the nun movie review 2023

When the demon nun Valak first appeared in “ The Conjuring 2 ,” she was a spine-tingling tease of what was to come in “ The Conjuring ” cinematic universe. The paradoxical existence of a demonized sister of the cloth with horrifying sunken black eyes was an exciting promise given the success of those first two films by James Wan. But Valak’s 2018 spin-off, Corin Hardy’s “ The Nun ,” was a massive disappointment. Its sequel, directed by Michael Chaves , now has the same fate.

“The Nun II” follows Sister Irene ( Taissa Farmiga ) five years after the first film’s events. When she befriends Debra ( Storm Reid ), a newbie nun in a crisis of faith, they are put to the test after the Vatican demands Irene perform another miracle. Valak was not destroyed, and she’s reigning terror on religious figures across Europe. As priests fall victim to gruesome demonic murders, from immolations to hangings and more, Irene and Debra rush to a French boarding school to figure out Valak’s motive and how to send her back to hell.

As the series’ titular nun, Valak is the core of the film’s horrific efforts. And yet “The Nun II” performs accidental exposure therapy, showing their monster at absolutely every turn, almost immediately desensitizing us to her presence. There’s a reason bogeymen and ghosts are feared in the shadows; their mystery breeds fear. Valak (played again by Bonnie Aarons) is spotlighted at every turn, from traditional hero shots to terrible CGI renditions that occur with fatiguing frequency. She becomes an expected visitation rather than an intentional thrill, and what is meant to startle only provokes a sigh.

There’s an overall lack of thoughtfulness in “The Nun II” regarding scares, and Chaves is vehemently loyal to oversaturated tropes. The movie starkly neglects creativity and, in turn, lacks effective fear. With constant slow pans and loud bangs, Chaves’ film signals its viewers at every turn, telling us to be scared rather than inspiring it organically. It reads more as a series of vignettes following a strict quota on scares, with narrative dexterity low on the priority list.

Farmiga is the best part of the film, with her performance as Irene presenting nuance and development. Where Irene was timid in the first movie, she now knows her power, and Farmiga brings a level of gusto to the film even as she encounters threats and traumatic memories at every turn. Farmiga has chemistry with Reid but carries most of the weight as Reid functions as more of a sidekick than an equal power. Still, Farmiga’s light is less of a beacon and more of a flickering bulb, trying its best to illuminate a film without the wiring to support her.

Jonas Bloquet reprises his role of Maurice, now working as a handyman at the girls’ boarding school. His budding romance with a teacher there and his protectiveness over her daughter, whom older girls are bullying, injects emotion into the narrative and sets some stakes. However, much of his inclusion becomes equally as cyclical as the rest of the film. Bloquet gives a good performance but is handed a pancaked narrative arc that doesn’t permit much interest.

“The Nun II” is just not built with the acuity or surprise level conducive to a successful horror film. It floods its runtime with an oversaturation of every trick in the book. While returning performers Farmiga and Bloquet give what they can, their emotional efforts are betrayed by a wholly underwhelming script.

In theaters now.

Peyton Robinson

Peyton Robinson is a freelance film writer based in Chicago, IL.

Taissa Farmiga as Sister Irene
Jonas Bloquet as Maurice Theriault
Bonnie Aarons as The Nun / Valak
Katelyn Rose Downey as Sophie
Anna Popplewell as Marcella
Vera Farmiga as Lorraine Warren
Patrick Wilson as Ed Warren
Storm Reid as Sister Debra
Akela Cooper
Ian Goldberg
Richard Naing

Writer (based on characters created by)

Gary Dauberman
Gregory Plotkin
Marco Beltrami
Michael Chaves

Cinematographer

Tristan Nyby

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Review: Less creepy than sleepy, ‘The Nun II’ proves to be an easy habit to break

A nun holds rosary beads as a sign of faith.

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How about another round of religious trauma, the movie? Five years after “The Conjuring” Universe spinoff “The Nun” glowered its way to huge box office numbers (becoming the highest-grossing entry of the entire franchise), the imposing sister is back in “The Nun II,” this time directed by Michael Chaves, who helmed the latest CU installments “The Curse of La Llorona” (2019) and “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” (2021).

In the original “The Nun,” set in 1952, a young novitiate, Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) travels to Romania to battle the demon Valak at St. Cartha’s monastery. Director Corin Hardy and cinematographer Maxime Alexandre brought an operatic gothic horror style to the movie, which was light on story but heavy on jump scares. In “The Nun II,” set four years later in 1956, Sister Irene tangles with the demon again, this time at a French boarding school. Chaves and cinematographer Tristan Nyby bring some cool visuals again, but the film is sorely lacking in suspense — it’s an utter snooze.

The problem is that Chaves is way too liberal with his monsters, ghouls and demons, showing us way too much, too soon — a classic horror-filmmaking blunder. The camera lingers on long, leisurely looks over the scary thing or just blatantly shows us which otherwise mundane object will soon become animated by evil forces.

Almost every scene in the movie unfolds in the same way: Some quivering poppet (altar boy, delivery girl, student) goes wandering into a dusty old space (rectory, cellar, chapel) and has the bejesus scared out of them by some crashing thing (wine jug, window, statue) and the spooky face of the creepy nun demon (Bonnie Aarons, we salute you). Lather, rinse, repeat. It’s actually shocking how many times this same scenic formula plays out in “The Nun II,” and never with any spectacular payoff.

A man bleeds from his eyes as a spectral presence looms behind him.

In following Sister Irene, reluctant exorcist, the bones of an interesting story are there, especially as they dive into her past and the reasons why she’s able to tackle such demonry. The screenplay is by Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing and Akela Cooper , the last who has brought her own uniquely bonkers sensibility to films like “Malignant” and “M3GAN.” But there’s no wacky nunsploitation fun to be found in “The Nun II.”

Farmiga is a wonder to watch, delivering an earnest, guileless performance of Sister Irene that mirrors the performance of her own sister, Vera Farmiga, who plays the similarly psychically gifted Lorraine Warren elsewhere in the series (“The Nun” movies are prequels to “The Conjuring” films). In this sequel, she’s assisted by another, rather skeptical sister, Debra (Storm Reid), who tags along to see a miracle, and gets more than she bargained for.

The Conjuring Universe is most frequently about faith, seeing and vision, both physically and psychically. In the best installments — usually directed by James Wan — the film form and camera mimics the process of human sight,harnessing vision as a way to build terror (e.g. “The Conjuring 2,” the best of them). Chaves either doesn’t have the ability to pull this off, or he doesn’t have the interest in it, which makes the themes of seeing and believing fall flat, even when he’s handed the perfect opportunity to explore those ideas in the script for “The Nun II.”

Instead, “The Nun” movies are less about faith and more about women in relationship to religion: women’s intuition, the iconography of women in Catholicism, the evil that women can visit upon each other on the mortal plane and the spiritual, the inner emotional strength of women and their weaknesses, embodied here in hunky handyman Maurice (Jonas Bloquet), who saved Sister Irene in the first movie, and still carries their experience with him.

But reaching for meaning in “The Nun II” is as fruitful as a wander down a dark and dusty hall. You’ll find things that go bump in the night but not much else underneath the doom and gloom.

Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

'The Nun II'

Rating: R, for violent content and some terror Nunning time: 1 hour, 50 minutes Playing: Opens Sept. 8 in wide release

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‘The Nun II’ Review: Back in the Habit

The latest installment in the “Conjuring” franchise continues a formula of frights with a splash of religious world building.

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A woman wearing a nun’s habit and black shoulder cape holds out a small cross while standing in a dimly lit chamber.

By Claire Shaffer

Jump scares abound in “The Nun II,” a sequel to the 2018 film , which was itself a spinoff of the “Conjuring” franchise. It continues the misadventures of Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) and the demonic force Valak (Bonnie Aarons).

This time, the call is coming from inside a house of religious education. While investigating a string of murders across Europe, Sister Irene posits that Maurice (Jonas Bloquet), or Frenchie, as he’s known — her farm boy companion from “The Nun” — may have become possessed by the demon force and, if so, is unknowingly harboring it at the Catholic boarding school in France where he now works. It’s up to Sister Irene and her new companion, a skeptical novitiate named Sister Debra (Storm Reid), to race over and stop the demon before it unleashes its full horrors.

The pacing of the film, set in the 1950s and directed by Michael Chaves, is too neat: It runs like haunted clockwork, shoving characters down dark alleyways or abandoned chapels every five minutes with little justification. Scene after scene builds fear and tension, and then a monster appears, and then … not much else, in most cases.

Not everything in “The Nun II” is centered on screams. There’s also a good deal of lore involving Saint Lucy, patron saint of the blind, plus a holy relic that might point to Sister Irene’s ancestral origin. Maybe this is the sort of intricate world building that avid watchers of the “Conjuring” movies are deeply invested in. Or maybe — if the gasps and guffaws I heard in my theater are any indication — audiences are mostly there to watch a headmistress being bludgeoned to death by a thurible.

The Nun II Rated R for ecclesiastical violence. Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes. In theaters.

'The Nun II' Review: The Strongest Addition to 'The Conjuring' Franchise Outside the Core Movies

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This review was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn't exist.

Eight movies in, you might expect a franchise to start getting stale, but The Conjuring is the most successful horror franchise to date — having grossed a combined $2.1 billion dollars at the box office — and The Nun II is here to double down on everything that keeps genre lovers coming back to these films over and over. A direct sequel to The Nun , this film picks up five years later, finding Sister Irene ( Taissa Farmiga ) at a new convent in France, having effectively escaped the demon Valak ( Bonnie Aarons ) assuming she'd sent it back to hell. However, when key figures of the church start mysteriously dying, it appears that the demon has returned. When a Cardinal calls upon Irene as the only surviving member of the church capable of defeating such an evil, she's thrust back into a life she thought she'd escaped.

The Nun II is an effective, gory, and impressively scary addition to the Conjuring universe that adds depth to the existing canon while also delivering a solid possession movie that stands up all on its own. Based on a story by Akela Cooper , from a script written by Cooper, along with Ian Goldberg and Richard Niang , The Nun II is miles better than its predecessor with pacing that moves along at a biting pace and keeps audience members on their toes. The patient, pulse-pounding scares are evenly balanced with lighter moments and even a sprinkling of comedy here and there. Cooper's presence is all over this movie, and this is another excellent entry into her complete mastery of the horror genre. Having previously penned scripts for instant classics, Malignant and M3GAN , Cooper has rapidly become an incredibly exciting name to see in the credits of a horror movie. The Nun II benefits a lot from its tight script which effectively plants seeds all through Act One that come to fruition in Act Two. Cooper, Goldberg, and Niang set up the film's epic climax quite naturally, with pieces falling into place before you even realize they're part of the film's ultimate puzzle. The audience is given just enough clues to begin solving parts of the unfolding mystery without feeling obvious or heavy-handed.

