The Nun (3/5)

The Nun didn’t manage to live up to our expectations. However, it is a very classic horror story. It just lacks the elegance we’ve come to expect from movies in The Conjuring universe. Still, you have to watch it!

After watching Annabelle: Creation (the second Annabelle movie), we were even more excited about the upcoming The Nun movie. After all, David F. Sandberg’s Annabelle sequel included a great little teaser featuring “the nun”.

Unfortunately, that brief moment from Annabelle: Creation was almost more creepy and intense than the entire The Nun movie. The problem with this particular movie is the boring and almost ridiculously stereotypical story.

Weakest movie in The Conjuring universe

Sometimes it’s difficult to determine how much one’s own disappointment means for the overall impression. Sure, The Nun has some pretty brilliant jump scares. However, they’re the kind that makes you chuckle a bit rather than actually terrify you.

The Conjuring, on the other hand, managed to really hit that perfect horror sweet-spot when it wanted to scare. I definitely didn’t chuckle while watching that one. I was too busy reminding myself to breathe!

And that is exactly why I expected more from The Nun. For me, this was the character that absolutely scared me senseless in The Conjuring 2 – and in Annabelle: Creation.

Lord have mercy!

What The Nun has plenty of, are moments where you’ll roll your eyes. Not only because you can guess huge plot “twists” ahead of time. No, you’ll be able to guess entire lines of dialogue ahead of time.

Yes, this movie features way too many one-liners. Something that belongs in an action movie or a horror-comedy. Not in something that’s actually supposed to scare you.

For the life of me, I just cannot believe that this was the best story they could come up with. I feel like I’ve seen it all before.

Also, there are quite a few plotholes. Especially featuring the origin and abilities of the demon Valak. And if you (like me) was hoping to see the actual “real” nun before she was possessed by Valak, then you’re out of luck.

This alone was a huge disappointment for me!

The Farmiga sisters

Another thing that left me extremely puzzled is the fact that they didn’t use the family connection. I mean, Vera Farmiga is one of the stars of The Conjuring movies and her sister Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story) play the lead in The Nun.

Not only are the two closely related, they also have a lot of the same mannerisms. It would’ve been so obvious to connect these two characters. This movie does, however, tie in with the first The Conjuring movie. Just with another character than the one portrayed by Taissa Farmiga.

Speaking of Taissa Farmiga, she is by far the best actor in The Nun. In fact, all the actors portraying nuns are brilliantly intense. The scenes featuring any of their characters are the best [the scariest].

Playing across from Farmiga is Demián Bichir (Alien: Covenant – and isn’t that ironic) as a priest. The character is okay, but he has a strange and irrelevant backstory. Really, the character is one big stereotype. Also, there’s Jonas Bloquet (Elle) as the good-natured young man with the smartass one-liners.

Of course, you’ll watch The Nun

Even if we’re pretty disappointed here at Heaven of Horror, we still recommend that you watch the movie. If you’re a fan of The Conjuring and Insidious franchises (both by James Wan), then you have to watch this latest installment.

Just expect it to be more like you average classic horror movie. Or more along the lines of Insidious than The Conjuring.

Gary Dauberman wrote the script, which is so strange to me. After all, he also wrote the screenplays for Annabelle and Annabelle: Creation and he’s a co-writer on the new Stephen King It movies.

The director is Corin Hardy and this is only his second feature film. He did a lot of music videos in the past before making his first feature film, The Hallow, from 2015.

I have to admit I can’t quite understand that this is the movie James Wan is happy to have represented the nun character. For me, she’s a lot less scary now that she was before watching Valak’s story in The Nun. I can’t imagine this was anyone’s intention. Most of all it feels like walking through a haunted house attraction on Halloween.

The Nun is out in movie theater in the US (and most of the world) from September 7, 2018.

Details

Director: Corin Hardy
Writer: Gary Dauberman
Cast: Demián Bichir, Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Bonnie Aarons, Ingrid Bisu

Plot

A priest with a haunted past and a novice on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate the death of a young nun in Romania and confront a malevolent force in the form of a demonic nun.