205.
The Nun
6/10
With The Conjuring franchise being at the top of my list when it comes to horror movies, a smaller instalment that has grown from the popularity of this ghostly 'Nun' figure as lead to a Halloween full of different takes on the costume. When it comes to the movie, part of me was excited to see what was in store but at the same time, very apprehensive, as the conjuring movies were based on true events and this was just a filler to appease the audience. I have no idea where this will rank between the Conjuring and Annabelle movies but after seeing the trailer countless times, there was one part that constantly got a little jump out of the audiences. This though, seems a little spoiler for the viewers, knowing what was going to come at that point. It about time to find out if this going to be making say 'holy shit' or want us praying for it to end the torture.
Set in 1952, we are following a known beginning of a horror movie as we instantly get a glimpse of death. Two nuns are walking a hallway, coming across a door labelled 'God ends here'. The oldest goes in to grab an artefact whilst the youngest stays outside to pray. The older comes back again, bloodied and beaten, telling Victoria to stop praying and run, before she is soon pulled back into the darkness. Victoria picks up the artefact, which is a key and runs for a window, being closely followed by the demon nun named Valak. She begs God for forgiveness before launching herself out of the window, hanging herself and bringing an end to the scene when sometime later, a guy named Frenchie finds her decaying body.
At the Vatican, it's kicking off when the higher-ups learn of the ultimate sin of suicide by a nun. They send Father Anthony Burke to check things out and he decides to enlist the help of a young nun-trainee named Sister Irene. The pair head off to Romania to find Frenchie, who can then, in turn, take them to where he found the body. As soon as Frenchie and Irene are on the screen together, there is an instant connection and we have the love interest that sometimes comes with a horror. Frenchie takes them to a delivery building's icebox and to Victoria's body, which he left lying down but is now sitting up. Burke pries open her frozen fingers and finds the key that she was holding. They give her a proper burial and as the start to enter the abbey, Burke notices fresh blood in the area that Frenchie found the body. They head into the chapel and meet with the Abbess, who explains that they are having a vow of silence for Victoria and they must actually wait until tomorrow to enter the actual Abbey.
Burke and Irene settle into their rooms as Frenchie heads home now that his job is done. To be fair, doubt that's the last we see of him. On his way home, he sees a vision in the woods of someone resembling the dead girl Victoria. He follows her and ends up being attacked by a demon nun. He picks up a cross and heads off. Back in their rooms, Burke and Irene are confiding in each other. Irene, when younger, had visions that contained a phrase saying 'Mary points the way' and Burke was unable to save a boy from his injuries during an exorcism. That night, Burke is woken by music, goes on the search and ends up seeing a demonic version of a little boy. The vision pushes him into a coffin and buries him alive. He rings that bell that is set up at grave sites for anyone buried by mistake and he's found by Irene. Irene had been woken and wandered the halls for a while. She even passed a mirror and seen the figure of Valak attacking her. At the grave, pulling Burke out, demon hands are seen pulling him back under but after being freed, he looks back into the coffin to find books on the occult.
The next day, only Irene is allowed to enter the abbey and after meeting Sister Oana, she learns that the sisters actually have shifts of praying in order to keep the evil away. We are treated to a history lesson and how Valak came to be. In the dark ages, a Duke obsessed with powers from hell caused a rift to summon Valak. Guys found him and killed him before he could complete the ritual. He was trapped inside hell using an artefact, the same one that the nuns from the beginning were looking for using the key and it contains the blood of Christ, apparently. As time passed, World War II hit and so did the bombs, breaking open the rift and finally releasing a Valak. Valak has taken the form of a nun and disguise itself, praying on their weaknesses. Burke has had bugger all to do so learns about the demon and its name.
Frenchie has made it to a pub, good lad, knew it wouldn't be the last time we see him. He overhears someone talking about a young girl killing herself by hanging after seeing something horrible. Frenchie tells the bartender of the couple that has gone up the abbey and is told back that they could be the next victims. Back up the abbey, Burke I still trying to get into the place. The Abbess tells him that he will never find another way in. This bird seems like she is a skeleton, there is nothing to her but we cannot see anything under her black robe. He tries to ask about the key they found but she's having none of it and even mentions that it is too late for Irene. The Abbess then goes limp and as Burke tries to unveil her, a demon hand grabs him until he tears it off of her. Irene has woken after seeing another vision of Valak. She creeps the corridors, as anyone would do at the dead of night and is attacked by the crazy nun demon thing. Burke hears the commotion and heads off to save Irene, which he doesn't do very well but in walks Frenchie and a shotgun. Irene runs to the other nuns and starts to pray with them as the place beings to shake. An evil force carves symbols into her back and as she looks around, she notices the other nuns are nothing but visions.
Irene, Burke and Frenchie team up for what seems like the main battle and they realise that Victoria was never committing suicide. She killed herself so that she wouldn't become possessed. They head into the tombs and find the blood artefact, knowing they will need to use it. Searching for it, guess who points it out. That right, Mary points the way, just like Irene's young visions. Sure enough, they find the vial and soon Valak appears, attacking the trio. The demon begins to try and possess Irene as Burke is attacked by the child he tried to exorcize. Irene becomes a tad possessed but Frenchie launches some blood and her to bring her back around. Valak chucks a dark force at him and then tries to drown Irene. As the water hits this demon, the makeup runs down its face and it truly looks terrifying. Pulling her back out of the water, Valak notices that the vial is broken and Irene, looking like she has had one too many beers, spits the blood all over the demon's face.
The demon falls back through the rift and the door to hell is closed. As the trio leave the abbey, Frenchie reveals his true name but something more is revealed to the audience. An upside-down cross is burnt into his neck. That isn't good. Could he be the anti-Christ? But then why would he be helping?
The film franchise always has an ending linking to the other movies. It's a clip from the first movie where Carolyn is watching Ed and Lorraine giving a seminar on their encounter with a possessed lad. It's Maurice, who later kills himself. His grabbing of Lorraine gave her the visions that she now sees and for her, it wouldn't be the last time that she would see Valak.
This movie was something that The Conjuring fan base asked for after first setting sights on this evil nun but was it really needed? In my opinion, no. I love a horror as much as the next fan but taking into context the other movies in the franchise, this has to be the weakest. Firstly the characters are easily forgettable apart from the demon itself. We only ever see one again, Frenchie, who they link in with the first Conjuring movie by replacing a cameo role with this newer actor. This is the part of the movie I commend because I always enjoy when they can link the storyline up in such a way. There wasn't going to be anything else connecting to the others so this storyline was OK, religious and creepy but that's pretty much where it ends. The horror portrayed in the movie is carried in the usual context of dark corridors, sudden movements and lack of music leading to a jump scare. Each part of this was relatively predictable but still enjoyable to a degree. The nun itself was actually pretty creepy to look at, especially towards the final fight scene which involved the water, making it even more daunting to look at. The film felt like the filler that these ones have become, whetting the appetite for more but never really proving itself as the main course. It's never going to be up there with the others and not anywhere near the halfway point on my favourite horrors, even after the anticipation I had for this movie. Overall, I felt a little let down compared to what James Wan had brought us before.
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