The Conjuring has its own Universe, so no matter what they produce, we just have to accept it. By now we are all familiar with the Warrens and their epic stories of demon-chasing. They have crossed many paths on both sides of the light and dark although one presence is always lurking in the shadows…The Nun. She is from ancient times and is claimed to be one of the most powerful demons in existence. This story sounds better than all the other Conjuring stories combined right? Wrong.
The Nun wasn’t scary, it wasn’t compelling, and sucked on the same level as Annabelle did. Haven’t they learnt from the release of two Annabelle movies which bombed, that no one really cares about anything outside of the Warren chronicles? The Nun could have been the most epic horror movie this decade. It was hyped up to be that way, but in the end, it never lived up to expectations.
There are three main characters, a Father Burke (Demián Bichir), a nun in training (Taissa Farmiga), and the local boy (Jonas Bloquet), who will pass on the curse. Together the three will fight real demons and fake demons. The body count will rise as nuns start to drop left and right. Sadly though their chase for answers isn’t interesting. Getting burial alive or carved up with symbols just isn’t scary enough, not for the people who watch movies today. Expectations for scary movies have changed over the last few decades and The Nun could have worked in the 1970’s. Don’t get me wrong, the hair on my arms stood up several times, but the way the camera panned over a shoulder or down a dark hallway, you KNEW what was coming. The execution was there for the scare, but the special effects weren’t enough for me to believe it was real.
I think the highlight of the entire movie is Farmiga’s reactions. For such a young actress who is still getting her feet planted, she was right on cue for every scare. Her big eyes were all she needed to sell every moment of fear. I look forward to seeing her team up with her sister Vera (Lorraine Warren) in other Conjuring movies. She deserves a better fate than she got in The Nun. 2/10
Ten Stars or Less 