'The Nun II' Possesses Audiences With Powerful Practical Effects

Michael Chaves , who previously helmed The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It , returns to the director's chair and adds a much-needed breath of fresh air into the Nun films. Despite its success at the box office, The Nun is arguably one of the more lackluster entries in the Conjuring franchise, with a slow story and somewhat underwhelming scares. Blessedly, its sequel shows none of those weaknesses. Along with Cooper's well-paced script, Chaves adds a level of warmth to the project that was sorely missing from its predecessor. The characters and their relationships feel a great deal richer in this film. Charming flashbacks and achingly emotional performances fill this branch of the franchise up with a level of heart that has seldom made it into the Conjuring movies outside the main trilogy — not you Annabelle Comes Home , you've never done anything wrong.

RELATED: ‘The Nun’ Recap: Everything To Remember Before Valak Haunts Again in the Sequel

On top of that richness, The Nun II also delivers several heart-pounding scares that will have audience members flinging popcorn across the theater. While one of the major criticisms of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It was that it wasn't scary enough, The Nun II is a much better show of how Chaves carefully builds tension so that the rubber band snap of terror is that much more effective. Chaves also makes good use of a wildly impressive number of practical effects in this film, giving it that old-school feel while pulling off scares that will have audiences wondering, "How did they do that?"

One of the most impressive, which has been teased in the trailers leading up to the film's release, is the scene when Valak attacks Sister Irene from the pages of a newsstand. In a conversation with Collider's Perri Nemiroff, Chaves revealed that a majority of that particular scare was done in-camera, with some a helping hand from visual effects to get it across the finish line. After proposing the concept for this moment, Chaves said, "Everybody was like, 'How are we gonna do that?' I thought, 'Well, we should just do it all in-camera. We should print all these magazines and then mechanically rig them all to turn, and we blow some with wind, and then some of them are a little bit more controlled.'" That hard work pays off in the film, as it steadily builds beyond what can be seen in the trailer.

The Nun II also features some pretty epic set pieces. The final battle, which takes place in an old monastery turned winery turned boarding school, has characters fighting for their lives as the floors give way beneath their feet. The way that Chaves films these scenes makes the viewer feel as though they are on a twisted amusement park ride akin to something out of Halloween Horror Nights. While it may seem out of place to some, as a self-professed rollercoaster lover, it brought me to the edge of my seat. The final act of The Nun II also introduces a new monster conjured up by Valak, to terrorize the young girls at the boarding school. Playing on centuries-old satanic lore, this grotesque new figure is a chilling addition alongside the likes of Valak and Annabelle, and while he may not need his own spin-off, viewers will be hard-pressed to shake his horrific visage.

Chaves also pays homage to many past scares and other visual elements from the franchise. The newspaper stand scene alone parallels the opening scene in The Conjuring 2 in which Lorraine Warren ( Vera Farmiga ) is first attacked by Valak. The Nun II uses multiple visual cues like this to link Sister Irene and Lorraine and finally reveals exactly how the two are connected — beyond being played by real-life sisters, of course. Through both the use of previous footage and cleverly explored lore, The Nun II bridges together formerly disparate parts of the Conjuring franchise in a way that'll have fans itching to rewatch past entries.

Taissa Farmiga Leads a Talented Cast in 'The Nun II'

The Nun II introduces several new characters, and while we don't get a lot of backstory on most of them, the well-written script gives each of them an impressive amount of depth in under two hours. The entire cast delivers lived-in performances that really make the movie come to life. Returning from the first Nun film, Jonas Bloquet plays Frenchie with renewed charm and charisma that serves as a thin veneer to his tortured soul making the ultimate heartache that his life is headed for — as established in The Conjuring — something much more painful. In this movie, Frenchie strikes up a romance with a schoolteacher named Kate ( Anna Popplewell ) and he's made even more endearing to the audience by his sweet, protectiveness of her daughter Sophie ( Katelyn Rose Downey ). Downey is a great standout, with the makings of a future genre star, she delivers an emotional and genuine performance.

Another fantastic standout is the addition of Storm Reid as Sister Debra. Having previously told Collider that her character "adds some funkiness to the story," Reid does just that and it makes her a welcome addition to the Conjuring universe. Sister Debra serves as the skeptic to Sister Irene's believer — a tried and true dynamic within the horror genre — and she is able to add some moments of levity to the film while also going on her own journey of self-discovery. Meanwhile, Taissa Farmiga delivers one of her best performances to date, further establishing herself as a formidable scream queen. Threading the needle between the soft, tender-hearted nun she strives to be, and the incandescent adversary worthy of taking on one of hell's most evil demonic forces, Farmiga really gets to flex her range in The Nun II . There are also moments of vulnerability for Sister Irene in which she proves that no one cries on camera like the Farmiga sisters.

Without giving anything away, The Nun II adds some deep lore to the Conjuring franchise that brings the whole universe together in an inventive and engaging way, and audiences will want to stick around through the end-credits scene to take in every piece of those connections. With its tight script, well-balanced characters, and bone-chilling scares, The Nun II is the first Conjuring spinoff operating at the same caliber as the franchise's core films, proving that this universe is far from played out.

The Big Picture

The Nun II is an impressive addition to the Conjuring franchise, delivering scares, humor, and a tight script that keeps audiences engaged.
Director Michael Chaves brings a breath of fresh air to the sequel, with improved pacing, richer characters, and heart-pounding scares.
The film features practical effects and epic set pieces that add to the overall intensity, while also paying homage to past scares in the franchise. Taissa Farmiga delivers a standout performance as Sister Irene.

The Nun II premieres in theaters September 8.

Movie Reviews
The Nun 2 (2023)

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The Nun II Reviews

Michael Chaves's 'The Nun II' explores the past involving the demon Valak from horror folk. However, the script does not contribute significantly to the mythology of the titular creature or the characters surrounding it. [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Dec 16, 2023

Sometimes there is a virtue in simply being charming nonsense.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Dec 7, 2023

The Nun II might be a slight step up from the slog that was The Nun, but that’s a low bar to creep up from.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 17, 2023

Does not claim that its storytelling integrity is more important to it than providing a nice, rickety old thrill ride of bumps and shocks.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 14, 2023

It settles for a half-baked story and the same old never-ending series of cheap, lazy, and ineffective jump scares, ultimately making this sequel an even more forgettable horror outing than the original.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 13, 2023

Director Michael Chaves (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do it) starts the film with plenty of energy and continues the pacing throughout the duration of the movie.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Nov 12, 2023

The Nun 2 isn't as compelling as the first installment, and feels a bit scattered, but it serves as a worthy sequel that expands on the demonic lore, adding in some new jump scares.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Nov 9, 2023

You’ll lose your faith in this movie before you’re even halfway through it.

Full Review | Oct 27, 2023

From the first scene to the last, this director proves to have the skills for a better screenplay. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Oct 24, 2023

Despite some effective scares, The Nun 2 offers stereotypical scares and a story that lacks any real urgency and is bogged down in over explanation.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 6, 2023

Despite the scares being a tad repetitive, they are made and photographed well, meanwhile, the special effects are first-rate. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Oct 5, 2023

...the movie segues into a seriously (and typically) stagnant midsection almost entirely devoid of attention-grabbing, compelling attributes...

Full Review | Original Score: 1/4 | Oct 1, 2023

There are certain moments from the original The Conjuring that have stuck with me for a decade and counting. I’d be surprised if I remember anything from The Nun II within the next couple of weeks.

Full Review | Sep 29, 2023

Leveraging girl’s school games, gothic locations, and a few decently disturbing moments, Michael Chaves finally delivers the goods missing in his previous Conjuring Universe efforts… even enough to forgive another in a long line of misdirection McGuffins.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 28, 2023

While the story is lackluster and poorly told, the film delivers the jump scares and creepy imagery that fans of this franchise have come to expect. The Nun II is an effective thrill-ride and little else.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 27, 2023

The Nun II is one is one of my genuine surprises of 2023. It is a film that is not only going to be embraced by fans of The Conjuring universe but is going to be universally loved by horror fans as a whole.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Sep 24, 2023

The Catholic horror wheel isn’t reinvented, but the jump scares are so nonstop and occasionally clever that I was left wondering: is this the most fun I’ve had at the movies all summer?

Full Review | Sep 22, 2023

Taissa Farmiga returns as Sister Irene for cloistered encounters of the second kind. Darker and more frightening than its predecessor. The gothic atmosphere and shadowy glimpses of the terrifying nun make for the perfect horror atmosphere.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 22, 2023

Well made, entertaining, scary Nun of the above.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Sep 21, 2023

…The Nun films seem to be successful even as the over-arching Conjuring narrative sputters, largely because they deliver such visually imaginative shocks, even if the connective tissue between the visuals turns out to be rather unimportant…

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 20, 2023

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DVD & Streaming
Drama , Horror

Content Caution

In Theaters

September 8, 2023
Taissa Farmiga as Sister Irene; Storm Reid as Sister Debra; Jonas Bloquet as Maurice; Anna Popplewell as Kate; Katelyn Rose Downey as Sophie; Suzanne Bertish as Madame Laurent; Bonnie Aarons as The Demon Nun

Home Release Date

October 3, 2023
Michael Chaves

Distributor

Warner Bros. Pictures

Movie Review

Sister Irene has lived through some dark, dirty and demonic things. And thank the good Lord, she would heartily say, she’s done with all of that now.

Let’s just say she’s happy to be serving God in normal Catholic nun duties, such as guiding messy children, pushing a supply truck out of the mud or helping clean up at the abbey. Those kinds of dirty jobs are more than enough for her.

Unfortunately, there’s something happening that the church needs her help with. Priests and nuns all across France are hanging themselves, slicing open their own throats, bursting inexplicably into flames. The photographs laid before Irene depict gruesome deaths, each worse than the one before.

Only Irene has the necessary experience to deal with this particular mess, she’s told. That’s because Sister Irene is the only person who has faced a demon and lived to tell about it. And this is surely a demonic force slashing its way West across Europe. So the Catholic Church is calling Irene to … perform another miracle.

Her first reaction is a definitive refusal. But service to God rarely takes the exact form that you sign up for. You must serve as called. And so, Sister Irene and another young, rather inexperienced nun, Sister Debra, set off to visit places where their fellow churchmen and churchwomen have been slaughtered.

Perhaps they’ll find a connection. Perhaps they’ll find a clue that helps them understand why this terrible evil is transpiring and how to stop it. Perhaps their earnest faith will be enough.

