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

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.

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.