Synopsis – 1956 – France. A priest is murdered. An evil is spreading. The sequel to the worldwide smash hit follows Sister Irene as she once again comes face-to-face with Valak, the demon nun.

My Take – Hands down, the Demon Nun was easily one of the more memorable and frightening aspects of The Conjuring 2 (2016), however its standalone 2018 released entry, that supposedly aimed to dig deep into the origins of the incarnation of Valak, failed to manage to live up to expectations.

Though it provided a good amount of fun scares, was bolstered by a solid cast and a haunting Gothic atmosphere, it just lacked the elegance and storytelling we’ve come to expect from The Conjuring Universe franchise films.

Surprisingly, this eight installment, in the hands of director Michael Chaves, who honed his horror skills on The Curse of La Llorona (2019) and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021), marks a significant improvement upon its predecessor. Resulting in a horror sequel that delivers more of everything, from production quality and special effects to the acting, character development, and overall story line, each element works better here.

By moving the action to a boarding school full of scared kids, the sequel amps up the stakes, with no character ever feeling completely safe. The flashes of greatness seen here are more often than not directed with considerable skill and far more restraint than the first film, even if the mythology-heavy plot specifics get a little lost along the way. It’s quieter and more patient at first, fleshing out its characters before things get insane in the third act.

Sure, it had some clichés, but it’s executed decently enough. Considering how saturated the horror genre is, specifically surrounding demons, it’s tough to imagine what new tricks they could pull off here. But if you liked the first film, you’ll probably enjoy this one too.

Set in 1956, four years after the events of The Nun (2018), the story follows Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga), who now serves in a convent in Italy, living a peaceful life. Not long after, she is asked by the visiting Cardinal to investigate a trail of supernatural slayings of priests and nuns that appears to have started in Romania, the location of her last showdown with Valak (Bonnie Aarons), the demonic entity.

With fledgling nun Sister Debra (Storm Reid) along for the ride, Irene heads out to determine where the nightmarish nun is headed, what the entity wants, and if she is somehow connected to everything that has been going on.

Not before too long, she finds herself at a boarding school that harbors the darkness and also happens to provide sanctuary and employment for Maurice (Jonas Bloquet), her savior, in the battle with the satanic sister a few years earlier. The school is where Sister Irene will lead the ultimate face-off against Valek to send the demon back to hell once and for all.

While previous film’s Abbey of St. Carta was an excellent horror film locale, moving the action to a more populated French village and specifically, to a boarding school, opens up more possibilities for Valak to plague characters other than the leads, which inevitably results in some more creative and unexpected scares from all corners of the mid-century European architecture.

Here, director Michael Chaves and writers Akela Cooper (Malignant, M3GAN), Ian B. Goldberg, and Richard Naing (The Autopsy of Jane Doe) spend much of the first act setting up forbidden locations and cursed games that will play out later on, including the triumphant debut of a demon goat, and draw these sequences out to fever pitch before letting hell break loose.

If you’re looking for scares, the film will likely not disappoint you, with the very first scene feeling like a gut punch. Granted, the film seems to opt for quantity rather than quality. So while there isn’t much variation when it comes to frights, the sheer number of jump-scare setups throughout the film will have you tense enough. The set pieces might have predictable jumps, but director Chaves is unafraid to let the dread slowly build and makes effective use of light and dark.

However, it’s a shame that there’s no real attempt to bring any sub versions or intriguing elements to the plot. The potential that could be drawn from Irene having to battle a possessed Maurice is thoroughly wasted, and while a revelation that Irene makes in the film’s climax does make for a fun twist, and makes for some interesting religious history, it adds little in terms of protagonist catharsis.

Thankfully, Irene and Maurice make for deeply likable protagonists on their own merits. Taissa Farmiga delivers a sensitive and commanding performance in the role and has that innocence on her face that carries the entire character very nicely. Jonas Bloquet also gives it all to his role with a sympathetic performance.

Storm Reid brings undeniable personality to Sister Debra, but after her introduction, her utility as the audience’s surrogate mostly dominates her onscreen responsibilities, so the wrap-up of her character’s crisis of faith feels more motivated by an obligation to tie up loose ends than anything else.

Anna Popplewell and Katelyn Rose Downey make for welcome additions. And of-course Bonnie Aarons as the titular entity is still terrifying as she should be. On the whole, ‘The Nun II’ is a significantly better horror sequel that provides some entertainingly good scares.

Directed – Michael Chaves

Starring – Taissa Farmiga, Storm Reid, Anna Popplewell

Rated – R

Run Time – 110 minutes