However, the demon in question has risen from the infernal depths of hell. It’s taken on the blasphemous form of a befouled nun, a snarling entity that possesses people and butchers the faithful. It cares nothing for Irene. It simply hungers for power. The demon has been brutally searching for a holy relic that will give it the power it seeks. It can taste it. And it’s an intoxicating bloody cocktail, indeed.

Positive Elements

Sister Debra doesn’t necessarily consider herself to be nun material. She was sent off to the convent by her father and is just muddling through. But she’s a good person and a good friend to Sister Irene.

So when Irene gets her dangerous assignment from the church, Debra joins her. And the two women both put their lives on the line for each other and others. They eventually follow a trail of clues to a run-down school for girls, and they protect the students there from a demon-possessed man, a goat/man devil, and a demonic nun entity.

The two nuns also meet a teacher at the school, Kate, and her teen daughter, Sophie. And Sophie ends up battling those demonic forces, too, thanks in large part to her innocence and fervent passion. Sophie goes above and beyond to help a man, Maurice, whom she’s developed a father-like relationship with (even though that man later becomes possessed). The girl is instrumental in saving Maurice’s life.

Spiritual Elements

Since this is a horror movie that’s centered in and around the Catholic church and a Catholic school, there are spiritual trappings everywhere. We see rosaries; large crosses and crucifixes; holy water; stained glass windows; statues of saints and nuns; and other religious iconography. Congregants receive holy communion, and a priest speaks of the body and blood of Christ. Two religious relics are referenced: one holding the blood of Jesus and another holding the eyes of a saint.

For all of the film’s contextual and passing references to Jesus and God, however, we see very little of God’s actual power. There are three instances where “holy” power takes effect: a particular “religious relic” glows at one point and holds a demonic creature at bay. Likewise, a cross is lifted to keep a possessed man at bay. And a joint prayer, lifted up by Irene and Debra, has a powerful effect on an evil entity. In fact, Sister Irene appears to indicate that any power that can be attributed to God comes solely from the strength of human belief. (God seemingly doesn’t work outside of that limited theological structure here.)

All of the rest of the power displays are evil and destructive; they include agonizing physical possessions and ghostly apparitions, as well as physically obliterating and bone-snapping attacks.

Sexual & Romantic Content

Violent content.

Malevolent deadliness haunts almost every frame of this film.

For example, a demonic entity spiritually hoists someone into the air and sets the man aflame. We later see his skeletal and crisped remains. The same thing begins happening to a woman who is suspended painfully in the form of a crucifixion. Her skirt is set on fire (before she’s rescued).

We see pictures of people slashed open and bloody. A possessed man is bent several times into contorted shapes, his bones snapping and grinding together while he chokes and gags. A young teen girl gets slammed about and then lifted by the throat. Her neck snaps, and we see blood gush to the floor. People are grabbed by the throat by an instantly appearing demon nun.

A goat-man devil chases a group of girls, slams into doors and windows, and impales a teen girl with his horns. The apparition of a choir boy batters a woman with heavy chained objects, crushes her skull and leaves her in a pool of blood. Another corpse-like apparition grabs a teen by the head and pulls her into a vent, trying to gouge out her eyes. A woman is held down on her knees while her eyes are cut out with a large knife (seen from an angle so we don’t see the actual removal).

Furniture and people are flung about a room and dragged away by their feet. Many are battered in the course of the film, with some left unconscious. Roaches spill out of a woman’s open mouth. A huge tower bell falls to the ground floor causing an explosion of debris. People hang from elevated chunks of flooring. One falls into the pit below. Things burst into huge explosions and burn.

Crude or Profane Language

We hear three profane exclamations: one misuse of Jesus’ name, a single use of the word “b–ch” and someone screeching “bloody h—!”

Drug & Alcohol Content

An altar boy carries a large jug of wine that’s used in a communion service. And large barrels of wine explode and gush a lake of wine.

Sister Debra smokes a cigarette.

Other Noteworthy Elements

School girls pour a jar of roaches into a room where a woman is praying. And later those same girls torment and bully Sophie and then lock her in a deserted chapel.

For those who know nothing about the first film in this series, it sprang forth from the Conjuring Universe franchise, which is a group of loosely connected horror films featuring demons, curses, possessed dolls, etc.

And the central conceit of The Nun and The Nun II is that a demon has escaped from hell and taken on a form that blasphemes the purest of the pure: a Catholic nun in classic habit and collar. That evil, demonic force was once angelic, we’re told. It’s incredibly powerful, and it seeks a holy relic to return it to its former über- powerful state.

Yes, evil is eminently real and violently deadly. And God? Well, God is out there somewhere, perhaps. But in this case, He’s a strictly non-contact deity.

The mantle of goodness falls upon two relatively powerless real-world nuns and a little girl. Their only weapon against all that dark, dirty, and deadly demonic influence is their faith. Or as Sister Irene puts it: “The most extraordinary parts of our faith become real because we believe in them.”

There you have it, two full-length films boiled down into several paragraphs. The rest is all dark, incredibly creepy atmospherics fused to burning, tearing, shadow-jumping, screeching spectacle.

That’s not to suggest that this current film isn’t well constructed in a solely aesthetic and creep-into-your-nightmares way. It is. The Nun II is one of the purest cinematic versions of palpable image over substance that I’ve seen in some time.

But you’d be hard pressed to call it redemptive . Or even logical . It’s more like a theme ride that flies at your face; screams at your senses; splashes gore and terror about; and then tells you to get out.

Ride’s over.

Feel free to wash up at home.

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

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The Nun II Review: The Conjuring Universe Properly Kicks Off Spooky Season 2023

A positive addition to the conjuring universe's legacy..

Taissa Farmiga as Sister Irene in The Nun 2

While not as expansive as the Marvel Cinematic Universe , The Conjuring Universe has grown into quite the sprawling, complicated canon over the last decade. There wasn’t a big franchise plan at the outset, with director James Wan ’s original Conjuring made as simple “based on a true story” horror movie about a reported case of a haunting in the early 1970s, but the continuity has grown thanks to audience reaction and passion – with direct follow-ups to the main series made alongside spinoffs about the movies’ standout protagonists.

Release Date: September 8, 2023 Directed By: Michael Chaves Written By: Ian Goldberg & Richard Naing, and Akela Cooper Starring: Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Storm Reid, Anna Popplewell, and Bonnie Aarons Rating: R for violent content and some terror Runtime: 110 minutes

Reflecting back on the sequel-happy 1980s that nearly killed the horror genre, you might think that building out this world would be a tricky enterprise tempting disaster, but the truth of the matter is that the Conjuring canon has developed a surprising and positive track record when it comes to second and third stories. The Conjuring 2 is better than The Conjuring ; both Annabelle Creation and Annabelle Comes Home are superior to Annabelle ; and now director Michael Chaves has kept the pattern going by making The Nun II significantly better than The Nun .

The new movie does have some struggles that extend directly from its place in the canon, as its timeline positioning as a prequel does have a negative impact on the stakes, but it finds success thanks to its strong main characters, a compelling mystery, and more than a few big time frights. It builds on the story that came before it, and while not delivering the most satisfying ending in the Conjuring Universe, it doesn’t leave a bad taste that spoils the ride.

Set in 1956 (four years after the events in The Nun and 12 years before the events in The Conjuring ), The Nun II catches up with Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) as she attempts to live a quiet life in a new convent – not letting anyone know about her past battle with the habit-wearing demon known as Valak (Bonnie Aarons). She is happy and mentoring a novice named Sister Debra ( Storm Reid ), though her peace is interrupted when she is informed by an elder at the church that she must help aid in an investigation.

In the time since Irene’s first confrontation with Valak at Saint Cartha's monastery in Romania, a demonic force has been moving from that location westward through Europe, and given her past experience, Irene is tasked with figuring out what’s happening. With Debra coming along as support, the protagonist makes her way to Tarascon, France where a priest has been immolated on his own alter and she begins her search for answers.

While Irene works to figure out what’s going on, however, we already know: Maurice a.k.a. “Frenchie” (Jonas Bloquet), who helped Irene defeat Valak in Romania, left that confrontation possessed by the demon and has been unknowingly spreading evil ever since. He ends up getting a job as a groundskeeper at an all-girls school in Aix En Provence, France and starts to find some happiness for himself – but Valak has its own reasons for wanting to be there, and Sister Irene must figure out why before it’s too late.

An exciting mystery unfolds in The Nun II, but the third act has canon issues.

While The Nun is a movie that never fully pops because of its simplicity, the sequel draws you in with its parallel plot lines and capitalizes on its intriguing characters. You’d think that knowing that Maurice is possessed and at the center of all the bad things that are happening would undercut mystery and tension on both sides of the story, but the script is most clever in the way in which it molds itself around that knowledge. On the Irene and Debra side of the story, we may know more than they do about the location of the evil they’re searching for, but their investigation is compelling because they are not only looking for Valak, but also what Valak is after (a search that ultimately adds some cool, fresh mythos to the canon). As for Maurice, he is wholly unaware himself that he is “with demon,” and that ignorance keeps the door wide open for terror at the school where he works/lives.

The screenplay for The Nun II , credited to Ian Goldberg & Richard Naing and Akela Cooper, is more nimble and adventurous than you’d expect – though it also can’t quite solve what feels like an inevitable stakes problem in its third act. The movie suffers from unique prequel/sequel existence: fans of The Conjuring Universe already know what the future holds for both Maurice and Valak thanks to The Nun , The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2 , and the new film can’t quite find a way to both wrap up its own story and dovetail with existing continuity. Admittedly there isn’t anything featured that a theoretical The Nun 3 couldn’t fix, but it holds The Nun II back from wrapping up neatly and leaves timeline messiness in its wake.

The Nun II delivers big scares with creative setup and execution.

The film marks the third time that Michael Chaves has delivered an installment of this franchise, following The Curse Of La Llorona and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It , and his growth as a director is evident, as The Nun II is his scariest movie yet. It kicks off with a bang – some simple audience teasing quickly escalating to some fiery, unholy death – and it keeps the horror flowing throughout. It doesn't keep you on your toes at all times, as the movie makes obvious efforts to tee up its biggest sequences, but even when you’re properly braced for what’s coming, you still get a jolt, and there’s plenty of creativity to appreciate (some of the highlights including some page-flipping eerie-ness at a magazine stand and excitement inside an abandoned chapel). Without giving away too much, Valak isn’t the only monstrous horror in the film’s third act, and it’s a freaky delight.

After 10 years and nine films, The Conjuring Universe has one of the strongest track records in horror movie history, and The Nun II contributes positively to that legacy. While there are worse examples of it in 2023 alone, the movie does suffer a bit from being a middle chapter, as it feels held back by its own canon in some respects, but it certainly capitalizes on a wonderful protagonist in Taissa Farmiga’s Sister Irene and serves up a sweet dose of scares to kick off spooky season.

