THE NUN II (2023) Review

Review

There’s no doubt about it. I’m a sucker for The Conjuring Universe. The world, first thought up by James Wan, has given us some of the most twisted characters in modern horror. From the Crooked Man, to Annabelle and beyond. But not only that, it’s brought us the dynamite partnership of Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as Lorraine and Ed Warren. So of course I was all in when it was announced that director Michael Chaves as back for a second entry in The Nun spin-off series.

Two of the principal characters from 2018’s The Nun are back. Taissa Farmiga as Sister Irene and Jonas Bloquet as Frenchie. Both eager for another round against the absolutely chilling Nun aka the demon Valak, once again played by the brilliant Bonnie Aarons. Only this time around it’s Sister Irene who is in charge of the investigation as Father Burke has sadly passed away between films. This time it seems Valak is blazing a trail of dead clergymen (and women) across Europe as it races to find a mysterious artefact.

With a screenplay by Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing and Adela Cooper (who also has a story by credit), The Nun II is instantly my impactful than the first film. There’s more nuance to the story and efforts have really been made to build out the world around Valak. The film exudes context, albeit somewhat convenient context, which brings this offshoot more in line with the kind of storytelling I would expect from a Conjuring movie. This goes for Sister Irene as well as Valak.

This time around Irene is joined on her adventure by Sister Debra (Storm Reid), a new nun from her current convent. Debra was similarly sent to join the sisterhood by her father and so bonds with Irene over their shared family trauma. The theme of family is something which runs deep throughout the story. Connecting each of the characters as they learn both the meaning of family and the baggage that brings. For Irene this means confronting the loss of her mother. Something which, again, becomes a recurring theme across the film.

Frenchie is also searching for family and this has led him to working as a handyman at a school in Aix-en-Provence, France. Here he is befriended by teacher Kate (Anna Popplewell) and her daughter and school pupil Sophie (Katelyn Rose Downey). Sophie is struggling to fit in and also spies a potential romantic spark between Kate and Frenchie. But when strange things start happening in the school everyone gets a little distracted by the ensuing chaos.

The Nun II plays relatively safe and somewhat restrained for a Conjuring movie. Though there are some impressive kills in the first act, as the film progresses it replaces these moments with Valak’s escalating ferocity. Instead of maintaining the tense and eerie aesthetic it opens with, the film instead becomes something infinitely louder and more brash. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The final act confrontation between Sister Irene and Valak is something akin to the kids versus Vecna in Stranger Things in scale. But after glimpsing something much more chilling earlier on it seems a shame to abandon that in favour of something more conventional.

That’s not to say that The Nun II doesn’t bring the action. There is some inspired creature design beyond the already well established look of the Nun herself. A goat-like design with ties to a children’s game in the boarding school is particularly impressive but falls short when it comes to the kill ratio. Likewise the impressive final confrontation in the wine cellar is one of the largest scale set pieces we’ve ever seen in a Conjuring film. Say what you will about whether Chaves three entries live up to the franchises earlier films. But he certainly knows how to top himself each time.

I’d like to see more of the franchise digging in to the incredible rich lore that has been built around each of these demonic creatures. Not only does it really build out this already creepy world. It also offers up unique opportunities for visual storytelling. A particular sequence featuring the magazines on a newsstand is one of the most interesting visuals in the franchise and shows the power of this kind of elevated storytelling. As the franchise looks to adapt and keep itself going for another decade, it should certainly continue with a more off-the-wall approach.

Verdict

Michael Chaves returns to The Conjuring Universe for a film which is always entertaining but surprisingly low on scares. Whilst it adds real context to its demonic presence and the lore of the movies it’s hampered by it’s own lack of a consistent tone.

⭐⭐⭐