Five years have passed since “The Conjuring” Cinematic Universe unleashed the chilling spinoff “The Nun” upon the world, achieving remarkable box office success within the franchise. Now, the eerie sister is back in “The Nun II,” directed this time by Michael Chaves, known for his work on previous CCU installments like “The Curse of La Llorona” (2019) and “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” (2021).
In “The Nun,” set in 1952, Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) confronted the demon Valak at Saint Cartha’s monastery in Romania, delivering a visually captivating but somewhat story-light experience filled with jump-scares. In “The Nun II,” set four years later in 1956, Sister Irene once again faces off against the demon, but this time within the eerie confines of a French boarding school. Chaves and cinematographer Tristan Nyby continue to deliver striking visuals, but the film falls short when it comes to delivering genuine scares and suspense; it’s a total snooze fest.
The primary issue lies in Chaves’ liberal use of monsters, ghouls, and demons, revealing too much too soon—a classic horror filmmaking blunder. The camera lingers on horrifying elements, often blatantly showing which seemingly ordinary object will soon become possessed by malevolent forces.
Nearly every scene unfolds predictably: a trembling character (altar boy, delivery girl, student) ventures into a decrepit space (rectory, cellar, chapel) only to be terrified by a crashing sound (wine jug, window, statue) and the grotesque visage of the eerie nun demon (Bonnie Aarons, who deserves recognition). Rinse and repeat. It’s astonishing how frequently this repetitive formula plays out in “The Nun II,” and it never leads to a spectacular payoff.
Although “The Nun II” hints at an intriguing storyline by delving into Sister Irene’s past and her unique abilities as a reluctant exorcist, it fails to deliver any of the wacky nunsploitation fun that one might expect from such a premise.
Taissa Farmiga delivers an impressive performance as Sister Irene, showcasing her talent with an earnest and guileless portrayal that echoes her sister Vera Farmiga’s role as the psychically gifted Lorraine Warren in the “Conjuring” franchise (with “The Nun” films serving as prequels). In this installment, Sister Irene is joined by the skeptical Sister Debra (Storm Reid), who is in search of miracles but ends up encountering more than she bargained for.
The CCU often explores themes of faith, sight, and vision—both physical and psychic. In its best installments, notably those directed by James Wan, the camera work mimics the human visual experience, building suspense and delivering scares (e.g., “The Conjuring 2,” arguably the franchise’s peak). Unfortunately, Chaves seems unable or uninterested in replicating this effect in his films, causing the themes of belief and sight to fall flat, even when the script offers ideal opportunities to explore them.
Rather than being solely about faith, the “Nun” movies tend to focus on women in relation to religion. They delve into women’s intuition, women’s faith, the role of women in Catholicism, and the good and evil that women can bring to both the earthly and spiritual realms. The films also explore the inner emotional strength and vulnerabilities of women, embodied in characters like the hunky handyman Maurice (Jonas Bloquet), who saved Sister Irene in the first movie and still carries their shared experiences with him.
However, searching for deeper meaning in “The Nun II” feels as futile as wandering down a dark and dusty corridor. While you’ll encounter things that go bump in the night, you won’t find much else beneath the veil of gloom and doom that shrouds the film.