Movie Review: The Nun

Set as the very first film in the Conjuring universe, The Nun is a spin off of arguably one of the most terrifying monsters in all the Conjuring films. Unfortunately, it doesn’t live up to its big brother’s critical acclaim and success.

The film starts off at a Romanian monastery in 1952. Two nuns are attacked by a demon named Valak, with one committing suicide. A local, Frenchie, finds the body and moves it to be preserved. A priest, Father Burke, and a novitiate, Sister Irene, are dispatched to investigate. Frenchie agrees to take them to the monastery, and upon arrival, they discover the blood of the hanged nun is still fresh after weeks, and her body has been moved from its original position. Before they can start to question the nuns, the head of the monastery asks them to respect their nightly vow of silence. They are offered lodging through the night, and that’s when Valak’s torture begins.

This movie’s plot could be better. Some scenes drag on for too long, and some just feel boring.  Anyone who has seen a horror movie could also make a few good guesses as to how the characters act, what’s going to be scary and how the movie is going to end. Frenchie does a good job of keeping the atmosphere light with quick witted quips without becoming annoying. The characters are written fairly well, as they feel alive and display qualities that allows the audience to become attached, but the film remains predictable.

This movie doesn’t let its horror monster be scary. The common jump scare tactic seen in multiple horror films is becoming old news. A good horror movie knows how to make the viewer expect a jumpscare, then use another tactic to make them scream. The scares in The Nun are all predictable. They’re still scary, but only because of the sharp and sudden addition of a sound effect.

The Nun’s storyline picks up when the characters start to fight back for their lives. Every small victory they get feels incredibly satisfying to watch. One thing’s for sure, this movie shows one of the best ways to fight off a demon.

The movie is definitely not a groundbreaking work of art, but with October rapidly approaching, this is just the type of horror movie to enjoy while sitting with friends.