better elsewhere (even within the series itself).
Series veteran Gary Dobermann (who also wrote both Annabelle and will direct Annabelle 3) doesn't give the main characters much to use, except for their reactions to all the scary things that happen. Whereas, the character of Father Burke, played by the actor Demia Bicher, does not have much to do here other than to bring Sister Irene, played by Taisa Farmiga, to the monastery and give us some explanation once she gets there. Farmiga gets a better role as Sister Irene who bears the brunt of Valak's malevolence, although the reason for her inclusion in the assignment remains murky, both to the audience and to her character. Irene's courage and audacity in the face of the evil that haunts St. Carta is usually enough to make you forget the film's lack of explanation as to why the Vatican chose this young woman to accompany Father Burke. Yet when you compare the duo of Burke and Irene with Ed and Lauren, it is hard not to notice the extent to which your concern for events has diminished.
The best character in The Nun was a complete surprise: Frenchie (Jonas Blockwit). Although this farmer who found the dead nun in the opening scene of the movie initially stumbles with a failed comic flirt attempt with Irene, he ends up replacing that with a dose of the wit the movie so desperately needs and ends up being the most part. Kindness in the movie. Blockwit's charm and realistic reactions manage to give the movie some realism when it tends to take itself too seriously.
Incidentally, Frenchy's much-seen onscreen throughout the movie made The Nun the funniest movie in the franchise by far. This is a good thing considering that horror movies need some of the lighter moments to reduce the stress level. It's not about presenting funny scenes that parallel frightening, it's just that the frightening moments don't work out as consistently as they do with jokes. This is baffling for this movie which was to be "the darkest chapter in the Conjuring franchise," but in the context of the story being told here, Frenchie often saves The Nun from himself, especially as it approaches the climax of the story. Whereas, French stress relief helps the other characters relax a bit as well.
If you are interested in knowing how the movie connects with the larger world of Conjuring , rest assured that The Nun contains many important references to all previous parts of the series without exception at some point, and most of the time these references are fleeting enough without causing a distraction. For people who are just coming to see an independent horror movie. The last moments of The Nun are a real treat for people who love the extended plot of these films that they have grown affectionate with over the years.
Conclusion
As part of the Conjuring universe's bigger puzzle, The Nun is an enjoyable movie, and a good (albeit ineffective) franchise history lesson that provides fans with plenty of answers. On its own, The Nun stumbles on not delivering any real horror or investing in characters as well as it should, but rather relying on its strong visuals, framing, and (surprisingly) humor as well. Fans of The Conjuring franchise yearning for more of the franchise will get what they came for, but if you were hoping this was the scariest movie in the franchise ... then keep praying.