Released: September 7, 2018
Director: Corin Hardy
Screenplay: Gary Dauberman
Tagline: "Pray For Forgiveness"
Cast:
Demian Bichir as Father Burke
Taissa Farmiga as Sister Irene
Jonas Bloquet as Maurice "Frenchie" Theriault
Bonnie Aarons as Valak / The Nun
James Wan and his producers have been doing solid work since establishing their shared horror universe with 2013's The Conjuring. They followed their blockbuster inaugural installment with an excellent--if by-the-numbers--sequel, an okay spin-off, and a respectable prequel to the spin-off, with more sequels and prequels and side-quels (maybe?) in the works. Enter The Nun, the latest chapter in the saga and the first real stumbling block in the five-film franchise. This time around, we find ourselves in Romania, 1952, where a nun at the cloistered Carta Monastery commits suicide to escape a dark entity. Her drastic action spurs the Vatican to send two representatives of the Church to investigate not only the shocking death, but the reports of supernatural activity as well.
It's a familiar story, basic both in structure and execution and not terribly interested in doing anything original. That said, for the lack of attention paid towards the plot, equal amounts are spent fashioning a grim, gloomy atmosphere that drips Gothic goodness and oozes creepiness from the very first frame. In this sense, The Nun is very much an old school, low key, slow-burn horror movie (at least for the first two acts), and for that I applaud the production team. A sense of dread is often lacking from contemporary mainstream flair that is designed to grab the attention of young movie-goers. And while slasher romps and relentless zombie attacks are fun in their own way, it's nice when mainstream horror can be a bit more intellectually interesting.
Wan and his team try their best to maintain that interest through showcasing their love of classic horror cinema. Director Corin Hardy channels the ambiance of the great Hammer Horror productions of the past and keeps things consistently eerie. This is aided by the fifties setting and period costumes, as well as the various ominous locations scattered around the haunted abbey that the characters explore bit by bit. The leads are strong, with Taissa Farmiga's suspicious newbie nun Sister Irene and Bichir's weary yet noble Father Burke working together with an enjoyable, if unlikely, chemistry. They're rounded out by Jonas Bloquet's "Frenchie," who provides local insight and comic relief when necessary. Other than that, the cast is thin. A few more characters may have helped create a grander sense of mystery deserving of the setting, or at the very least given fodder for a body count. Instead, Hardy relies on dream sequences and jump scares to keep us invested, and his tactics wear thin quickly. She's a creepy nun walking around slowly, being creepy. I get it.
Though a shallow story that hasn't drawn massive crowds or exceptional praise, The Nun contains enough gems that it won't tarnish The Conjuring crown permanently, and it won't be the worst option for what to watch on a lazy, rainy Saturday in the future. The question now posed is whether or not Wan and co. can get back on their feet for the next foray into demons and damnation, or if this could be the new model of what to expect from the franchise moving forward. Let's pray they know what they're doing.
The Nun
5-Totally Terrifying
4-Crazy Creepy
3-Fairly Frightening
2-Slightly Scary
1-Hardly Horror
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