In the sprawling, shadow-filled universe of The Conjuring , few images have proven as instantly iconic as the pale, gaunt face of Valak, the demon in a nun’s habit. First glimpsed in The Conjuring 2 —a fleeting cameo that caused audiences to gasp—the character was so terrifying that Warner Bros. quickly greenlit a solo origin story. The result, 2018’s The Nun , directed by Corin Hardy, is a film of bold atmospherics and gothic dread, even if it struggles to escape the long shadow of its parent franchise.
Where The Nun excels is in its commitment to old-school religious horror. Themes of doubt, sacrifice, and the limits of faith are woven throughout. Taissa Farmiga, whose real-life sister Vera stars in The Conjuring , brings a quiet, steely resolve to Sister Irene. She isn’t just a damsel in distress; she is a woman wrestling with a call to holiness in the face of absolute blasphemy. The Nun -2018-
The film wisely gives Valak less screen time than the audience might want. When we do see the figure standing motionless at the end of a corridor or emerging from a misty graveyard, the effect is chilling. The problem is that the film relies too heavily on the image of Valak, rather than the psychology of the fear. Too often, a sudden loud noise or a jolting camera movement is substituted for genuine, slow-burning tension. In the sprawling, shadow-filled universe of The Conjuring