“The Nun” secured $131 million in its opening weekend. Despite the haul, that ran circles around the $22 million budget, it has garnered 28 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
By Bryce Lawson
Fans of the horror film genre have been drooling for the newest installment in “The Conjuring” universe.
Corin Hardy’s “The Nun” tries to delve into the backstory of the nun demon from “The Conjuring 2.”
Set in 1952, Father Burke (Demián Bichir) is a priest who investigates supernatural and demonic cases within the church. With the help of Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) and Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet), Burke attempts to solve the strange occurrences at the Carta Monastery.
Throughout the movie, the audience is able to laugh and cry as the creepy nun and her sisters reign down terror.
With the use of flashback scenes, more information about Father Burke’s past are played out, showing the harsh toll that performing exorcisms has taken on his psyche.
For Sister Irene, the film plays out as a coming-of-age film with her aspirations of becoming a nun.
Frenchie is the comic relief from the film. Since he has no connections to the church, he just bumbles about fighting the phantoms that come his way.
From a story aspect, writers James Wan and Gary Dauberman left a lot to be desired. All the events make sense, but by the end you are left not caring and just waiting for “The Conjuring 3” instead.
The key flaw with the spin-off films and series is Wan’s participation or lack thereof. His master craft of story and scares can mean the difference in a film just being a dull horror film and a horror classic like “The Conjuring.”
The film largely lacked scares. Almost 80 percent of the scares come off as tacky or just fall flat on their faces.
Director Corin Hardy’s skill of creating atmosphere is the scariest part of the film.The spooky Monastery sets the tone, switching between the wondrous catacombs and the graveyard.
The film takes a slow burn style, often waiting too long for things to get scary. A majority of the audience often laughed at scenes that where supposed to be bone-chilling. The audience’s rowdy behavior actually made the experience better by giving some life to the film.
Fans of “The Conjuring” series should not waste their time and money going to see “The Nun.” Instead, watch “The Conjuring 2” again.
What was promised in past films and the “too scary for YouTube trailer” is probably one of the most underwhelming horror experiences I’ve had in awhile.
Unfortunately, a sequel will probably follow considering the theater was packed. With Halloween coming up, let’s hope Hollywood can deliver us at least one solid horror film this year.
2.5/5 stars
