One of the stark differences between the main Conjuring films and its spin-off titles (which, up until now, were solely Annabelle stories) is their approach towards the demonic and supernatural.
The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2’s shining gift are how they treat the paranormal in a practically scientific manner. The protagonist investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren are showcased taking their job seriously, handling the paranormal with knowledge, research, and experience from past events. More so, the couple is not treated as eccentric mediums believed to be quacks like Tangina Barrons in Poltergeist, but as legitimate professionals in the study of demonology—giving lectures at colleges and being taken seriously by authority figures while working. Both The Conjuring writers and the in-universe characters treat the Warrens as respected, genuine demonologists. Such uncommon approach towards paranormal investigators gives the main Conjuring films a refreshingly grounded tone (though The Conjuring 2 does sacrifice some of its realism for a more theatrical story) that sets them apart from the dozens of run-of-the-mill horror films released yearly.
The spin-offs, by contrast, are your run-of-the-mill horror films—tackling their material in a much more traditional horror-style approach, with the Warrens reduced to either passing cameos or not appearing at all. In The Nun, the Warrens make an appearance in the very beginning and very end—refreshing the audience on how exactly this film connects with The Conjuring series. The rest of The Nun is about as straightforward an over-the-top popcorn horror flick as you can get, and it is well aware of such.
Fundamentally, The Nun is a 2000s video game plot—heavily reminiscent of classic horror games such as the GameCube-era Resident Evils (Remake, 4) and Silent Hill franchise. The setup is a European backdrop—a rather lovely Romanian setting—where a priest (Demián Bichir), a nun-in-training (Taissa Farmiga), and their local wise-cracking guide (Jonas Bloquet) traverse through a calm yet eerie forest (complete with some nice lighting and shadows) to their destination. Their destination is a corrupted abbey, where the trio must face and battle against an evil demon that has taken over.
Minor Spoilers Begin: By this point, the audience can pull out a bingo sheet for 2000s video game horror tropes because The Nun is chock-full of them. The priest explains to the nun what their mission is…during the mission rather than, say, before on their lengthy trip to Romania. After reaching the abbey, the trio talk to its not-at-all-suspicious Abbess who wears all black, has her face covered, is unaware of one of her own nuns’s suicides that happened right outside the building several weeks ago, and speaks in an incredibly creepy, cryptic manner. The trio, naturally, treat her as a slightly odd, yet totally normal nun and believe when she says that everything is fine—even taking up her offer to stay the night on this clearly still Holy ground.
Completely unexpectedly, the trio learns that everything is actually FUBAR at the abbey—uncovering its dark, over-the-top secret involving an evil duke and the literal blood of Christ. The Nun has a level-like structure to it, with gates opening up for the next “chapter” as the difficulty/danger increases for the protagonists. The trio showcase classic horror stupidity such as shouting “Hello? Wait!” and chasing strange figures despite being, at this point, very aware of the great evil afoot. They even go as far as to split up for no reason during their descent into what may as well be hell itself (even the Mystery Inc. gang wouldn’t pull such a stunt). It works out though, for the most part, because the nun-in-training possesses a special foresight ability to help her out. It’s an entertaining skill that gives the trio the upper hand on several occasions—such as when it’s utilized to locate the father among many safety coffins.
The Nun quite clearly realizes its silly storytelling and embraces the hamminess in a way that’s spoopy fun. The Nun is the most comedic out of all the series’s films and enjoys giving a laugh after a scare. When the guide runs into some demonic visions out in the forest he uproots a large burial cross—“I’ll take…THAT!”—and uses it as protection even when reaching the local bar (where the tender gives a side-eye to the strange sight). There's another scene where the guide exclaims “Holy S#!%” at the sight of Christ’s literal Blood, to which the priest replies “The Holiest.” It’s such an amazingly stupid line and got a good, baffled laugh out of me. To bring it home with how un-Conjuring, video game-like The Nun is, guns and weapons end up being just as, if not more effective against the demon than prayers and exorcisms. Minor Spoilers End
The Nun knows what it is and doesn’t try to be anything more. It’s a spoopy popcorn flick with an over-the-top premise, lots of jump scares, and campy action scenes. It’s not The Conjuring, far from it, and if you desire such then it is best to look elsewhere. But if you’re in the mood for a little stupid fun, then The Nun may just be that little stupid fun you’ve been looking for.
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