Running Time: 96 minutes
Rating: «« out of ««««
While it’s only been five years since the release of the supernatural horror hit The Conjuring, the film’s heroic paranormal investigators have already inspired all kinds of sequels and spin-offs.
The fifth and most recent entry is The Nun. While the titular demonic character certainly made an impression when it was introduced in The Conjuring 2, this prequel detailing the history of the sinister lifeform is easily the weakest and most unnecessary chapter in the horror franchise.
Set in 1952, the plot involves the strange suicide of a nun at a remote abbey in Romania. The Vatican assigns Father Burke (Demian Bichir) to investigate the death and suggests he also procure the services of a young woman named Irene (Taissa Farmiga), who has experienced strange visions that may be connected to the event. Irene, a Novitiate in the Catholic Church, is waiting to take her vows and become a full-fledged nun.
Upon arriving in Romania, the pair encounters Maurice (Jonas Bloquet), a deliveryman who first discovered the body of the nun. He takes them to the dilapidated abbey, where they investigate the occurrence and begin experiencing strange phenomena.
The majority of events takes place in the old, run-down castle-turned-monastery as the trio tries to find any members of the order who might still be living at the site. They do encounter a few figures, but find them to be incredibly secretive and unwilling to talk. Not that there’s a whole lot to glean from the screenplay in general.
Ultimately, this being is a malevolent force of evil, raised by a duke who used to live on the property. After opening a gateway to Hell, the supernatural being has set out to possess a human target and takes on the appearance of a nun to move unnoticed.
That’s about all the back story on the antagonist that viewers will receive, with the plot simply providing an excuse to have nun figures appear in the background of the camera or hurry past the foreground, occasionally brushing and tapping the leads. These and other overly similar situations are repeated ad nauseam; honestly, there are only so many times one can see a cross turn upside down before it all becomes tiring and meaningless.
As mentioned, the movie follows just about every horror movie trope in the book, with the characters separating in the darkened hallways to investigate strange noises and threatening shapes, only to find themselves targeted. After escaping, their reactions are equally inexplicable, warning that something evil must be in the area... and then putting themselves right back in the middle of danger.
One particularly preposterous moment comes after a character is buried alive and physically attacked. After freeing himself, he finds a book and suddenly becomes fascinated in fact-finding, almost forgetting what had previously occurred. It’s an incredible under-reaction given what has transpired.
Finally, it may have been the faulty projector bulb during the preview, but the movie itself appeared too dark as well. Often, one can’t even see the faces of the actors and there’s little to engage or relate to as they go about their hackneyed business.
The film is a real step down in quality from all of the others in this series, doing little more than placing its characters in an old castle and relying on less-than-effective jump scares for the better part of the running time. Ultimately, most of them don’t work.
There’s nothing here that’s nearly as frightening as what was featured in the previous Conjuring feature. The Nun doesn’t offer much that’s new or interesting and one should vow to stay away.
Visit: www.CinemaStance.com
By Glenn Kay
For the Sun
