The Nun 2 Review: The malevolent nun is making a comeback in the latest addition to the ‘Conjuring’ Universe, featuring Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, and Storm Reid. It seems that demons, much like box office success, are hard to keep down.
The Nun 2
Release Date: Friday, September 8th, 2023 in U.S & September 7th, 2023 in India
Starred By: Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Storm Reid, Anna Popplewell, Katelyn Rose Downey, Bonnie Aarons, Suzanne Bertish
Directed by: Michael Chaves
Written by: Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, Akela Cooper
Rating: R Duration: 1 hour and 50 minutes
In 2018’s ‘The Nun,’ audiences witnessed what appeared to be the end of the titular character, thanks to a rather unconventional demise involving the blood of Christ. However, given the immense success of the film within the Conjuring Universe, it was only a matter of time before a sequel, and thus, ‘The Nun II’ emerged. This installment offers more of what you might expect, complete with a surplus of jump scares courtesy of the sadistic sound engineers who crank up the volume as if they were conducting auditory experiments on unsuspecting lab animals.
Directed by Michael Chavis, a seasoned hand in the Conjuring franchise who previously helmed ‘The Curse of La Llorona’ and ‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,’ this chapter is set in 1956 and once again features Taissa Farmiga as Sister Irene, a seemingly gentle nun who can hold her own when facing demonic forces. Jonas Bloquet returns as Maurice, affectionately known as “Frenchie,” who saved her life in the first film.
Sister Irene currently resides discreetly in an Italian convent. Another nun helpfully brings viewers up to speed by recounting the events of the previous film as if it were a bedtime story, unaware that the demon slayer is just a few feet away. But just as Sister Irene thought she had left her demon-hunting days behind, the Catholic Church pulls her back in, tasking her with performing another miracle and investigating a series of mysterious deaths eerily reminiscent of those from a few years earlier.
Unfortunately, this time she won’t be joined by Father Burke, portrayed by Demian Bichir in the previous film. The official explanation is that he died of cholera, which, in screenwriting terms, translates to “failed contract negotiation.”
Accompanied by a younger fellow nun, Sister Debra (Storm Reid, known for ‘Euphoria’), Sister Irene heads to France. There, she has a series of encounters with her old nemesis, the demon nun Valak (played by the formidable Bonnie Aarons), who oddly resembles Marilyn Manson. In one such encounter, Valak rearranges a newsstand magazine display to reveal an image of herself, leading one to wonder if she could find success in the contemporary art world if she stopped possessing people.
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The trail eventually leads Sister Irene to a girls’ boarding school in France, where Maurice now works as a custodian, all while befriending a bullied student (Katelyn Rose Downey) and engaging in a romantic flirtation with her mother(Anna Popplewell), who happens to be one of the teachers, portrayed by Anna Popplewell. Unfortunately, it becomes apparent that Valak took the opportunity to possess Maurice during their last encounter. As a result, he occasionally lapses into catatonic states and bouts of what looks like early breakdancing. Predictably, all hell breaks loose, with Maurice fully embracing his demonic possession, and Sister Irene is once again forced into an exorcism showdown with Valak.
The filmmaker effectively creates an ominous atmosphere, with old-world European locations and Tristan Nyby’s gloomy cinematography contributing significantly. The violent chaos, often involving terrified young girls, is orchestrated with unsettling precision. Admittedly, there may be an overabundance of screaming – after encountering the demon four or five times, is it still genuinely shocking? – but this is a minor complaint.
Taissa Farmiga, whose older sister Vera plays Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring films (making this franchise something of a family affair), delivers a flawless performance in The Nun 2. She imbues Sister Irene with a trembling vulnerability that heightens the impact when she ultimately confronts the malevolent demon. Jonas Bloquet is an engaging and quietly charismatic presence, making it a shame that he’s required to wear contact lenses and make contorted faces during his character’s full possession in the film’s extended climactic sequence.
