The Nun Review

Header Image courtesy of New Line Cinema

When discussing horror movies, The Conjuring franchise is near impossible not to mention due to its chokehold on the genre. With the original Conjuring movies being highly regarded by critics, it was only natural that the universe would expand through spin-offs and sequels,  leading to the creation of none other than The Nun.

The Nun, a horror movie released in 2018 that tells the tale of the events that preceded The Conjuring, and stands with a whopping 24% on Rotten Tomatoes – Which is not entirely unjustifiable. Compared to other movies, The Nun certainly has a lot of weaknesses. Yet there are some strong aspects of the film that people do seem to overlook.

One of the first things that caught my eye viewing this film was the production design. From the sets to costumes, everything worked seamlessly together to formulate a consistent and emotionally impactful mood. It certainly looks and feels like a horror movie, with gorgeously dark, foggy sets, degrading brick buildings, and an abundance of gravestones and crosses. I personally think that the production design was one of the best aspects of this film.

Changing focus to the story, however, it could be improved. The plot was quite stereotypical, and the antagonist was run-of-the-milll. Having said that, many horror movies struggle with breaking the mold, so this is not something only The Nun lacks. The characters all felt very two dimensional, and the plothad the opposite issue, being needlessly complicated. The horror aspect relied mostly on jumpscares and occasionally gorey visuals, which is certainly a stereotypical aspect of horror movies. I personally prefer horror movies that have a more creative or psychological approach. There can only be so many jumpscares before they lose their appeal.

Overall, The Nun was relatively enjoyable as a horror movie. Visually, it completely succeeded in creating a scary environment that helps put viewers in the Halloween mood. It certainly is a fun film to watch with friends to commemorate the season. But if you are looking for an artistically written, psychologically scary movie to actually induce fear into your heart and mind, this may not be the one. But for a Halloween movie night with friends, this film will do the job.