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.

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The Nun II (2023)

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The Nun 2 review: a louder, occasionally scarier sequel

Sister Irene holds a rosary in The Nun 2.

“The Nun 2 is a more assaultive, in-your-face horror film than its 2018 predecessor, but it still falls short of the Conjuring franchise's best, James Wan-directed installments.”

An arresting prologue
A memorable, intense midpoint chapel sequence
Taissa Farmiga's likable lead performance
The film's best sequences have a tendency to end in a lackluster fashion
An uneven, exposition-heavy screenplay
Numerous flat supporting characters

The Nun 2 begins, as it should, in the darkened halls and stairwells of a church. The year is 1956. The country is France. The religion is definitively Catholic. These details all come quickly, with the film spending its opening moments with a young altar boy who has unknowingly caught the attention of Valak (Bonnie Aarons), the demon that has been masquerading as a malevolent nun onscreen ever since 2017’s The Conjuring 2 . Before long, Valak is actively terrorizing its latest target — resetting his stool when he’s not looking and rolling his soccer ball back at him from the other end of a long, seemingly endless corridor.

In these moments, director Michael Chaves expertly and patiently ratchets up the tension — stretching out the moments of silence between Valak’s attacks until you can barely stand it. By the time the scene-stealing demon has finally shown its unnaturally chalk-white face, The Nun 2 has already reached greater heights than its 2018 predecessor. However, in a misguided attempt to inspire shock and fear, Chaves goes bright and loud — punctuating the film’s otherwise impeccable prologue with a fiery exclamation mark that doesn’t leave one nearly as shaken as all the moments of quiet, pungent dread that precede it.

The Nun 2 ’s opening establishes a cycle of diminishing returns that the film itself refuses to deviate from. There are flashes of near-silent, bone-chilling horror brilliance scattered throughout the latest installment of Warner Bros.’ ever-growing Conjuring Universe , but they’re almost always followed by images of blunt-force violence that do nothing but dull the impact of its sharpest moments.

Unlike The Nun , which is set almost exclusively in early 1950s Romania, the new sequel spends most of its time in France. Picking up four years after the events of its parent film, The Nun 2 finds Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) living a quiet life at a countryside convent where she has become fast friends with Sister Debra (Storm Reid), whose rebellious streak and struggles with her own Catholic faith have made her a nuisance for the rest of their Holy Sisters. Irene’s peaceful existence is disrupted, however, when she’s ordered to investigate a trail of religious murders spanning a not-insignificant portion of Western Europe.

Irene’s mission leads her and Debra to a French boarding school where her former friend and savior, Maurice (Jonas Bloquet), has started a new job as a handyman. Unbeknownst to them, Maurice didn’t make it out of his and Irene’s previous encounter with Valak as free as they’d thought. Instead, he has become a vessel for the demon, who uses him to carry out a series of murders and frightful encounters as part of a search for a Christian relic that could make Valak even more powerful. Structurally, The Nun 2 spends most of its runtime planting the seeds for Sister Irene and Maurice’s eventual reunion — bouncing between sequences of pure horror involving the latter character and the moments of research carried out by Farmiga’s clear-eyed heroine, who also experiences a few ominous visions along the way.

The film’s script, penned by Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, and M3GAN writer Akela Cooper, struggles to strike an even balance between its two halves. Its pacing sags throughout its second act, which has a habit of becoming so focused on explaining its eponymous villain’s actions and expanding the religious lore surrounding both Valak and Sister Irene that it fails to remain as consistently scary or atmospheric as one would like. While the purpose of Irene’s supernatural visions becomes increasingly clear over the course of the film’s runtime, too, only one of them packs much of a punch. The rest feel largely superfluous, especially given how long it takes for the character to piece together the clues that will lead her back to Maurice and, by extension, his demonic possessor.

Michael Chaves, whose previous credits include The Curse of La Llorona and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It , brings a punchier touch to The Nun 2 than his predecessor, Corin Hardy. However, he fails to replicate the power that James Wan created with Valak’s debut in The Conjuring 2 . Not only does Chaves’ camera wander, pan, and travel less than Wan’s, but it also lacks the maximalist, full-throated energy that makes the first two Conjuring movies so impactful. In general, The Nun 2 is missing the kinetic energy of The Conjuring 2 , which renders Valak more terrifying than either of the character’s solo movies.

To his credit, Chaves does make the most of The Nun 2 ’s quieter set pieces, including one late-night journey through a destroyed chapel that is masterfully paced, shot, and edited. When the film’s script allows it to abandon some of its own restrictive logic and go absurdly big in its third act, Chaves also frames Irene’s final battle with Valak in a way that emphasizes its scale without sacrificing the spatial awareness needed to keep up with it. Farmiga, meanwhile, again manages to imbue Sister Irene, a potentially one-note character, with enough humanity to effectively ground The Nun 2 ’s outsized plot.

The film’s other performers don’t get the same chance. Even Reid’s Sister Debra is set up to be a more complex character than she actually proves to be. The flatness of The Nun 2 ’s supporting heroes is, unfortunately, emblematic of many of the film’s problems. Ultimately, it’s a horror movie that knows how to light a fuse and let it burn, but it struggles to deliver pay-offs that are as satisfying, shocking, or scary as they should be. As far as horror movies go, it’s the big-screen equivalent of a box of 99-cent party snaps. It’s loud and explosive, sure, but the scorch marks it leaves behind are negligible at best.

The Nun 2 is now playing in theaters. For more details about the movie’s conclusion, please read The Nun 2 ‘s ending, explained .

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This year marks the 10th anniversary of the birth of The Conjuring universe, and it's become one of the biggest horror movie franchises of all time. To date, there have been nine movies, including three Conjuring flicks, three Annabelle films, the standalone story The Curse of La Llorona, and now, two Nun movies. The Nun hit theaters in 2018, and now, The Nun 2 has finally arrived.

Taissa Farmiga reprises her role as Sister Irene, one of the few who survived the previous encounter with the demonic Nun (Bonnie Aarons) in the first film. Unfortunately, Irene has no idea that her friend, Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet), has been possessed by the Nun, whose real name is Valak. The sequel occurs in France in 1956, as Irene receives a troubling vision about Valak's return. Irene soon finds herself in a race against time to prevent Valak from obtaining an ancient relic.

Warning: This article contains major spoilers for The Nun 2 (2023).

The Nun 2 begins four years after the events of its predecessor. When it picks back up with Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga), she’s taken to living a peaceful life in a countryside convent. Her peace is disrupted by the return of her former, thought-to-be-vanquished demonic foe, Valak (Bonnie Aarons), whose recent killing spree through Western Europe has caught the attention of the Catholic Church.

We might still be a few weeks away from the spookiest month of the year, but that doesn't mean you can't start clamoring for frights and chilling cinematic adventures right now. There's absolutely no shame in starting your celebration of all things horror for the upcoming Halloween season in August. The most devout horror fans never even need a seasonal reason to flip on a movie to let the ghouls, ghosts, monsters, serial killers, and the undead entertain them. So, let's get busy!

Which horror films should you watch? Well, there's no better place to start than with a myriad of classics -- horror films that have earned their stripes and stand as icons within the horror genre. A "classic" isn't necessarily indicated by its age; in fact, there are plenty of modern classics that have made a hefty impact on audiences and leave little doubt that they'll endure in popularity for years to come. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

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Movie Review – The Nun II (2023)

September 8, 2023 by Robert Kojder

The Nun II , 2023.

Directed by Michael Chaves. Starring Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Bonnie Aarons, Storm Reid, Katelyn Rose Downey, Anna Popplewell, Suzanne Bertish, Léontine d’Oncieu, Anouk Darwin Homewood, Peter Hudson, Tamar Baruch, Natalia Safran, Maxime Elias-Menet, Alexandra Gentil, Margot Morris, Pascal Aubert, David Horovitch, Paul Spera, Aaron-Jon North, and Kate Colebrook.

1956 – France. A priest is murdered. An evil is spreading. The sequel follows Sister Irene as she once again comes face-to-face with Valak, the demon nun.

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, The Nun II wouldn’t exist.

Director Michael Chaves is apparently seen as a jack-of-all-trades Conjuring Universe filmmaker for hire, having broken into the franchise with The Curse of La Llorona and recently helmed the third entry in The Conjuring series. The problem is that they weren’t scary, memorable, or stimulating, so it’s unclear why Warner Bros. and James Wan thought he would be a good fit for The Nun II , a sequel to arguably the most forgettable of the cinematic universe, something that shows considering the film is constantly going out of its way to remind viewers what happened.

It is a direct sequel with Taissa Farmiga reprising her role as Sister Irene, wrongly assuming that her days of fighting back against Valak (Bonnie Aarons), a demon disguised as a nun, are over. Four years later, Sister Irene works at another convent, with her current goal being to encourage Sister Debra (Storm Reid) to try out a confession. Debra is given a tragic backstory with unpleasant reasons for being at this convent, but for a new character, she mostly comes across as an afterthought sidekick. No compelling bond develops between these two; it’s all white noise as they travel from location to location, inevitably getting wrapped up in supernatural terror.

Meanwhile, there are mysterious deaths across France of those involved with the Catholic Church with Sister Irene and Sister Debra analyzing grisly photographs and visiting glorified religious librarians for information that might help unearth what and why this is happening. Their mission eventually takes them to a boarding school where Frenchie (once again played by Jonas Bloquet), a handyman now going by the name Maurice, starts fixing the place up and getting acquainted with the residents. Among these characters is a bullied young girl, Sophie (Katelyn Rose Downey), and one of the teachers (Anna Popplewell), although nothing engaging comes from these connections.

However, Maurice is also possessed by Valak, freely taking control and leaving the body. And while there is a decently disturbing idea in a demon invading a religious boarding school, it also doesn’t amount to anything suspenseful or remotely entertaining until the final 20 minutes, which, while nonsensical and without payoffs for certain introduced aspects, is at the very least, chaotic ( M3gan screenwriter Akela Cooper’s influence is felt here, credited with coming up with the story and co-writing alongside Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing.)

Unfortunately, the first two-thirds are aggressively tedious, relying on pointless jump scares (terribly constructed considering how telegraphed and obvious they are) to push the film along. There are no well-written characters here or compelling character dynamics, and it often feels as if even the filmmakers don’t know how to fill the time before the two sets of characters converge. For a film that spends so much of its time on the characters, they are given almost nothing to do.

The Nun II has the thinnest possible plot outline and comes without any real purpose, whether as a standalone story or tied to Conjuring lore. Choosing what feels lazier is tough: its approach to horror or the empty screenwriting. If there is a third one, it’s guaranteed that there will be just as many references and expository dialogue to remind you what happened here.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd , or email me at [email protected]

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The nun 2: trailer, release date, story & everything we know about valak's return.

