The horror genre is in a bit of a renaissance right now, with new and exciting works being released to critical acclaim and box office success. While Blumhouse has its hands full bringing the Halloween franchise back, Warner Bros. has made an entire cinematic universe out of The Conjuring franchise. The monsters from the main films are being given spinoffs, with the next installment coming with The Nun. The horrifying villain first popped up in The Conjuring 2, and the upcoming movie will see Taissa Farmiga's Sister Irene investing the creature's origins. A first trailer just dropped, and it's as horrifying as you'd hope.
I'm so ready to get back into James Wan's twisted world, and the terrifying creatures that inhabit it. The Nun looks like a great addition to The Conjuring Universe, with the villain herself being one of the scariest creations to come out of it.
The trailer opens with The Nun as we first saw her in Conjuring 2: a painting. An already ghastly image in the light, things suddenly go dark, and you see The Nun's glowing eyes. It's no wonder that she was given her own standalone movie. The character proper hasn't even been shown, and the opening moments of the trailer are enough to send chills down horror fans' spines.
Much like The Conjuring franchise proper, it seems like The Nun is having its protagonist tell the terrifying story backward, meaning Sister Irene will likely survive the film's main narrative. The Conjuring's Vera Farmiga (Taissa's real life sister) used a similar framing device through the first two films, recounting some of Ed and Lorraine's scariest cases. Sister Irene apparently has some sort of sensitivity to the spirit world, and is sent to Romania after having visions of The Nun.
It looks like The Nun will combine both supernatural horror with mystery, as Sister Irene investigates the mysterious suicide of a nun. The Conjuring franchise often combines literal demons with real life struggles, so it should be fun to see how it all unravels. One thing is clear: James Wan's signature style will be there, complete with plenty of jump scares and startling imagery.
While James Wan isn't directing The Nun, it seems he did have a fair amount of influence over the upcoming spinoff. He's been credited as helping to craft the story, as well as being a producer. The Nun was directed by relative newcomer Corin Hardy, who made his debut directing The Hallow. Fans of horror are no doubt excited to see Taissa Farmiga playing the film's lead, after her work on Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story and The Final Girls.
The Nun will arrive in theaters on September 7, 2018 to start the Halloween season. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
