Here we are: five movies deep into the most unlikely of cinematic universes with the latest film in the Conjuring series, The Nun . Watching producer James Wan and company spin a surprise summer hit out into a fully-fledged world with a lore all its own has been a real treat. But for a cinematic universe to work, its entries need to function well on their own, not just in service of the larger story. While there’s certainly fun to be had here and there, it often feels like The Nun is trying to skate by on name recognition and good looks alone, leaving us with an undeniably superficial ride, albeit an entertaining one, through what the posters bill as the darkest chapter of Conjuring history.

Loading

The Nun Photos 14 IMAGES

Hardcore horror fans will be disappointed to know that The Nun is not a nightmare-inducing affair by any stretch of the imagination. Director Corin Hardy relies too heavily on familiar tropes, those of horror films broadly and those of the Conjuring universe itself. Most of the jump scares are obviously telegraphed, with plain visual and dialogue hints. Is anyone watching a horror movie going to hear a “casual” mention that bells were placed in coffins in case of an accidental live burial, and not expect that to come back in some way? How many times can the camera pan to where you think Valak is going to be, only for it to fake you out and pop out of somewhere else?One of the demon’s early appearances in The Nun is lifted almost directly from The Conjuring 2, the film in which it made its now iconic debut, and the new version of the scare is just a less effective version of what was already done before. When you’ve got an entire movie dedicated to a villain whose only other appearance in the franchise had to be balanced with other antagonists, it's disappointing to see it resort to old tricks so early on.Valak (or Valak the Defiler, the Profane, the Marquis of Snakes, if you’re not into the whole brevity thing) does get some good opportunities to shine, and its accompanying musical theme of foreboding chants always sets the mood well whenever the demon appears. But of course, this prequel faces the same problem many prequels face: we know any defeat of Valak will be temporary, as it is destined to plague Ed and Lorraine Warren for years to come. The only way around this is making the characters Valak is tormenting ones you’re truly rooting for. The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2 work so well because Ed and Lorraine’s relationship is strong and loving, so any time they’re in peril, we genuinely care about what happens to them. While none of The Nun’s heroes are unlikable, they’re also not strong or interesting enough to overcome this inevitable handicap, leaving the film lacking in the stakes department.Though the film isn’t particularly horrifying, it does boast some beautiful cinematography and creepy imagery, standing shoulder to shoulder with the original Conjuring’s gorgeous ‘70s horror aesthetic. Hardy does a great job using the film’s 1950s Romania setting to create atmosphere and set the mood. Unfortunately, nothing he puts his characters within that atmosphere is all that shocking or fresh, mostly just rehashing scares you’ve seen done better elsewhere (even within the series).Franchise stalwart Gary Dauberman (who also scripted both Annabelle films and will direct Annabelle 3) doesn’t give the leads much to play with, other than reacting to all the spooky stuff happening. Demián Bichir’s Father Burke really doesn’t have much to do here other than to bring Taissa Farmiga’s Sister Irene to the abbey and feed us some exposition once there. Farmiga fares better as Sister Irene, who bares the brunt of Valak’s malice, though the reason for her inclusion on this mission is kept vague, both to the audience and to her character. Irene’s spunk and bravery in the face of the evil that haunts the Abbey of St. Carta is usually enough to make you forget how little explanation the film gives for why and how the Vatican chose this young woman to accompany Father Burke. Still, when you’re comparing the duo of Burke and Irene to Ed and Lorraine, it’s hard not to notice how significantly less you’re caring about the proceedings.The Nun’s best character ends up being a total surprise: Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet). While the farmer who discovered the dead nun in the film’s opening scene falters at first with a lame one-sided flirting attempt with Irene, the film’s comic relief ends up redeeming himself with much-needed injections of levity throughout and ends up becoming the most endearing part of the movie. Bloquet’s roguish charm and matter-of-fact reactions end up grounding The Nun when it tends towards taking itself too seriously.Incidentally, the healthy amount of screen time Frenchie gets ends up making The Nun the funniest movie in the franchise by a mile. Horror movies need some lighter moments to relieve the tension. It’s less a case of there being too many laughs versus scares; it’s just that the scares don’t work as consistently as the jokes. That’s perplexing for this movie that was positioned to be The Conjuring franchise’s “darkest chapter,” but in the context of the story that’s actually being told here, Frenchie often saves The Nun from itself, especially leading up to the film’s climax. Frenchie’s breaking of the tension helps the other characters loosen up a bit as well, and that’s just enough to keep us from rooting for the leads instead of the film’s villain.If you’re interested in how the film connects to the larger Conjuring world, rest assured that The Nun has a number of significant callbacks to previous entries in the series. The Nun gives a nod to every film in the franchise at one point or another and, for the most part, these references are fleeting enough as not to be distracting for those just coming to see a standalone horror movie. The Nun’s final moments go for broke though, and should be a treat for those who appreciate the narrative throughline these films have fostered over the years.