The Horror Show
The Nun
by Corin Hardy
It is safe to assume that the fans of The Conjuring franchise were highly anticipating Corin Hardy’s The Nun. With the original two sequels captivating audiences with their powerful performances and disturbing haunting scenes, the level of horror that The Nun was expected to bring to the table was quite high. Did Hardy do a good job? Let’s start off with the story - which made the argument of factual basis even thinner.
Romania, 1952. The sinister suicide of a nun who hung herself in a remote convent brings grave concern to the Vatican. Father Burke (Demián Bichir) and novice Irene (sister of Vera Farmiga, Taissa Farmiga) are sent to investigate the suicide and uncover which evil forces beset the holy site.
Even though The Nun only features brief cameos of Ed and Lorraine Warren, the real-life paranormal investigators that monopolized The Conjuring franchise, Taissa - with her striking resemblance to her sister - is now the lead. Once they reach the remote convent, with its candlelit stone passageways, creaky doors, and enthralling tones of droning chants, they come face-to-face with the evil within.
James Wan, the creator of the original two Conjuring movies is a true horror master. Those movies stood successfully apart from other demon-themed supernatural flicks, with their strong characters, powerful moments and well-thought narrative. It is hard for The Nun to fill these shoes, and unfortunately, it really fails to bring back the same chills.
While the actual Nun character served as a very brief, and yet deeply disturbing, image throughout The Conjuring franchise, now we get to watch an entire movie devoted to her. Damagingly, the presence that was so eerie to look at, grows repetitive and somewhat predictable over the course of the movie. And that’s why Hardy’s The Nun kind of weakened the original strong storyline.
Maria Kriva, HMS
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