'The Nun 2' Preview: Why The New Conjur-verse Sequel is Set to Surprise
It’s 2018, and you can’t avoid it. You’re watching YouTube? She’s there. T.V.? She’s there too. You couldn’t even take a trip to the grocery store without coming across an ad for The Nun. The so-called “darkest chapter in the Conjuring Universe” plagued the entertainment space leading up to its release in September of that year. Yet, despite all those ads and press and promises of intensity and terror, upon release, the film was absolutely panned by all parties. It currently holds a truly scary 25% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an audience rating of 35%, indicating that casual audiences didn’t care for it, either.
But despite the critical metrics, the film still did well enough financially to warrant a sequel, set to release this coming weekend on September 8. Perhaps there would be no reason to expect anything different from it regularly, but the demon is in the details; Michael Chaves directed the film.
Whether or not that name means anything to you is besides the point, though if it doesn’t, there’s a good chance it will a week from now. To get to what makes Chaves (and therefore why you should be thrilled that he’s directing the film), we must first jump quite a hefty hurdle: his first foray into the Conjuring universe was with The Curse of La Llorona in 2019. There’s a whole lot to be said about that film, and much like The Nun, it's been well documented by now. But even so, Chaves did something there (the film certainly isn’t devoid of clever scares) that made the big-wigs behind the scenes confident that he could do more, and so he did.
A mere two years later, Chaves tackled the third mainline entry in the cinematic universe with The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. The jump was simply unprecedented; to go from a relatively inconsequential spinoff to the trilogy capper following two of the most influential horror films in recent memory would be a system shock for anyone. Though, and this definitely isn’t a popular opinion, I believe Chaves knocked it out the park.
The general reception for that film was lukewarm, being seen as an enjoyable ride that didn’t quite live up to Wan’s haunted house mastery in the first two films. Now, I don’t want to compare anyone to Wan because he’s arguably the best director working in the genre today, but Chaves realistically came as close as anybody could have. The Devil Made Me Do It is a gnarly, detective-driven horror romp with an impressively large scale and a moving love story at its core. The visuals are nothing short of incredible, and Chaves' direction throughout is ever-inventive and alive.
It may not be his debut, but it feels like one. His soon-to-be-trademarked sense of space and tight environments not only made waves in his Conjuring film, but fit right in with the Nun mold. Huge castles; ancient lights and amenities sharpening dark shadows and the sheer lack of resources. Thus, there are plenty of places for the titular monster to hide, and essentially infinite room for invention and interest. Considering the trailers we’ve gotten thus far, it seems that Chaves has taken full advantage of this.
Admittedly, and perhaps obviously, it’s impossible to predict a film’s level of quality before it releases. Trying to do such a thing in mass has led to some of the most famous films of all time being regarded as such due to their disappointment. Setting those sorts of expectations can be, and often is, unfair… but I can’t help but feel that, in this case, it’s going to pay off. Regardless of where it fell on the radar, Chaves has proven his ability to not only deliver in the horror genre, but to do so on a stage brighter than the one on which he’s currently operating. He has it.
But if you won’t take my word for it, the film has already been screened to select critics, and they’re in the same boat. Germain Lussier (of Gizmodo) calls it a “super solid horror sequel”, while The Hollywood Reporter’s Brian Davids remarks that it is “infinitely better than the first installment.” The reactions are scarce, and not all of them are so loving, but the general through-line thus far is one of much-needed redemption for the Nun name.
What’s more? All the best parts of the first film are back in the sequel, too. For starters, Taissa Farmiga, niece of the Conjuring franchise titan Vera Farmiga (and her grandmother in the films) has recovered from the back pain she endured from carrying the predecessor to star once again, now alongside a strong cast of new Nuns (featuring Stormi Reid and Anna Popplewell) who are all sure to impress.
Joining them, as sure as the sun, is Bonnie Aarons’ demon Nun, Valak. Of course, her performance was good in the first film in spite of the rest of it, and her first appearance in The Conjuring 2 is one of genre legend. To have her in play is an inherent ten steps ahead before the film even starts rolling, and The Nun 2 is no exception.
Again, ultimately, only time will tell whether or not all these elements combine to create something special. Either way, we won’t have to wait long, as the September 8 release (preview showings beginning tomorrow) is basically already here. All I ask is that, regardless of the reception, you check this one out yourself, because Michael Chaves has earned it.
His last film suffered from misplaced expectations and a case of “right place, wrong time”, and it’d be a shame for The Nun 2 to suffer the same fate if it truly turns out. Though if it does and Chaves gets a moment in the limelight, the upcoming Conjuring quadrilogy capper entitled Last Rites still needs a director, and with Wan seemingly settling into a producer role for the franchise, I can’t possibly imagine a better fit than Michael Chaves.