"The Nun 2" Delivers Scares and Terrors

Since "The Nun" came out in 2018, I felt like it was the Conjuring Universe's weakest film. Sure it had scares and frightening images, but if you have seen the other movies in the franchise, you know that there is a lot of story built up before this film. The problem with that though, is "The Nun" didn't feel like an addition to the Conjuring Universe, it felt more like a movie that was made simply because people thought the nun in "The Conjuring 2" was terrifying. "The Nun 2" is what the original film should have been.

First Impressions

From the trailers alone, this film looks better than the first one. It's also very clear the studios and filmmakers agreed with the audience who shared similar views about the original. After learning that Maurice was possessed by the nun at the end of the first film, it looks like we now get to see how this affects him (and others) in this next chapter. I am also hoping we can see more of Bonnie Aarons as the nun in this one as the first one we only really saw her at the end and it wasn't even for that long. Pretty disappointing for a movie titled "The Nun".

Trailers are often filled with unfinished footage and/or scenes that don't make it to the Final Cut. This film seems to be another victim of that. In the screen cap below from one of the trailers, you can see that the nun herself looks very CGI. Seeing as the scene flashes very quickly before our eyes, it's evident that the studios weren't banking on the fact that the audiences would catch on to that. But we did. Let's just hope they fully finished this scene and the graphics do not look this bad come the final product.

Photo by Courtesy of Warner Bros. - © Warner BRos.

Here's another CGI Nun from the film's official Instagram page on a promotional reel:

"The Nun 2" Film Review (Spoilers)

We saw this film in 4D but this review will solely be for the film itself as if we didn't experience the extra effects.

This film gets dark straight out of the gate. The first kill to happen is setting a priest on fire in his own church while he is lifted into the air in the same pose Jesus was when we was crucified. I'd say that's pretty intense. After that, the film begins with us meeting up with Sister Irene (played by Taissa Farming) in her new home along with her new friend Debra (played by Storm Reid) and we briefly learn about the events that happened in the first film (in case you needed a recap). Shortly after, Sister Irene is informed of some massacres that have happened recently and is asked to perform her "miracle" once again to help stop Valak once and for all.

Photo by Courtesy of Warner Bros. - © Warner BRos.

The film's scares are scattered all over this film. There are some jump scares of course, one in particular involves a bird but there is nothing to laugh at here (unless you laugh at yourself afterwards). There's a scene, specifically, where the tension is dragged out very well. This happens when Madame Laurent is pulled into the church (the place you never go) in the dark searching for a noise and is holding a flashlight. This scene was probably the best scare in the entire film as it drags out the tension and makes you want to cover your eyes almost throughout the entire thing. The results of the scene are just as satisfying. But I will let you experience that for yourself. Also, there are some good scares with Maurice's character that, at times, I think are more scarier than the nun's scenes. The last scare I will talk about is the goat scare. This, I didn't see coming and I think it was one of the best scares in the movie. The tension leading up to his reveal was gold.

Remember those two horrible CGI shots from the trailers? Well, we have both good news and bad news. The good news? They fixed the nun's CGI scene where she's lifting Sister Irene in the air. She actually looks realistic and more creepier than she did in the first movie. The bad news? She hasn't been fixed in the scene shot posted from their instagram promo. This is easily the worst CGI of the entire film. I still can't comprehend how this was so bad. When you see it, I'm sure you will agree.

Characters

Storm Reid (Debra)

Now let's talk about characters. I particularly think that Storm Reid's character is the worst character to enter the conjuring universe. She brings absolutely no value to anything. She just tags along for the ride. They really should've wrote this character better. Give her a purpose to be there and help.

Jonas Bloquet (Maurice)

As for Maurice, he actually seems to scare us even in his innocent, non-possessed scenes. I'm pretty sure the director told him to play his character more sinister 100% of the time because there's something about his character from the first movie to this movie that just gives him a more creepier look. Not going to complain though, that kind of character development is what we need to beef up this dark chapter. His performance is great although there are some scenes where he does look a bit ridiculous acting out his possessions. But still, everything you wanted Maurice to be in this film, he is.

Taissa Farming (Sister Irene)

Now for Taissa Farming's character, she's way more determined this time to stop Valak. She declines at first, but quickly changes her mind. She's definitely more bolder here too. There's no doubt her character has improved dramatically from the first film which is a nice refresh. Taissa is at the point in her career where she can easily carry a film all by herself and this film is proof of that. She commands this film from the minute we first see her to the very end. If there was any flaw in her acting here, it was in the final scene where she is being burned the same way the priest was in the beginning. Her screams went on too long and you can even almost tell when she thought the director yelled cut because she eases up a bit and then starts up again making the scene less believable.

Bonnie Aarons (Valak)

Last but definitely not least, Bonnie Aarons as Valak. We definitely see more of her in this film than the first which is a huge plus. We even get a flashback glimpse of her from "The Conjuring 2" which results in a pretty good scare. There's also a scene where the director tricks us a bit into thinking she isn't going to surprise us but she does and she's creepier than ever. Also, in the trailer where she's standing in the room and the girl sees her with her flashlight has been changed in the actual film (in a good way). This scene came so late that I was convinced it was taken out and only used for the trailers. Luckily it wasn't because it was a great one which resulted in yet another great scare.

Photo by Courtesy of Warner Bros. - © Warner BRos.

Final Word

If you're a fan of horror movies, this will satisfy you as it delivers pretty much everything a horror movie should have. A supernatural horror movie that is. Don't expect much gore from this. The conjuring films were never about gore anyway. Will this movie disturb you if you are a person of faith? Of course, it's a demon haunting an old boarding school and brutally murdering someone in a church. But if you're a fan of the conjuring universe, you have to see this movie. The story is better, the scares are better and the evil is definitely creepier. Also, make sure you stay during the credits. I don't think you'll be disappointed. I give this film an 8/10.