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The latest the nun 2 news, the nun 2 release date, the nun 2 cast, the nun 2 story, the nun 2 trailer.

The Nun II is set to be released on September 8, 2023, with Valak returning as the demonic entity.
The Nun II will feature new cast members, including Storm Reid, and will explore a platonic friendship between Frenchie and Sister Irene while they fight against the evil within him.
The cast of The Nun II features returning cast members alongside new faces, including Storm Reid.

The Conjuring spinoffs are continuing with The Nun 2 , and news around the demon Valak's return is arriving fast as The Nun 2 release date looms. Following the success of his directorial debut Saw in 2004, James Wan struggled with his follow-ups. While they've since developed cult followings, both Dead Silence and Death Sentence struggled at the box office. Wan went back to his roots with 2010's Insidious , proving himself a modern horror auteur, but it was his follow-up The Conjuring which — just like Saw — spawned a box-office smashing franchise. The Nun was the second IP to spin off from the Conjurverse after Annabelle, and the second movie to feature Valak looks set to propel the demon to the same levels of infamy as the Warren's possessed doll.

The Nun II is the latest movie in the Conjurverse. There are currently eight entries in The Conjuring saga . 2018's The Nun served as a prequel to the events of The Conjuring 2 and followed the origin of the demonic entity, Valak, whose forms include the titular Nun. Bonnie Aarons' Nun was a late addition to The Conjuring 2 , with Valak originally portrayed as a more traditionally demonic-looking creature — and the last-minute change elevated Valak to a being capable of holding their own in a standalone spinoff. Now, in 2023, the demon returns for The Nun 2, this time set in France. The Nun itself received very mixed reviews but turned a healthy profit, which inevitably led to The Nun 2 , and here is all the latest The Nun 2 news.

Related: Every Upcoming & Rumored Conjuring Movie (What's Next For The Conjurverse?)

Sister Irene surrounded by nun habits in The Nun 2

The most recent The Nun 2 news is the critical reviews and responses to early screenings, and they point to the new The Nun movie being a strong entry for the franchise. Most critics believe that The Nun 2 is better than its predecessor, and not just by a small margin. The new horror movie is being considered a monumental improvement of the original film, with the scares, the intensity, and the shocking third act getting seemingly endless praise. While The Nun 2 is being dubbed as the last movie in The Conjuring universe, critics have noted that The Nun 2 has a clever and significant impact on it.

While critics are still embargoed, meaning they're not allowed to speak about the movie details at length, many have tweeted about their reaction to The Nun 2 . BJ Colangelo was slightly critical of The Nun 2 story, noting, " the story felt like three different films fighting for the main plot ," but added, " scares had me jumping in my seat. " Shannon McGrew was ecstatic about the movie, commenting that The Nun 2 " is so extra and goes so hard that I’m now instantly obsessed. " Tessa Smith confirmed what everyone was hoping, revealing that The Nun 2 is " infinitely better than the first film ... scarier and much more intense ..."

Taissa Farmiga and Bonnie Aarons in The Nun II

Though The Nun 2 was announced as in development shortly after the release of the first movie in 2018, The Nun 2 release date wasn't immediately released. However, The Nun 2 release date is September 8, 2023 , and will be exclusively in theaters. The Nun 2 release date is almost exactly five years after the first installment. During a chat with EW in 2019, The Conjuring franchise producer Peter Safran stated a sequel was being developed for The Nun 2 , which will apparently have " a really fun storyline ." He also stated for the potential follow-up, “ I think there is an inevitability to another Nun movie ."

Sister Irene walks with a lantern while there's a nun behind her in The Nun

Many of the movies in The Conjuring movie universe feature new faces in each installment, as the different movies take place in different time periods and detail different hauntings or possessions of new characters. The Nun 2 cast will continue this trend to an extent. However, The Nun 2 will see cast members from The Nun return . Bonnie Aarons will return as the demon Valak’s nun form. Going up against Valak again in The Nun 2 will be Taissa Farmiga’s Sister Irene. Some fans theorize she is the younger Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga). Also returning for The Nun 2 is Jonas Bloquet, as revealed by producer James Wan sharing The Nun 2 cast news on social media.

There are at least three new faces in The Nun 2 cast. Storm Reid, who fans saw in the first season of The Last Of Us on HBO Max, is playing a lead role in The Nun 2 . Fans have learned from The Nun 2 writer Akela Cooper that there is an effort being made in this movie to increase representation. The casting of Reid confirms Cooper is seeing through with his intent, but even before this, she pushed for representation in The Nun 2 script. According to Cooper, she told producers during a meeting for the movie, “ I’m going to put a Black nun in this, ” and no one objected. Reid spoke about her addition to The Nun 2 cast ( via Collider ) and how it spoke to her.

"I am not a big horror film person, so I was really apprehensive reading the script. I was like, 'If this is not how I move through the world; if this character doesn't align with who I am as a person, I'm not doing it. By my surprise, the character I play is incredible. I think she really adds some funkiness to the story."

Also joining The Nun 2 cast are Anna Popplewell ( The Chronicles Of Narnia , Reign ) and Katelyn Rose Downey ( The Princess ). Popplewell is playing the widowed mother of Downey’s character. No other cast members have been revealed yet.

Related: The Nun 2 Cast & Character Guide: Who Is Returning For The Horror Sequel

Taissa Farmiga as Sister Irene praying in The Nun

The most obvious The Nun 2 news is that the franchise moving locations, as the movie will take place in France. The Nun 2 story is also only set a few years after the events of the first movie, and about 15 years before the events of The Conjuring . The Nun 2 has a script written by Akela Cooper, who also wrote the scripts for Malignant and M3GAN . Michael Chaves is directing The Nun 2 . Chaves also directed the last two The Conjuring spinoffs, The Curse Of La Llorona and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It .

Producer James Wan, who gave more details about Frenchie in The Nun 2 story . James Wan commented on Frenchie's situation sets up The Nun 2 story, noting, " Frenchie has moved on from the first film and he is at a Catholic school as a groundskeeper-handyman ." Wan also discussed Frenchie's friendship with Sister Irene, adding, " I love this platonic friendship that the two of them have. She cares very much for him, and she wants to do everything she can to help him ." The Nun 2 will likely see Irene conflicted between her love for Frenchie and also knowing she has to fight the evil within him. Reportedly, a string of murders has taken place that seems to be perpetrated by the Nun. Now, a fully-ordained Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) will return in The Nun 2 to get rid of her.

Filming for The Nun 2 wrapped in late 2022 and a trailer was shown at CinemaCon, and now, The Nun 2 trailer has finally been released. The Nun 2 trailer follows a young girl who believes she's being haunted by a mysterious entity, and the footage then shows that, yet again, not even young children are safe from the Nun, as the entity violently grabs the girl's head. The priest then yells what's sure to be a classic line, " you send that thing back to hell! "

The first trailer for The Nun 2 isn't the only pre-released footage WB has shared. Plenty of The Nun 2 behind-the-scenes footage and featurettes have been put into circulation by the studio, including a breakdown of how Valak and The Nun were created for the big screen. With The Nun 2 release date not until September, another trailer will likely surface, revealing more of the story and characters.

REVIEW: ‘The Nun II’ is a jumpscare fest at the risk of setting in a Valak fatigue

By Jerald Uy Published Sep 08, 2023 9:55 am

Sensation seekers are more likely to enjoy The Nun II , the third film featuring the demon nun Valak first introduced in The Conjuring 2 in 2016 . As my seatmates during the advance screening can attest, I became a textbook example that its jump scares work, shrieking from row L of the IMAX theater about five times.

But while we recognize the cinematic mechanisms to expertly startle its audience, there is much to be desired for it to leave an impactful story. Still, it is stuck on world-building The Conjuring universe, expanding Valak’s motivation to look for a godly relic across Europe. There is a disconnect between these more cosmic aspirations in the 50s ( The Nun II ) and the haunting of an English family in the 70s ( The Conjuring 2 ). What made the demon nun settle to disrupt a household two decades after is puzzling. No judgment though, Valak, we can change dreams anytime.

The ending of The Nun , released in 2018, also referenced possession victim Maurice/Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet) being exorcised by the Warrens. The events of The Nun II are too far from the timeline, which means it is not the last time we will see the demon nun.

However, the danger of reintroducing the antagonist for the nth time, being overpowered and then being beaten again, could set in a Valak fatigue. Whatever the film producers are planning down the road should tie in with every flashback and mid-credits epilogue, lest they lose the cohesiveness of a shared cinematic universe they set out to do.

As for historical accuracy, by this time, viewers have embraced its ridiculousness so they can throw that out of the window. Still, even a supernatural story needs some logic and believability.

There is the predicament of how the Warrens (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga) will enter the picture. The last two movies, all relied on one single nun with precognitive powers, Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga). Irene did get help from Father Burke (Demián Bichir) but was conveniently written out as a Cholera fatality.

In Nun II , Irene is aided by a younger nun, Debra (Storm Reid), who serves as “deus ex machina” in the movie. The character first notices a relevant painting, triggers Irene’s memories of her mother, finds missing clues Batman-style, and even appears when Irene faints from her visions. Debra seems to exist to move the story.

There are also some production flaws, particularly how a crowded boarding school would only show a handful of students awake on a chaotic and literally earth-shaking night. The student population might be deep sleepers.

Not much was also explained about how Maurice knows about the murders he is committing while being possessed by Valak. He leaves a trail of victims and moves to another job, in another country. Never mind that the handyman’s paycheck fits the budget for his travels, the HR did not even do a background check.

The cinematography of The Nun II is astounding. The movie plays with lights and shadows to balance out the outright gore of the movie, especially scenes involving the killing of children.

While it suffers in comparison to recent horror hits Talk to Me and Evil Dead Rise , The Nun II can be a fun movie experience to watch with scaredy-cats.

Rated R-13, The Nun II opens in Philippine cinemas on Sept. 6. Stay for a mid-credits scene. Watch the trailer below.

TAGS: movie horror review the nun II

Contributing Writer

Jerald Uy blogs about TV, film, and pop culture on Jerald’s Secret HQ. A former journalist and producer, he now offers consultancy work in social media management, public relations, and branded content. Follow him on Instagram at @secretjerry and X (formerly Twitter) at @jeralduy.

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The Nun II (2023) Review

The nun ii is an entertaining, but run-of-the-mill descent into darkness.

by Ed Blackadder

In the realm of horror cinema, few films manage to strike a chord with audiences as effectively as many in the universe of “The Conjuring.” Directed by Michael Chaves, the sequel to the 2018 hit “The Nun” transcends the boundaries of traditional horror to deliver (at times) a bone-chilling, theologically-tinged horror flick that is just scary enough to frighten audience goers, but may not be enough for the hardcore horror fan.

