The Nun: Fame or Flop
Kennedy Dunning
Kennedy Dunning
On Thursday, September 6th, 2018, The Nun, a highly anticipated horror film, hit the theaters in North America.
The Nun is the fifth part to the billion dollar Conjuring franchise and is directed by Corin Hardy. The second part of the series, The Conjuring 2, which came out in 2016, has many memorable scenes. Although brief, the most haunting scene included a demonic nun named Valak, which triggered a “jumpscare like no other”, says Alaina Macintosh. Fast forward to 2018, the demonic nun’s backstory is revealed and explored.
In 1952, a nun named Sister Irene waiting to take vowels (played by Taissa Farmiga) and a priest named Father Burke who is trained in exorcisms, begin an investigation on a suicide in Romania. The nun who committed suicide body is found by a french-canadian nicknamed Frenchie. Each of these three main characters have their own interesting backstories. Sister Irene was tortured with frightening visions as a child. Father Burke contains deep guilt after killing an innocent child during an exorcism years before. Frenchie is a stranger in the country, vulnerable and constantly fighting the urge to avoid his ancestral superstitions.
The Nun was definitely a new twist on The Conjuring franchise. However, even though there was explicit statements by the writers on how The Nun was heavily connected to the other movies and questions lingering from the movies would be answered, they sadly were not. Yes, fans may have received a birth place to the demonic spirit. Yes, fans may have understood how the nun spirit ended up in the United States. But what exactly did the spirit want? Revenge perhaps? Or maybe pure souls to help feed its decaying one? The answer is never explicitly stated.
One unexpected element of The Nun was the romance between Frenchie and Sister Irene. The chemistry between the actors is undeniable. Additionally, the fact that Sister Irene is extremely close to taking her vowels, which would forbid her from ever having a romantic relationship, makes their shy flirting and lingering eye contact even more endearing to watch. Although some viewers such a Kiana Dehmand called the romance very unnecessary and distracting, I believe the romance allowed a release of pressure and sweet surprise in contrast to all of the frightful moments.
I would give The Nun three out of five stars. The movie began with a strong plot and continued with interesting complex characters that allowed the audience to be drawn in through the entirety of the film. But the extensive amount of plot holes left horror fans eager for more answers.
The Nun is the fifth part to the billion dollar Conjuring franchise and is directed by Corin Hardy. The second part of the series, The Conjuring 2, which came out in 2016, has many memorable scenes. Although brief, the most haunting scene included a demonic nun named Valak, which triggered a “jumpscare like no other”, says Alaina Macintosh. Fast forward to 2018, the demonic nun’s backstory is revealed and explored.
In 1952, a nun named Sister Irene waiting to take vowels (played by Taissa Farmiga) and a priest named Father Burke who is trained in exorcisms, begin an investigation on a suicide in Romania. The nun who committed suicide body is found by a french-canadian nicknamed Frenchie. Each of these three main characters have their own interesting backstories. Sister Irene was tortured with frightening visions as a child. Father Burke contains deep guilt after killing an innocent child during an exorcism years before. Frenchie is a stranger in the country, vulnerable and constantly fighting the urge to avoid his ancestral superstitions.
The Nun was definitely a new twist on The Conjuring franchise. However, even though there was explicit statements by the writers on how The Nun was heavily connected to the other movies and questions lingering from the movies would be answered, they sadly were not. Yes, fans may have received a birth place to the demonic spirit. Yes, fans may have understood how the nun spirit ended up in the United States. But what exactly did the spirit want? Revenge perhaps? Or maybe pure souls to help feed its decaying one? The answer is never explicitly stated.
One unexpected element of The Nun was the romance between Frenchie and Sister Irene. The chemistry between the actors is undeniable. Additionally, the fact that Sister Irene is extremely close to taking her vowels, which would forbid her from ever having a romantic relationship, makes their shy flirting and lingering eye contact even more endearing to watch. Although some viewers such a Kiana Dehmand called the romance very unnecessary and distracting, I believe the romance allowed a release of pressure and sweet surprise in contrast to all of the frightful moments.
I would give The Nun three out of five stars. The movie began with a strong plot and continued with interesting complex characters that allowed the audience to be drawn in through the entirety of the film. But the extensive amount of plot holes left horror fans eager for more answers.