When people think of nuns, they think of the sweet and charitable ladies who dedicate their lives to God. The Conjuring universe turned that image upside down when it unleashed a demonic nun, terrorizing those in its path. The Nun 2 continues with the hellish being as it haunts a boarding school in France, and Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) will have to confront her fears yet again, who was a survivor in the previous film. The sequel has plenty of creepy moments with solid performances from Farmiga and the cast, even though the scare structure is predictable for a horror film.
The Nun 2 continues after the events of the first film, and the demon is back to murdering those in the Catholic church. Sister Irene is pulled back into the demon’s wrath due to her previous encounter with it, and she’ll have to help put a stop to this evil once again.
The story digs deeper into the history of Valak, the demon in the Conjuring universe who takes the shape of the evil nun. It gives audiences a better understanding of why it’s pissed off and why it’s targeting certain people.
Farmiga is great for the lead role with her caring performance and her vulnerability as she faces the demon. Storm Reid (The Invisible Man) portrays Sister Debra, who is shown to not have faith and later helps out Irene. Overall, it felt like if her scenes were cut, it wouldn’t have been noticeable.
Jonas Bloquet is back as Maurice, but this time he is the vessel for the demon, who uses him for its evil schemes. His performance conveys a good person who is tortured by evil, making him do its dastardly bidding. Maurice is the type of character people will feel empathy for since he’s a good-natured man who is a victim of the demon, and the story focuses on him as he bonds with a teacher and a student at the boarding school.
The cinematography for the film is beautiful with plenty of darkly lit scenes that make you question whether something is watching you. A highlight features a magazine stand affected by the wind in a dark alley. Pages would flip, revealing different imagery, and the final result would be a chilling image of the demonic nun.
The movie has a pattern of slowly building up to its scare, and it goes on repeat for the many different characters. This can be tiresome for some, but for others who love the creepy atmosphere, it’s a fun ride.
The Nun 2 isn’t groundbreaking for the horror genre, but with an engaging cast and creepy setup after creepy setup, it’s a solid film in The Conjuring franchise with some harrowing moments.
Score: 3.5/5 Atoms