“The Nun II” picks up the threads of the dark narrative spun in its predecessor, immersing the audience once again into the ominous world of Valak, the demon nun that haunted our nightmares from the first installment.

The film introduces us to a new cast of characters, along with familiar faces in Taissa Farmiga (Irene) and Jonas Bloquet (Maurice).

From a visual perspective, “The Nun II” is well-made. The cinematography, under the skilled eye of Tristan Nyby, immerses the viewer in a world that deftly plays with light and shadows, creating a palpable sense of foreboding that never lets up.

But it’s the design of Valak that truly steals the show. The haunting imagery of the demon, both alluring and repulsive, is sure to etch itself into the viewer’s memory. From its spectral visage to its chilling presence, Valak is a worthy antagonist in the pantheon of horror villains.

While this sequel is somewhat of a disappointment in terms of storytelling, it has a foreboding atmosphere and some nice moments of payoff for a horror film.

The standout performance comes from Taissa Farmiga, who is reprising her role as Sister Irene. Her performance is a masterclass in emotional intensity, and her character’s evolving faith is at the heart of the film’s emotional resonance.

In an era where horror films often prioritize jump scares over substance, “The Nun II” is a beacon of hope this Halloween season.

Ed’s Grade: C+

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‘The Nun 2’ Ending Explained: What That Post-Credits Scene Could Mean For ‘The Conjuring 4’

Where to stream:.

If you’re looking for a horror movie to watch this spooky season, you should know that The Nun 2 is now available to buy and rent on digital platforms like Amazon Prime . It’s perfect for supernatural gothic vibes.

This religious supernatural horror flick is technically the ninth movie in The Conjuring franchise, and a sequel to the 2018 Conjuring spin-off film, The Nun . This sequel was directed by Michael Chaves; with a screenplay written by Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, and Akela Cooper; with the story by Cooper. Set four years after the events of the first Nun movie, sister Irene must once again face off with that pesky demonic force known as Valek. You just can’t get rid of that guy!

Like most of the Conjuring movies, The Nun II comes with its own set of “just go with it” rules of supernatural demonic forces. If you got confused, never fear, because Decider is here to help. Read on for our breakdown of The Nun 2 plot summary, The Nun 2 ending explained, and what The Nun 2 post-credits scene means for the next Conjuring movie.

What year is The Nun 2 set in?

The Nun 2 is set in 1956, four years after the events of The Nun .

The Nun 2 plot summary:

Four years after the events of The Nun , Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) is now living in a convent in Italy. No one there knows what she’s been through. She befriends a fellow rebellious nun named Sister Debra (Storm Reid, who’s all grown up now!).

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Meanwhile, Maurice (Jonas Bloquet), aka Frenchie from the first movie, now works as a groundskeeper at a Catholic boarding school in France. He becomes friendly with a teacher named Kate (Anna Popplewell) and her daughter Sophie (Katelyn Rose Downey). Sophie gets picked on by the older girls at school. One day, the girls lure Sophie to the strictly off-limits, deconsecrated, sealed-off chapel. The girls instruct Sophie to stare into the eyes of a goat painted on the stained glass, and tell her that when the sun shines through the goats eyes, turning them red, the devil will appear. Just girls being girls!

Back at the Italian monastery, Irene has a vision of Maurice begging her to help him. The local Cardinal informs Irene that the demon Valak is probably back, and probably at this Catholic boarding school in France. Irene realizes that when Maurice came back to save her in the first movie, the demon must have possessed Maurice.

Irene and her friend Debra travel to the boarding school. A young boy named Jacque—who witnessed Valak attack a priest in the opening scene of the movie—gives Debra the dead priest’s rosary, with the emblem of St. Lucy on it. Irene explains to Debra that St. Lucy was burned at the stake by nasty Protestants. Though she miraculously didn’t die, she did get her eyes gouged out. But legend has it that St. Lucy’s family’s recovered those eyes, and kept them.

Irene and Debra hit up the library, where a helpful librarian gives them all the answers they need. Hey, it’s a classic trope of the supernatural horror genre! The librarian tells them that Valek is a fallen angel seeking out a powerful relic: St. Lucy’s eyes. That’s why all of the victims have been descendants of St. Lucy! (A fact we’re just now learning, but sure.) But if Irene can find the relic, aka the eyes, first, she can use it as a weapon to defeat Valak. And where was the relic last seen? Why, at the boarding school, of course! With me so far?

The Nun 2 ending explained:

Irene and Debra head off to search for the relic but are intercepted by a demon-possessed Maurice. They manage to subdue him, for now. The young girl, Sophie, shows Irene and Debra the trick with the stained-glass-goat-eyes. They realize that when the goat’s eyes turn red, the ray of light points to the spot on the floor where the relic is hidden. And they’re right! They find the relic! Too bad the goat/devil comes out of the stained glass and starts attacking the students. Also, Maurice/Valak has escaped. Oops!

After a big climactic showdown between Debra and the devil and Irene and Valak, Irene manages to use the eyes to almost defeat Valak… but then Valak destroys the relic. Oh no! Without the relic, how will these nuns defeat this demon? With their faith, of course! The women pray, using powerful memories from their childhoods. Sharp-eyed viewers may also notice a split-second of Lorraine Warren’s eyes from The Conjuring 2. It’s implied that the women, including Lorraine, are all descendants of St. Lucy. Through the power of their faith alone, they manage to defeat Valak. For now.

At the end of the movie, it appears that Valak has left Maurice/Frenchie’s body and that he’s back to normal. However, don’t forget that this movie takes place in 1956, and the events of The Conjuring —in which Maurice is exorcised by the Warrens—take place in 1968. Maurice clearly still has a little devil left in him. But for now, he gets a happy ending. In the last scene of the movie, Maurice tends to his tomato plants and lives happily ever after with Kate and Sophie. Irene watches him go, with a look on her face that says she knows—just as the audience knows—that this isn’t over.

Is there a The Nun 2 post-credits scene?

Yes, The Nun 2 has a mid-credits scene. A phone rings in the Warren household. A young girl picks up and calls for “Mr. Warren. It’s Father Gordon. He says it’s an emergency.”

Ed Warren (played by Patrick Wilson) answers the phone, while his wife Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) looks on. “Yes, Father,” Ed says into the phone. “How can we help?”

And the scene ends. It’s clearly a little tease for the next Conjuring movie, The Conjuring: Last Rite . It’s basically Nick Fury showing up at the end of Iron Man . The next Conjuring movie was on pause during the writers’ strike but is once again being written now that the WGA has come to an agreement, according to The Nun 2 director Michael Chaves . So stay tuned!

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What The Nun II post-credits scene means for the Conjuring universe

Take a pew while we unravel the mysteries of the horror sequel's concluding sequence with director Michael Chaves.

Senior Writer

Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Nun II .

As it was in the beginning, so shall it be in the end. That seems to be the big takeaway from the post-credits scene of the just-released The Nun II , the latest entry in the Conjuring universe of films.

In director Michael Chaves' 1950s-set horror sequel, Jonas Bloquet's character Maurice is possessed by the spirit of the Demon Nun until, with the help of Taissa Farmiga 's Sister Irene, he finally rids himself of this evil presence at the film's end... or does he?

In the post-credits sequence, we are transported to the house of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by Patrick Wilson and Taissa's sister Vera Farmiga , the protagonists of 2013's The Conjuring and its two immediate sequels. Ed is informed that Father Gordon (a priest played in the Conjuring universe by Steve Coulter) is calling and has an emergency. Ed shares a knowing look with Lorraine and then speaks into the phone. "Yes, father," he says. "How can we help?"

Given the sequence's placement at the end of The Nun II , the obvious implication is that Gordon is calling about Maurice and that his case will feature in the upcoming fourth Conjuring film, The Conjuring: Last Rites .

"This is going to be that final chapter, so it is a little bit of a tease of that," Chaves confirms to EW.

If, as is rumored, Last Rites turns out to be the final film in the franchise to feature the Warrens, it is fitting, and maybe inevitable, that the pair should be tackling the case of Maurice. The character was introduced way back in the first Conjuring movie, then played by Christof Veillon, via footage shown by the paranormal investigators at a lecture. That moment was also featured at the end of 2018's Corin Hardy-directed The Nun , with Bloquet now portraying the role.

"I think what makes this film so cool, makes The Nun so cool, is that, from the very beginning, the possession of Maurice was one of these center point elements in the Conjuring universe," Chaves says. "It was in the first Conjuring , it's definitely a pivotal event in the entire universe."

The Nun II reveals that Sister Irene is a descendant of Saint Lucy, a martyr whose eyes have become a holy relic sought after by fallen angel Valak, who controls the Demon Nun. The film also strongly suggests that Lorraine Warren comes from the same lineage. This connection to Saint Lucy explains Irene and Lorraine's physical similarity and their supernatural abilities while further teasing the possibility of the pair appearing together in Last Rites .

" The Conjuring movies always have this element of family in it and they explore it in different ways," says Chaves, who directed Vera Farmiga in 2021's The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It . "The sisters weren't on set together, but they love being connected in this universe, and I think it tells a deeper family story."

There has been no official announcement about who will direct The Conjuring: Last Rites . When asked if he would be interested in making one more movie in the Conjuring universe, Chaves deflects the question.

"I would say I love the Conjuring universe and I'm always a fan," he says. "I don't know. To be determined!"

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Still, thank you, Warner Bros. The result here for the marketplace is better than the doldrums we had a year ago when Disney opened 20th Century/Regency’s horror title Barbarian to $10.5M in what was an awful overall weekend box office of $43.1M. This weekend is on track for $88M, +104% over a year ago. Also at a time when the strikes have moved some big pics off the calendar like Dune: Part Two, Challengers and Kraven the Hunter, movie theaters will relish this opening particularly after the solid debut of Equalizer 3 last weekend at $42.8M over four days.

EntTelligence reports that Nun 2 clocked 2.3M admissions over three days repping over a third of the weekend’s foot traffic versus 13% for Equalizer 3 and 10% for Big Fat Greek Wedding 3. Nun 2 saw most of its action after 5PM whereby 74% of the audience showed up.

Social media analytics firm RelishMix noticed ahead of opening that the social media universe for Nun 2 were just under 150M across Facebook, YouTube, X, Instagram and TikTok, which is right in line with other horror sequels like Halloween Kills (147.3M, $49.4M opening) and ahead of Insidious: Red Door (114.7M, $33M opening).

The Nun 2 gets a C+, which is a tad better than the C the original movie received. It’s also an average trade for a horror film.

