The Nun (2018)

Directed by: Corin Hardy | 96 minutes | horror | Actors: Demián Bichir, Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Bonnie Aarons, Ingrid Bisu, Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Lili Taylor, Charlotte Hope, Sandra Teles, Maria Obretin, August Maturo, Jack Falk, Lynnette Gaza, Ani Sava

She was without a doubt the best part of ‘The Conjuring 2’: the demonic nun. As soon as this demon came into view, the spooky factor in intensity went up by a good 300 percent. The brilliant grime in combination with the tight soundtrack and clever build-up of tension put the diabolical nun on the map as one of the scariest creeps of this century. Naturally, the popularity of this monster aroused the interest of Hollywood studios. Why not capitalize on the popularity of this phenomenon and canning a film around her person?

Set in 1952, The Nun explores Sister Irene’s past. In this film an investigation takes place at the Cârța Monastery in Romania. This investigation is conducted by a priest, Father Burke, who receives help from Irene. Together they set out to investigate the mysterious death of a nun.

The demonic nun’s role in ‘The Conjuring 2’ was so strong because of dosage. Tension building was the key word. The nun’s presence was palpable in every scene. Even when she wasn’t in the picture. In addition, her presence was unexpected: people did not know that she was in this film. In ‘The Nun’ this icon forms the raison d’être of this film. That creates different expectations. They are not fulfilled.

The biggest stumbling block of ‘The Nun’ is tension building. Jump scares are used instead of dosed tension and build-up. Over time, that kidney works more. In addition, this narration drags on and too many irrelevant characters are presented. Despite the beautiful decor, the strong make-up, the solid acting and excellent soundtrack, this film does not stick. The story is weak and the nun herself is not interesting enough to carry a full movie as a villain. Not in this form anyway. Too bad, because with more time and a better script, this could have been a really exciting movie. In this form, this is an easily forgotten horror novelty.