The Nun
Warner Bros. | Release Date: September 7, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
46
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
20
Negative:
7
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
EmpireKim NewmanSep 6, 2018
The real nun in the movie is the heroine, played by a spirited Taissa Farmiga, and the dramatic weight falls on her able shoulders. Read full review
60
Film ThreatNorman GidneySep 6, 2018
It should be noted that the film, directed by Corin Hardy, looks great. From a visual standpoint, The Nun is a success. There is an effective use of framing, color, and light that Hardy executes with polish. Read full review
60
Time OutMichael GingoldSep 5, 2018
Hardcore genre fans will appreciate visual shout-outs to shriekers like The Exorcist III and City of the Living Dead, while Conjuring devotees will enjoy the “aha” moment of a concluding callback that brings the saga full circle. Read full review
60
We Got This CoveredMatt DonatoSep 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
58
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeSep 6, 2018
If your heart skips a beat during this movie, it’ll probably be from laughter. But if you adjust your expectations and go in expecting something loud, lurid, and frequently utterly ridiculous, it’s good for a cheap adrenaline rush all the same. Read full review
55
IGNTom JorgensenSep 5, 2018
As a piece of the larger Conjuring universe puzzle, The Nun is a fun, if ineffectual history lesson that will provide fans with plenty of dots to connect. On its own merits, The Nun stumbles by not delivering any real terror or investment in its characters, instead resting on its strong visuals and atmosphere and, strangely, humor. Read full review
55
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiSep 5, 2018
It’s a spooky, entertaining, but totally goofy entry in “The Conjure-verse.” Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerSep 10, 2018
First off: The Nun is quite likely the best entry in the blockbuster The Conjuring cinematic franchise. However, this is still not much of an endorsement. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleDavid LewisSep 6, 2018
The Nun is certainly not a terrible horror movie – the production values are stellar, and there is a decent backstory about the abbey. But the film won’t be remembered as one of the top entries in the expanding canon of the Conjuring Universe. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerSep 6, 2018
The plot is simple, the character development is lazy and the use of the oh-my-God-there’s-someone-right-behind-you device is tiring. Still, the premise is sound. Evil in the church – who would have thought? Duh-duh! Read full review
50
USA TodayBrian TruittSep 6, 2018
A mix of slow-burn religious mystery and old-school adventure that egregiously fails to utilize its greatest hit: Bonnie Aarons’ terrifyingly freaky villainess of the cloth. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireSep 6, 2018
A presence that initially was disturbing grows repetitive and almost predictable over the course of an entire film. Read full review
50
Rolling StoneBilge EbiriSep 5, 2018
True horror requires anticipation to work properly, but it’s hard to anticipate anything when everything’s already being thrown at us. The dread dissipates. Our screams become nothing but weary sighs. Read full review
50
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergSep 5, 2018
The franchise has proved to be a reliable if variably elegant “boo” machine; the same applies here. Specters and hallucinations appear without consistent narrative logic. Characters veer off separately when teamwork might reduce brushes with demons or death. Read full review
50
VarietyAndrew BarkerSep 5, 2018
Employing just about every trick from the Hammer Horror playbook without wasting time trying to make any sense, it provides a serviceable 96 minutes of standard-issue jump scares and supernatural hokum. Read full review
42
Original-CinJim SlotekSep 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
40
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangSep 6, 2018
Despite its clammy atmosphere and two credible and appealing leads, the movie is mechanical in its rhythms and unimaginative in its terrors. Read full review
40
The TelegraphTim RobeySep 6, 2018
It’s sludgy, and kind of random, and if you already know you’ll enjoy it anyway, you undoubtedly will. Read full review
40
Screen DailySarah WardSep 6, 2018
If The Nun leaves a haunting impression, it’s of a missed opportunity to capitalise upon a visually distinctive antagonist within an existing hit series. The end result feels like an exercise in joining obvious franchise dots and paving the way for future films. Read full review
40
Total FilmKevin HarleySep 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
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