Top ten locations for Nun 2 are 1. AMC Burbank, 2. AMC Orange Los Angeles, 3. AMC Ontario Mills Los Angeles, 4. AMC Puente Hills Los Angeles, 5. Harkins Estrella Falls Phoenix, 6. Cinemark Tinseltown El Paso, 7. Cinemark Rialto Los Angeles, 8. Harkins Cerritos Los Angeles, 9. AMC Mesquite Dallas, and 10. AMC Grove Los Angeles.

The top 10 DMA markets are: 1. Los Angeles, 2. New York, 3. Dallas, 4. Houston 5. San Francisco 6. Chicago 7. Phoenix 8. Toronto 9. Atlanta 10. Philadelphia.

Nia Vardalos’ second feature directorial, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 from Focus Features posted a $3.7M Friday (including previews) and was even on Saturday with the same amount of cash for a $10M opening at 3,650 for third behind the second weekend of Sony’s The Equalizer 3 ($12.1M, -65%). Pic gets a B on CinemaScore which is a downgrade from the previous pic’s A-. PostTrak audiences were harder on the threequel at 73% positive and a 55% recommend. Women came out at 72% with the largest demo being the over 55 bunch at 24%. Diversity demos showed 53% Caucasian, 28% Latino and Hispanic, 5% Black and 14% Asian/other. Greek Wedding 3 played strongest in the East, South and Midwest with The AMC Burbank now the best cinema so far in the nation for the pic at $22K.

Atlee’s action thriller Jawan is owning fourth with an estimated $1.7M on Friday, $2.4M on Saturday for a $6.1M 3-day, $7.5M four day. The Yash Raj Films title is booked at 827 locations with strong ticket sales in NYC, Toronto, Dallas, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, DC and Austin. Starring Shah Rukh Khan, the pic’s blurb reads: An emotional journey of a man who is set to rectify the wrongs in the society, in an attempt to get even with his past, driven by a personal vendetta while keeping up to a promise made years ago. A high-octane action thriller where he is up against a dreadful monstrous outlaw who knows no fear and has caused extreme suffering to many. In the journey he will cross paths with a high-minded seasoned lady officer whose emotions might get the better of her as she gets involved in this battle. As his past catches up with him, to overcome the challenges and restore the harmony in their world, he will need all the firepower and intelligence to do so.

Trailer is below:

Studio reported figures as of Sunday

1.) The Nun 2 (NL) 3,728 theaters, Fri $13.1M Sat $11.8M Sun $7.7M Sun 3-day $32.6M /Wk 1

2.) Equalizer 3 (Sony) 3,965 theaters Fri $3.4M Sat $5.2M Sun $3.4M 3-day $12.1M (-65%), Total: $61.9M /Wk 2 Global gross on the Denzel Washington threequel is $107.7M. Previous Equalizer movies finished in the $190M-$192M worldwide range.

3.) My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 (Uni) 3,650 theaters Fri $3.7M Sat $3.7M Sun $2.56M 3-day $10M /Wk 1

4.) Jawan (Yash Raj) 813 theaters, Fri $1.7M Sat $2.4M Sun $2M 3-day $6.1M , Total $7.5M /Wk 1

5.) Barbie (WB) 3,281 (-305) theaters, Fri $1.4M Sat $2.5M Sun $1.9M 3-day $5.9M (-42%) Total $620.4M /Wk 8

6.) Blue Beetle 2,786 (-530) theaters, Fri $850K Sat $1.7M Sun $1.1M 3-day $3.77M (-47%), Total $63.7M /Wk 4 The DC Latino superhero movie has outstripped Shazam Fury of the Gods stateside’s take of $57.6M, and has also minted a global take of $100M.

7.) Gran Turismo (Sony) 2,765 (-1,091) theaters, Fri $900K Sat $1.5M Sun $945K 3-day $3.37M (-61%), total $35.7M /Total Wk 3

9.) Teenage Mutanta Ninja Turtles …(Par) 2,500 (-455) theaters Fri $570M Sat $1.3M Sun $730K 3-day $2.6M (-44%) Total $111.3M /Wk 6

10.) Bottoms (MGM) 1,265 (+550) theaters, Fri $631K Sat $811K Sun $609K 3-day $2.05M (-33%) Total $7.6M/ Wk 3

FRIDAY AM: The Nun 2 made $3.1M last night at 3,200 locations.

New Line’s Conjuring universe sequel, though expected to open lower than the original movie’s franchise record breaker of $53.8M, will keep what’s been a summer clock going with a projected $30M+ start.

The first Nun back in 2018 made $5.4M previews before booming to a $22M first Friday. There was a lot of walk-up business from Latino and Hispanic moviegoers, and a similar halo could occur here with the sequel. Michael Chaves, the director of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and The Curse of La Llorona, takes over helming here on The Nun 2 from Corin Hardy.

Critics like the sequel a bit more than the first installment, 51% to 24% on Rotten Tomatoes. Sour reviews never cursed the Nun ‘s business at the box office.

The Nun 2 returns Warners back to the post Labor Day horror frame they made golden with the first It back in 2017 with a $123.4M. Last September at this time, New Line was scheduled to release the feature take of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot , but they pushed that indefinitely on the release schedule.

Also previewing last night, and opening this weekend, is Focus Features’ My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 at 2,500 theaters which made $550K. Critics loathe the threequel as much as the sequel at 27% Rotten on Rotten Tomatoes. The first movie back in 2002–still a box office anomaly that started as a weeks on end limited release before it finally found a massive audience grossing $241.4M–was embraced by critics at 76% positive.

Nia Vardalos, who has written the franchise, finally takes over here as director. Pic is expected to open to the mid-to-high single digits. The sequel arrived 14 years after the original and managed to open to $17.8M and final at $59.6M domestic.

Sony’s The Equalizer 3 ends its first week with $49.7M, which is higher than the first week of the first film ($45.4M), but 1% behind Equalizer 2. The first Equalizer had a 45% ease in weekend 2, while Equalizer 2 declined -61%.

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An Absolutely Ripped Ralph Fiennes Shines in Vicious ‘The Return’

The celebrated actor is more buff than he’s ever been—and a terrifying force of fury—in this terrifying, thrilling take on ‘The Odyssey.’

Nick Schager

Entertainment Critic

Courtesy of TIFF

TORONTO, Canada— The Return is full of big classical themes: devotion, guilt, responsibility, jealousy, atonement, and longing. What it delivers that’s unique, however, is the sight of an incredibly ripped Ralph Fiennes slaughtering villainous scoundrels with a blade and bow and arrow.

Once again proving that he’s one of cinema’s most versatile and adventurous actors, Fiennes assumes the role of Homer ’s epic hero Odysseus in Uberto Pasolini’s retelling of the Odyssey , whose slow-burn pace adds tremendous heft to its drama and builds intense anticipation for its climax, in which its celebrated headliner erupts with a ferocity that’s breathtaking in its steeliness, its swiftness and—most affecting of all—its sadness.

Written by Pasolini, John Collee, and Edward Bond, The Return (premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival ) isn’t hung up on fidelity; only focused on a particular section of its source material, its prime concern is capturing the profound weightiness of its characters’ dilemmas, choices and actions.

Many years after the fall of Troy, Queen Penelope ( Juliette Binoche ) continues to wait for the return of her husband Odysseus, whose wartime triumph is now the stuff of legend. All is not well, though, on Penelope’s home island of Ithaca. Poverty and hunger run rampant, Odysseus’ son Telemachus (Charlie Plummer) has been unable to assume the mantle of the father he never knew, and a collection of suitors have set up shop around the palace, determined to force Penelope to choose a new spouse.

Of those wannabe kings, the most determined and cunning is Antinous (Marwan Kenzari), who has lost patience with a queen who spends her days weaving a shroud for Odysseus’ mad father. As this situation’s temperature nears its boiling point, Odysseus washes ashore, naked as the day he was born and so weak that he has to crawl his way off the beach and is completely incapable of fending off a dog owned by slave Eumaeus (Claudio Santamaria).

Despite assuming that this stranger is another dreamer intent on trying to win the queen’s hand in marriage, Eumaeus takes pity on Odysseus and nurses him back to health. Once conscious, Odysseus relays that he fought in the Trojan war, and around a campfire, he describes in harrowing detail the army’s use of the fabled Trojan Horse to gain access to the enemy’s stronghold. Realizing that the city could not be conquered, they chose the sole remaining option at their disposal: they “burned it to the ground and doused the flames with blood.”

Fiennes’ haunted visage and sorrowful voice illuminate the toll this military campaign took on his heart and soul, with the director’s close-ups capturing every small, telling shift in the actor’s expression. Odysseus is wracked by PTSD, yet in Fiennes’ hands, it resonates as something so deep and terrible that it takes on a mythic dimension.

Equally troubled is Penelope, whose pained solitude is exacerbated by the ramifications of her indecision and stasis, not simply with regards to Ithaca’s people and the brutes who covet the throne but also Telemachus, whose frustration with his mother stems from his conflicted feelings about his dad and the disrespect he’s shown by everyone else. Binoche suffers sensationally, her face a canvas streaked with anguish, loyalty, and resolve, and she serves as the drama’s stalwart second pillar.

Shot on location on a fittingly scraggly island, The Return feels immense, and Pasolini drenches his action in the natural sounds of his milieu. The crackling of fire, snapping of twigs, crunching of footsteps, and rustling of branches in the wind all cast an enveloping spell, as do the director’s panoramas of this harsh landscape and the tumultuous ocean that surrounds it, only traversable by makeshift rafts with unimpressive sails.

Despite taking place in a select few geographic areas, the film is aesthetically grand, and its understated majesty is enhanced by its use of both Rachael Portman’s rousing score and grave silence, whose oppressiveness is so great that the proceedings seem just about ready to buckle.

The Return takes its time getting to its crimson-stained centerpiece, and Fiennes’ protagonist is such a coiled, tortured survivor that his every step, gesture, and word reverberates with tremendous import. Never clothed in more than a robe so that his myriad scars glisten in the light, Odysseus is lost and afraid that he may never find his old self again, and that fear is what delays him from assuming his rightful place beside his beloved Penelope. Additionally holding him back is his uncertainty about his now-grown son Telemachus, whose bitterness, insecurity, and fury make him a powder keg on the verge of detonating.

With Antinous determined to murder Telemachus and compel Penelope to marry him, Odysseus finally chooses to make his move. Penelope, however, makes hers first, telling Antinous and his fellow rogues that she’ll wed the man who can accomplish her late husband’s illustrious feat: stringing his mighty bow and using it to shoot an arrow through the holes of twelve axe heads.

