The Nun

Name: The Nun
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Horror
Released: September 7, 2018
Duration: 96 min
Rating: 46
Cast: August Maturo, Bonnie Aarons, Charlotte Hope, Demián Bichir, Emma Appleton

2018

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Mixed or average reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 325 Ratings

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5.4	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 325 Ratings

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The Nun

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. | Release Date: September 7, 2018 | R

Starring: August Maturo, Bonnie Aarons, Charlotte Hope, Demián Bichir, Emma Appleton, Ingrid Bisu, Jack Falk, Jonas Bloquet, Jonathan Coyne, Lidiya Korotko, Lili Bordán, Lili Taylor, Lynnette Gaza, Mark Steger, Patrick Wilson, Sandra Rosko, Sandra Teles, Simon Rhee, Taissa Farmiga, Vera Farmiga

Movie Facts:

The Nun is a spin-off of 2016's The Conjuring 2 which made over $102 million in domestic box office and has a Metascore of 65.

Summary: When a young nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania takes her own life, a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate. Together they uncover the order’s unholy secret. Risking not only their lives but their faith and their very souls, they confront a malevolent forceWhen a young nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania takes her own life, a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate. Together they uncover the order’s unholy secret. Risking not only their lives but their faith and their very souls, they confront a malevolent force in the form of the same demonic nun that first terrorized audiences in The Conjuring 2, as the abbey becomes a horrific battleground between the living and the damned. … Expand

Director: Corin Hardy

Genre(s): Mystery, Thriller, Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 96 min

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Critic Reviews

Dana Schwartz

Sep 5, 2018

When it leans into its camp, (I.e. when the French-Canadian “Frenchie” is on screen), The Nun comes closest to its ideal form of go-to midnight-movie, the fun younger cousin of the Conjuring movies with less build-up but more of the money shots you’ll come to a theater to see. Read full review

Katie Walsh

Sep 5, 2018

The surface may be ominous, richly textured and morbidly fascinating, but storywise, it remains shallow. Read full review

Matt Donato

Sep 5, 2018

Scares are often on the generic side (pitch-black doorway, hand reaches out), and while some wild effects work enjoys the zanier side of Hell’s mouth opening up to spit venom across Earth’s surface, it’s missing the masterfully torturous tone that Wan’s universe otherwise aims for. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Christy Lemire

Sep 6, 2018

A presence that initially was disturbing grows repetitive and almost predictable over the course of an entire film. Read full review

Jim Slotek

Sep 9, 2018

I will give The Nun this, it has an utterly outrageous ending that pretty much brought the house down at the advance screening I attended. Read full review

Kevin Harley

Sep 5, 2018

Too rackety and hackneyed to scare, The Nun groans next to the likes of Hereditary. Only the moody, menacing abbey inspires the right levels of belief. Read full review

Michael Roffman

Sep 6, 2018

It’s about as effective as a Walgreens Halloween display, where any terror derives from uninspiring shock value, and given that each and every pop-up scare can be seen from over a mile away, the movie fails in that respect, too. It’s exhausting even. Read full review

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User Reviews

market

Sep 7, 2018

definitely love all the conjuring movies, including this one, great atmosphere, so scary

5 of 18 users found this helpful513

erfunfazli

Jun 7, 2023

Absolutely one of the best horror movies I have ever seen. A great movie with awesome atmosphere. It has a real good intro and its ending is very good. It has some Jump scares who are really good. The nun is really underrated.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

meydianarizki21

Oct 31, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Underrated with Fake One or Two Line "Reviews"

In 1952, in Romania, a nun hangs herself to escape from an evil force. When the peasant Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet) finds her body, the Vatican sends the priest Burke (Demián Bichir) and the novice Irene (Taissa Farmiga) to the abbey to investigate the case. They team-up with Frenchie and soon Frenchie and Burke are is attacked by a demon. Irene learns that Burke is tormented for killing a boy in an exorcism. On the next morning, Irene is accepted in the abbey and learns that there is a gate to hell in the catacombs. Meanwhile Burke finds that a demon called Valak has unleashed through a breach. Now they have to seal the breach with the blood of Christ to trap Valak inside the gate.

