The Nun— My take on the movie with spoilers!

Plot Summary: A young sister and a priest investigate the death of a nun. What the encounter is a demonic entity that has taken the form of a nun.

Sometimes when you like a movie and hear it's going to turn into a franchise, there is that excitement that builds up within. Yes, there's finally going to be a series of movies that you can obsess about.

It's been decades since the last horror movie franchise had become a cult. There was the Halloween series, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street to name a few.

My personal favourite is Nightmare on Elm Street and when I read there were several parts made in the 80s, I made it a point to find and watch them all.

The first one was interesting, the second not so much. In fact, it goes completely against the rules of the nightmares set in the first part. Now does that mean I won't watch the third part? Or the fourth?

I still would.

The first part was that good after all.

Similarly, The Conjuring was a pretty good movie and one of those movies that creeped me out. The clapping game, the demon witch on top of the wardrobe, the invisible tug of the leg in the dark... All of it was nightmare-inducing.

Naturally, I was excited about all the sequels and spin-offs announced.

Annabelle wasn't that good, The Conjuring 2 was so-so and Annabelle Creation thought better than the first, was predictable.

So when The Nun was announced and released, I was wary but because the first movie in the franchise was that good, I decided to stick on.

THE NUN Movie Plot 

The movie takes you back to 1952, long before the events of The Conjuring.

The scene opens with a nun walking down a dark hallway, frightened out of her wits, the door opens, viewers are expected to jump and we see another nun warning the first. She is all beaten up and warns the nun to do what is necessary. You think she's been handed rosary beads but it is actually a key.

The nun is aghast as the other is pulled away. She runs to her room and hangs herself. We've seen enough horror movies to understand that she did that so that she wouldn't come under the clutches of whatever evil is lurking in the church. Her body is found by a man making deliveries and he keeps the body in ice storage, knowing that no one in the village would help because the area is supposed to be cursed.

At the Vatican, a priest is summoned and told to go and investigate the unnatural occurrence. He is also asked to take along a sister with him.

The sister, as it turns out, isn't a nun yet and thinks there must be some mistake made at the Vatican.

Why indeed was she chosen for this mission?

You do notice she bears a striking resemblance to Lorraine Warren from The Conjuring. Is it her? But then, why is her name Irene?

Irene, along with the priest, finds the traveller who is introduced as Frenchie. He takes them to the church and they find the body of the nun in the ice storage sitting up. Also, her blood on the stairs is still dripping.

They meet the Abbess who asks them to come the next day. The trio gives the nun a proper burial. Frenchie leaves while Irene and the priest stay the night.

Soon we are shown the Nun, lurking in the dark hallways, her eyes glowing with evil.

The story is thus, years ago someone had summoned evil. The earth cracked open to let it in and that is when the Marquis of snakes entered the church and disguised himself as a Nun.

This story is revealed to only Irene through a nun. The priest isn't allowed to enter.

Irene keeps seeing eerie occurrences and reports them to the priest. She also reveals she used to see visions as a child. Another familiar trait of Lorraine's.

Perhaps this was why Irene was chosen for this case?

The priest recalls his failed exorcism and the boy—Daniel who succumbed to his injuries. He returns and haunts the priest.

Meanwhile, Frenchie, too, is haunted by the Nun.

THE NUN Ending Explained with Spoilers! 

Soon it is revealed that the nuns helping Irene are all ghosts and that the rosary beads and key open a secret compartment where the holy blood has been kept. It is the only thing that can defeat the demon known as Valak.

The Nun attacks and Irene, while being drowned, has an idea to swallow the blood and spit it on the demon. The demon is vanquished and everyone is safe.

Frenchie introduces himself as Maurice - his real name.

Cut to years later, we see Ed and Lorraine delivering a lecture--a scene from the Conjuring. The man they show in the video is Maurice who was possessed by demon-maybe Valak?

Throughout the lecture, we see Lorraine looking uncomfortable. She is clearly upset about Maurice. Is it because she knew him?

Was she Irene who changed her name and profession because of something else that happens later?

Irene does look a lot like Lorraine, doesn't she?

These questions will be answered in a sequel I suppose.

As for the movie, it was laden with jump scares. Yes, the Nun is creepy looking and was so in The Conjuring 2 as well. In fact, there must be a reason why Lorraine sees her and why the Nun chose to come back to her.

The problem I felt with this movie was the lack of breathing space between the fright scenes. Yes, I'm actually saying the movie has too many horror scenes and less character development. And for me, the scenes were lacking. Because I wasn't given the time to get to know the characters and therefore, sympathise with them, I couldn't attach myself to their plight.

The scenes come one after another and after a while, the creepy looking Nun is no longer scary. She's part of the environment now. You know she's going to come. There's no anticipation, no surprise as to whether or not she'll pop out any second. She's literally always there.

But yes, the twist with all the nuns being dead was good. The tie-in with the first Conjuring was also well done. Apart from that, it lacks the scares like the first movie.

Scare scale: 2.5/5

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