The Nun (2018) [Movie Review]


Dir: Corin Hardy
Starring: Demian Bichir, Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet and Bonnie Aarons
Dur: 1 hr 47 mins
Genre: Horror
Rating: 7/10

The film is the fifth installment of the Conjuring franchise that has provided wonderful scares for nearly a decade. Riding on the back of such a big hype, the film was destined for success. It’s no surprise that it did very well at the box office. It has come out as the highest grossing film of the franchise, which is a bit much considering its quality. The franchise burst to fame with their opening act, Conjuring which honestly conjured up more than just success, fame and wealth. It appears that the franchise has since tried hard to match their initial success but have come up short time and time again, despite the successes they have enjoyed at the box office.


This film focuses on the demon nun, Valak, who made her unwelcome appearance in Conjuring 2. Considering that identity of the demon was known, probably some of the horror that comes with its introduction was taken away. The film has a poor story. Honestly, I expected better. It reeked of eeriness and horror and had all the trappings of a great scare fest but unfortunately couldn’t deliver the goods. The trailer promised screaming horror but all the film provided were some goosebumps and an average cinematic experience. The demon was incredibly well done. Lighting, sound and the setting were all conducive to the horror that was expected to be unleashed. The actors were average, perhaps another reason why the film didn’t make that big an impact. Taissa, who plays the novice who is asked to accompany the detective priest (yeah right! Who sends a novice on such a precarious task?) lacked a bloodcurdling scream. Thus, many scenes that could have been so much scarier came out bland.

For all the work put in, the film came across as a let down. Don’t get me wrong; the film was good, it just wasn’t great. Once again, it reminded me like other similar horror films, of the need for deep and faith-filled prayer. I quite liked the Marian reference that was used; it reminded me of the significant role that Mary plays in the life of every believer. Despite James Wan having a hand in the film it still didn’t make as big an impact as I thought it would. This was supposed to be the darkest chapter but the only darkness it brought was the dinghy, dark sets.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzD9zGcUNrw     

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