That turns out to be a task too tall for these losers, and Antinous views it as another of the monarch’s tricks. Nonetheless, Odysseus pulls off the seemingly impossible deed in an exhilarating sequence that’s galvanized by Pasolini’s methodical staging and Fiennes’ focused and forceful performance, which benefits from the 61-year-old actor’s astonishing bulging-vein physique.

The massacre that ensues is impressively vicious, and made more horrifying by the look of regret and grief in Odysseus’ eyes, some of it due the fact that Telemachus, in assuming his birthright, dooms himself to a life of carnage. In the wake of this bloodbath, what’s left is a dawning chasm between Penelope and Odysseus, reunited and yet separated by decades of trauma, tragedy, and terrible loneliness and sacrifice.

Nonetheless, the film is not without hope, and its lovely epilogue suggests that healing is possible through a careful, joint process of remembering and forgetting. As tender and somber as it is thrilling, The Return proves a sword-and-sandals saga rooted in life’s biggest issues, all of them written on the unforgettable countenance of its illustrious star.

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‘Relay’ Review: Riz Ahmed Gets His Own ‘Michael Clayton’ in This Fun, Twisty, and Supremely Confident Homage to Classic Paranoid Thrillers

David ehrlich.

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Sharp, fun, and smartly entertaining from its first scene to its final twist, David Mackenzie’s “ Relay ” is an old-fashioned movie about an old-fashioned guy. The movie is a modern paranoid thriller that harkens back to the genre’s ’70s heyday (though the far more recent “ Michael Clayton ” might be its most obvious point of reference). The guy is an alcoholic Muslim named Ash (a sad and squirrely Riz Ahmed, fantastic throughout), who became a renegade deal broker after drinking away a more conventional life.

In fact, Ash is so elusive that it’s something of a cat-and-mouse game just to hire him, let alone to outwit him. For much of the first half of “Relay,” in which he’s working to safeguard a frazzled new client named Sarah (Lily James) at the same time as he’s trying to throw a biotech conglomerate’s kill squad off her tail, it seems as if he’s equally busy trying to stay hidden from both sides of the deal; there’s a terrifically playful sequence in which Ash dons the first of his many disguises to lead the rest of the cast on a wild goose chase to Pittsburgh and back.

That’s really all there is to it, but Justin Piasecki’s knotted script absolutely delights in the process of Ash’s work, and in the gamesmanship that makes Worthington’s crew so eager to sniff him out and snipe his leverage. There’s a palpable self-assuredness to how this story allows the adversaries to circle each other like a pair of sharks who are both hungry for the same meal, and “Relay” grows all the more compelling for how it reverse-engineers a rich lead character from his appetites.

It’s hard to hold onto anyone in a place so full of people, and while “Relay” may not be the deepest of texts, it displays a keen understanding of how powerful it can be for someone to cut through the noise and offer their help (it’s telling that Ash’s only friend is his sponsor, and “friend” might be a generous word for it). In essence, that’s the service Ash provides to his clients, and — as we start to gather from the way he smiles at Sarah through the floor-to-ceiling window of her Tribeca safehouse — he’s desperate for his latest client to return the favor. It’s a bit implausible how fast she begins fantasizing what his face might look like and things like that, but that’s all part of the story’s charm, and the movie knows what it’s doing.

Case in point: “Relay” is shot with a cool and slinky confidence that allows it to emphasize the legibility of its plot without making any of its moving parts too obvious, and while the movie leaves all sorts of “cool” points on the table for not pursuing a more aggressively stylized aesthetic, Mackenzie’s down-and-dirty approach keeps the film in line with its forebears while allowing it the flexibility to stage major sequences in full view of the public. Like Ash, the movie is arresting and invisible all at once. Besides, the plot itself proves twisty enough that any gratuitous flourishes would have felt too much like gilding the lily.

Smooth but vulnerable, clever but anonymous, desperate to provoke a human response but willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done, “Relay” isn’t out to set the world on fire, it just wants to be a hand-crafted thriller that communicates a real sense of personal investment at a time when corporations would rather kill a single whistleblower than spare the lives of 1,000 customers, and it pulls that off with expert precision. David Mackenzie will never make another movie like this of course, but in the unlikely event the idea crosses his mind I’d only have one thing to say in response: Go ahead.

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The Nun II movie review & film summary (2023)
The Nun II movie review & film summary (2023)
The Nun II
The Nun II
The Nun II (2023)
The Nun II: Directed by Michael Chaves. With Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Storm Reid, Anna Popplewell. 1956 in France, a priest is horribly murdered. An evil is spreading. Once again, Sister Irene comes face-to-face with Valak, the demon nun.
'The Nun II' review: Proves to be an easy habit to break
Chaves and cinematographer Tristan Nyby bring some cool visuals again, but the film is sorely lacking in suspense — it's an utter snooze. The problem is that Chaves is way too liberal with his ...
'The Nun II' Review: Back in the Habit
Jump scares abound in "The Nun II," a sequel to the 2018 film, which was itself a spinoff of the "Conjuring" franchise.It continues the misadventures of Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) and ...
'The Nun 2' Review
'The Nun II' Review: The Strongest Addition to 'The Conjuring' Franchise Outside the Core Movies The Nun 2 (2023) By Samantha Coley. Published Sep 7, 2023. Your changes have been saved.
The Nun II
The Nun II - Movie Reviews
'The Nun II' conjures enough spooky scares to become a habit
Directed by Michael Chaves (a veteran of these films with "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It" and "The Curse of La Llorona") from a screenplay credited to a trio of writers, "The ...
The Nun II
Movie Review. Sister Irene has lived through some dark, dirty and demonic things. And thank the good Lord, she would heartily say, she's done with all of that now. Let's just say she's happy to be serving God in normal Catholic nun duties, such as guiding messy children, pushing a supply truck out of the mud or helping clean up at the abbey.
The Nun II Review: The Conjuring Universe Properly Kicks Off Spooky
Release Date: September 8, 2023 Directed By: Michael Chaves Written By: Ian Goldberg & Richard Naing, and Akela Cooper Starring: Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Storm Reid, Anna Popplewell, and ...
The Nun 2
In 1956 France, a priest is murdered, and it seems an evil is spreading. Sister Irene once again comes face to face with a demonic force. Content Rating. R. Terror, Violent Content. Producers. New ...
The Nun II (2023)
The Nun II is a significant improvement over its predecessor, offering a more focused narrative, stronger character development, and a better-executed horror experience. jaysonpajaronvistal 12 September 2023. "The Nun II" (2023) skillfully sustains its momentum, escalates the suspense, and delivers some genuinely terrifying moments.
The Nun 2 review: a louder, occasionally scarier sequel
The Nun II. "The Nun 2 is a more assaultive, in-your-face horror film than its 2018 predecessor, but it still falls short of the Conjuring franchise's best, James Wan-directed installments ...
The Nun II (2023) Review
In 2018, The Conjuring cinematic universe prepared to explore the past of the main demonic antagonist of 2016's The Conjuring 2 with the release of The Nun.Directed by Corin Hardy, the film, which starred Taissa Farmiga, Demian Bichir, Jonas Bloquet, and Bonnie Aarons, follows a Roman Catholic priest and a nun in her novitiate training as they are sent to investigate a recent murder at a ...
Movie Review
The Nun II, 2023. Directed by Michael Chaves. Starring Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Bonnie Aarons, Storm Reid, Katelyn Rose Downey, Anna Popplewell, Suzanne Bertish, Léontine d'Oncieu, Anouk ...
The Nun II Summary, Trailer, Cast, and More
The Nun II: plot summary, featured cast, reviews, articles, photos, and videos. Set in the universe of The Conjuring films, the sequel to James Wan's The Nun from 2018, The Nun 2, set roughly four years after the events of the original film, sees Sister Irene's return and continuing battle against the demonic nun known as Valak in a whole new ...
The Nun II
The Nun II
The Nun Ii (2023)
THE NUN II (2023) Review Score: Summary: After a string of gruesome clergy deaths, Sister Irene is enlisted to combat Valak once again when the demon takes possession of the man who previously saved her life. Review: Among some family members and a few friends, I'm somewhat known for having an unusually sharp memory. About certain things, anyway.
The Nun 2: Trailer, Release Date, Story & Everything We Know About
The Nun 2: Trailer, Release Date, Story & Everything We ...
THE NUN II
THE NUN II | OFFICIAL TRAILER
REVIEW: 'The Nun II' is a jumpscare fest at the risk of setting in a
While it suffers in comparison to recent horror hits "Talk to Me" and "Evil Dead Rise," "The Nun II" can be a fun movie experience to watch with scaredy-cats. ... REVIEW: 'The Nun II' is a jumpscare fest at the risk of setting in a Valak fatigue. By Jerald Uy Published Sep 08, 2023 9:55 am. Warner Bros. Pictures.
MOVIE REVIEW: THE NUN II 2023
Join us for a thrilling journey into the dark and chilling world of 'The Nun' as we provide an in-depth review of this horror masterpiece. Let's explore the ...
The Nun II (2023) Review
The Nun II is an entertaining, but run-of-the-mill descent into darkness. by Ed Blackadder. In the realm of horror cinema, few films manage to strike a chord with audiences as effectively as many in the universe of "The Conjuring.". Directed by Michael Chaves, the sequel to the 2018 hit "The Nun" transcends the boundaries of traditional ...
'The Nun 2' Ending Explained: What That Post-Credits ...
Published Oct. 4, 2023, 10:50 a.m. ET. ... Set four years after the events of the first Nun movie, sister Irene must once again face off with that pesky demonic force known as Valek. You just can ...
What 'The Nun II' post-credits scene means for the 'Conjuring' universe
The Nun II reveals that Sister Irene is a descendant of Saint Lucy, a martyr whose eyes have become a holy relic sought after by fallen angel Valak, who controls the Demon Nun. The film also ...
The Nun II (2023)
The Nun II absolutely does not claim that its storytelling integrity is more important to it than providing a nice, rickety old thrill ride of bumps and shocks, and in that regard it has some very good goat material, stained glass and otherwise. All that being said, the film does have a secret weapon, and I am delighted to report that it's a ...
'The Nun 2' leads at box office in second week with $14.7M
'The Nun 2' leads at box office in second week with $14.7M
Box Office: 'The Nun 2' Meets Its Mark With $32M+ Opening
Box Office: 'The Nun 2' Meets Its Mark With $32M+ Opening
'The Return' Review: Ralph Fiennes Is Absolutely Ripped in New Movie
With Antinous determined to murder Telemachus and compel Penelope to marry him, Odysseus finally chooses to make his move. Penelope, however, makes hers first, telling Antinous and his fellow ...
Relay Review: Riz Ahmed, Lily James Whistleblower Thriller
The movie is a modern paranoid thriller that harkens back to the genre's '70s heyday (though the far more recent "Michael Clayton" might be its most obvious point of reference). The guy is ...

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