"The Nun" is an underrated horror movie with fake one or two line "reviews" that IMDb has accepted this year, giving credibility zero to this site that was a reference in the past together with Rotten Tomatoes. The cinematography is magnificent, the atmosphere is spooky and the cast has good performances. Unfortunately the plot has a big flaw, since the powerful Valak has many chances to possess Irene as a vessel to leave the abbey but lures her many times instead. My vote is seven.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Voodoo123

Oct 12, 2020

The Nun was average to the point where it almost crossed to become a parody of the genre. It's a decent production though with decent visual effects budget and the cast were quite good also. It's a shame the adhd pacing and editing were so keen to cut from moment to moment with lashings ofThe Nun was average to the point where it almost crossed to become a parody of the genre. It's a decent production though with decent visual effects budget and the cast were quite good also. It's a shame the adhd pacing and editing were so keen to cut from moment to moment with lashings of tension cutting exposition. Less is more with horror! File this under missed opportunity.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

justwibi

Sep 7, 2018

Honestly, i'm just tired with all of these Conjuring Universe........ seriously!

2 of 6 users found this helpful24

SaraClements

Oct 15, 2018

James Wan’s Conjuring films have been revered for their ability to balance in-depth storytelling with the right amount of scares. The franchise’s universe is continuing to grow, but with the release of The Nun, it’s a wonder if the new installments will be able to live up to the true storiesJames Wan’s Conjuring films have been revered for their ability to balance in-depth storytelling with the right amount of scares. The franchise’s universe is continuing to grow, but with the release of The Nun, it’s a wonder if the new installments will be able to live up to the true stories of Ed and Lorraine Warren. With James Wan’s writing credit, it’s surprising that The Nun turns out to be just another generic horror flick. It had the potential to be something more, but the film lacked the authentic storytelling that makes The Conjuring series so good. Instead, it’s just another film of the genre that tries too hard, does too much to make the audience jump, and follows the typical tropes of white people deciding it’s a good idea to split up and go towards the mysterious voice calling them in the dark.

Since Valak’s appearance in The Conjuring 2, learning more about our titular demon’s origins is something that fans have been waiting for, and the film delivers. The film, also, successfully explains how this demonic figure became connected to the Warrens. While the latest installment in the universe is absent of Lorraine’s iconic looks, it’s stylish all on its own with the setting of the convent and the surrounding Romanian Hills. Having the film set in a convent really elevates the dark atmosphere creators were going for because convents themselves are always so spooky, dark, and dim (is it a sin to get some colour on those walls?).

For the most part, the film feels empty and laughable. Empty because, compared to the Conjuring series, the film lacks story. The narrative follows Father Burke (Demián Bichir) and Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) as they are sent to Romania by the Vatican after the apparent suicide of a nun. The rest of the story is the cast of characters either running towards or running away from the mysterious and demonic nun figure haunting the edifice, as they assess the sanctity of its grounds. Laughable because the effects and scares are just so ridiculous and, well, bad. Jonas Bloquet as the French-Canadian potato farmer, Frenchie, who discovered the deceased nun, delivers some genuinely funny quips, but this creates an incoherent tone due to more laughs than screams from the audience.

What horror films generally lack are interesting characters, but that’s something this franchise isn’t known for. It’s clear that in the Conjuring films, the characters are more important than the scares, but The Nun, unfortunately, strays away from this. We learn bits and pieces about each character, but not enough to keep us invested like we are with the Warrens and the families they help. The most interesting character, however, is Farmiga’s Sister Irene, whose visions guide the story and lead to a surprising twist in the film’s narrative. While all the performances are solid with each actor bringing their all, it’s just another aspect of the film that could have been more.

With all this said, there’s a powerful message that can be interpreted from the film that may or may not have been intended by the filmmakers. The Nun, at its core, represents the cracking foundation of the Catholic institution. Demons are traditionally viewed as wholly evil, and Catholicism wholly good with these narratives showing how Biblical writing usually spoken by priests defeats this evil. But the fact that this demon character is able to embody a nun, a woman married to God and traditionally viewed as good, flips the traditional views of what’s good versus what’s evil. Today, we’re learning more and more of the corruption and evil in the church and The Nun reflects this reality. Nuns, and women in general, are almost always viewed as good because nature has given them the role of motherhood. They are supposed to be caring, nurturing to the young. But if you look at recent stories like the horrors that took place at St. Joseph’s Orphanage, you realize that women can be just as evil and that nuns aren’t saints and therefore, not wholly good. Hearing stories of orphans who saw their friends abused, beaten, thrown out of windows to their death by nuns possessed by their own evil, that’s the real horror story. And as concluded in the film, we’re no longer on holy ground.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

bartcbem

Nov 20, 2019

The entire Conjuring Universe is just a bland boring jumpscare fest and "spirits" that have nothing better to do than hang out in walls and mess with us. Just end this and try making something original already. There is no redeeming features in this cliche fest.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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35	#35 Most Discussed Movie of 2018
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