[Review] The Nun

A priest, a nun, and a local farmer walk into a haunted church... That's pretty much the premise for The Nun, a creepy and chaotic spinoff from the infamous cinematic universe of The Conjuring.

After a terrifying opening sequence (these movies are really good at opening sequences) involving a demonic nun and a 30-foot hanging, Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga, whose older sister Vera stars in The Conjuring films), Father Burke (Demian Bichir), and a delivery guy named Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet) go to the ancient monastery to investigate the freaky happenings. From there, the story plummets into the hellish depths of unholy madness.

This thing definitely has an eerie atmosphere to it, and much is due to the bone-chilling settings -- from foggy graveyards, to wicked sanctuaries, to dungeonous corridors, to decrepit catacombs. There's a grotesque feast of gruesome, gory, ghastly, and ghoulish imagery, along with plenty of heart-pounding sequences that hit you with effectively merciless jump scares. The film tosses any sense of restraint or subtlety out the stained glass windows, even delving into campy territory. This could be a turn-off for some audiences, but what would you expect from a movie about a demonic nun? Thankfully, the movie is never boring though, and it actually remains engrossing from beginning to end, even if things get quite ridiculous and sloppy toward the final stretch.

Now, forgive me while I go dive into a pool of holy water.

( 6.6/10 )

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