The Nun II (2023) | REVIEW

Directed by Michael Chaves — Story by Akela Cooper (Hell Fest)– Screenplay by Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, and Akela Cooper.

Even though DC films have relentlessly tried to catch up to Marvel, the only cinematic universe that I think even comes close to being as much of a widely enjoyed success is that of The Conjuring. Since James Wan’s The Conjuring was first released to critical acclaim in 2013, two sequels and five spin-offs have been released. Although James Wan has moved on to different projects, the horror-centered cinematic universe is still chugging along. The Nun II is the ninth film in the series, and it has been directed by Michael Chaves, whose three feature films as a director all exist in this universe. As such, you could say that Chaves is the heir apparent to Wan. However, I should also say that I have not been entirely happy with his entries thus far. His debut The Curse of La Llorona was wholly forgettable and I was merely lukewarm on his The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. Although The Nun II hasn’t completely turned things around for Chaves, in my opinion, I do think The Nun II is significantly better than the original The Nun spin-off.

Set some years after the events of Corin Hardy’s The Nun, Michael Chaves’ The Nun II still follows Sister Irene (played by Taissa Farmiga) who is now at a convent in Italy, and the events of the first film have now gone into legend and are recurringly retold to the nuns at the convent, including the novitiate Sister Debra (played by Storm Reid). One day, a Cardinal stops by the convent to ask for Sister Irene’s help. The Catholic Church needs another miracle because a demonic presence is the cause of a series of deaths across Europe. Sister Irene reluctantly agrees and Sister Debra tags along, as they start to investigate the deaths and work their way towards Valak (played by Bonnie Aarons), the feared demon who takes the form of a nun. Valak is still possessing Maurice (played by Jonas Bloquet) — the French-Canadian farmer from the first film — whom Irene hasn’t seen in quite some time, and his presence at a boarding school in France is extremely dangerous to its students and their teachers.

Though I really like James Wan’s The Conjuring 2, in which the demonic nun makes her first appearance, I really disliked the spin-off prequel about said nun. Valak, as she is called, is honestly terrifying in Wan’s film, but Corin Hardy struggled to recapture the unease with his The Nun, and, while I do like The Nun II more than Hardy’s film, Chaves’ film doesn’t ever use the hauntingly designed demonic character in a way that comes close to what Wan did. If Wan’s Valak made my blood run cold, Hardy and Chaves’ versions mostly just feel like lesser imitations. I will say, though, that the tone that Chaves’ film strikes feels more appropriate to the Conjuring universe than Hardy’s overly silly original The Nun.

It should also be said that there are, occasionally, some really well-set-up horror set-pieces in The Nun II, like the newsstand (pictured above) or the chilling and dark opening of the film, but it does feel like the film runs out of fresh ideas, as the film eventually devolves into a third act where Valak mostly just stands there smirking while a possessed individual does her bidding (or while another — somewhat sillily depicted — creature runs wild). This isn’t to say that the third act is all bad. I did really like the payoff involving the prayer at the end of the film. Chaves’ film should also be commended for being willing to go to some dark places with violence and flames, but I thought it was strange how, while the build-up to these events is marked by tension and patience, the film rushes to cut away from their violent and dark pay-offs when it ought to have let us sit with that feeling of dread.

The pacing isn’t just off in the horror set-pieces, the film is unevenly paced for most of the film and structured puzzlingly in a way that makes the film feel drawn out for significant chunks. It takes way too long for Farmiga’s character to get to the demonic nun, we spend quite a bit of time with Maurice before his identity is revealed to Sister Irene, and, even though I like the idea of, for a moment, turning this into a Biblical version of National Treasure with Sister Irene, it also feels a little bit unnecessary. Though I do think Bloquet has some good dramatic scenes here, I also think a number of the scenes at his character’s place of employment could have been cut and added up to a better and more tightly constructed film. Taissa Farmiga commands the screen well here, but the matrilineal subplot involving her character didn’t fully come together for me. I’ll also add that Storm Reid feels underused in her sidekick-esque role.

On the whole, Michael Chaves’ The Nun II is a bloated mixed bag. It is spookier than the first film and includes some well-set-up scares, but it is also unevenly paced and tends to cut away from the horrific payoffs too quickly. Sections of the film feel seriously drawn-out, and it takes way too long for the main character to get to where she is inevitably going. It certainly isn’t one of the best films in the Conjuring cinematic universe, but there is no denying that it definitely clears the low bar set by the original spin-off, and, for some, that will be more than enough to justify checking it out.

5.5 out of 10

– Review Written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.