The first James Wan movie that really grabbed my attention was 2007's DEAD SILENCE (the one about the ventriloquist dummies). I'm not too big on the SAW films although I do enjoy them. Then when 2010 came and I saw INSIDIOUS I felt it was one of the best PG-13 horror films I'd ever seen. And then came THE CONJURING in 2013, which was like Insidious but perfected. I still hold The Conjuring as the bar I measure all "suspense" driven horror films against to this day (but certainly not gory horror films). I've loved ANNABELLE and its prequel as well as THE CONJURING 2. So basically what I'm saying is that James Wan has me eating horror films out of the palm of his hand.
Over the last three decades almost I've felt that there hasn't been a new striking figure in horror films, a figure akin to the icons like Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, and so forth. There's been little self-starters here and there but they don't seem to go anywhere, likely because they lack a truly unique and timeless character. Or they lack a truly frightening and powerful persona. Chock it up to whatever reason you like, the fact is that no truly iconic horror villains have surfaced since Pinhead or Candyman. I'll even go as far as Ghostface from SCREAM. But nothing beyond that.
When I saw The Conjuring 2 one figure in particular really struck me: The demonic nun, VALAK. The image of that character chilled my blood and played hell with my nerves. I know when a horror movie is effecting me when I get fidgety in my seat. And every time the nun was onscreen I couldn't sit still. Afterwards I turned to my friend and said, "That nun was the scariest character I've seen in a horror film in years." I was giddy with delight when the nun barely appeared in ANNABELLE: CREATION too.
When I heard that a spinoff film was coming, simply titled THE NUN, I was overjoyed. I've been eagerly awaiting The Nun ever since. They've promoted the film as "The darkest chapter in the Conjuring universe." I read early reviews hailing the film for its atmosphere, HAMMER HORROR film style, and some even comparing it to a live action CASTLEVANIA. And now that I've seen The Nun, I must say, the wait was worth it. The Nun was everything I hoped it would be. I wanted to turn around, walk back into the theater, and watch it again (sadly I had seen the late show so I was unable to do back to back viewings).
THE PLOT
In 1952 a nun at a convent in the depths of Romania is found, hanged, outside of the church doors. The Catholic Church sends Father Burke and a young nun in training, Sister Irene, to investigate. Father Burke is a specialist in strange occurrences, having seen demonic possessions and conducted exorcisms. Sister Irene has been blessed with visions, some visions more a curse than a blessing. What they find when they arrive is a concentration of evil unlike anything they've ever seen or imagined. It is up to both of them to find the source of this evil and stop it before something far worse is unleashed upon the world.
WHAT I LIKED
Old World Horror. Prior to The Nun, the Conjuring films had taken place in America or England in the not too distant past, all fairly relatable settings and characters with standard movie haunting tropes (these tropes were executed very very well mind you). Here the story is taken far outside the familiar worlds of America and London to the terrifying old world of a Romanian castle turned convent. When other reviewers spoke of the Hammer Horror esthetics present, this is what they meant. I'm a huge Hammer horror fan and this classic setting was an absolute joy to see. There is a wealth of gothic imagery on display.
Atmospheric to the Max. The location and all the scary imagery on display lends themselves to a wonderful sense of atmosphere. The score by Abel Korzeniowski uses haunting choral chants enriching the already potent atmosphere and really channeling the presence of evil. The lighting, the sets, the foggy graveyard, the untamed wilderness, all of it fills the movie with a lush gothic presence. Add The Nun into all that atmosphere and what you get is one authentic gothic horror film that could fit alongside the classics of Hammer or the Italian gothic horror greats.
Evil Dialed to Eleven. They said that this was the darkest chapter in the Conjuring universe and this is what they meant. In the four previous Conjuring universe films, the evil is sort of floating around aimlessly or inexplicably attached to an object or place. And it always begins small before ramping up. In The Nun the characters travel to the source of evil and $#!t goes crazy from the get go. The characters are literally next to a portal to Hell. And it is awesome! There's no hand holding of the audience, no cliche haunting standards. The supernatural evils on display here make all the previous films look like Disney movies. There's a clear difference between a chance encounter with one evil like in the previous films compared to being next to the epicenter of all things evil. And I totally dug it.
And Valak. As scary as ever, the Nun is a force to be reckoned with. Designwise she's still incredibly frightening and the filmmakers deepen her character with a freaky backstory that would fit well inside The Lesser Key of Solomon. Oh so cool and oh so freaky. The lore of the Conjuring universe as a whole is vastly expanded here which is great. This movie is, in essence, the origin of evil.
NITPICKS
Just little things really. Too much comedy. Not enough kills. I couldn't understand some of Father Burke's dialog but I'm getting old and anymore I watch my movies with subtitles now. Having looked at this movie's abysmal Rotten Tomatoes score I was prepared to be disappointed by it. I haven't read the negative reviews yet so I don't know what the critics beefs with the film are (perhaps because it's not as relatable as the previous films?). But for me I thought the movie was awesome. I liked it probably more than I should've. It did feel like a Hammer Horror film. It did feel akin to a live action Castlevania film. And Valak was done very well. It felt like this movie was nearly tailor made for me.
THE VERDICT
The Nun is the fifth film in The Conjuring universe and showcases evil on a scale hitherto undreamt of. It's not just one evil thing plaguing a small group of people in this film, but a host of evil things. The is unlike any Conjuring Universe film to have come before. We are shown a far off horrific locale, rich in creepy atmosphere, filled with chilling music, and loaded with nightmarish imagery. This isn't the haunted house two neighborhoods over in Normal, USA like the previous films. This is an old world gothic horror feast in a cursed Romania castle. With, in my opinion, the scariest figure in horror cinema since Pinhead. I loved this movie even though it kept me up last night.
Overall Ranking: 9 out of 10
Nude-O-Meter: 0 out of 10
For my thoughts on the rest of the Conjuring Universe films and James Wan films check out these others below
CONJURING (2013) review coming soon!
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