Sept. 27, 2023
The Conjuring stands as the most prosperous horror franchise to date, amassing a total box office revenue of $2.1 billion. The Nun II aims to amplify all the elements that consistently draw genre enthusiasts back to these movies time and again. Review by Wee Yan Ling.
Genres: Horror/Thriller
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
(818) 954-6000
4000 Warner Blvd, Burbank, California 91522, US
Length: 110 Minutes
Producer: Peter Safran, James Wan
Production company: Atomic Monster, The Safran Company
The Conjuring stands as the most prosperous horror franchise to date, amassing a total box office revenue of $2.1 billion. The Nun II aims to amplify all the elements that consistently draw genre enthusiasts back to these movies time and again.
Sequel to The Nun, this film narrates the story of Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) at a new convent after escaping from the demon Valak (Bonnie Aarons) she thought she had been subdued back to hell. However, the demon announces its return with news of the mysterious deaths of key figures from the church. Irene is plunged back into the life she thought she escaped when the cardinal summons Irene to vanquish the malevolence.
The Nun II outperforms its predecessor with pacing that advances at a biting pace and keeps audiences on edge. Based on a story by Aleka Cooper and script by Cooper along with Ian Goldberg and Richard Niang, the movie adeptly weaves together heart-pounding scares with bursts of levity and occasional humour.
The trio paved the way for the film’s thrilling climax seamlessly with the pieces falling organically and the audience are fed with just enough bread crumbs to piece together the unfolding mystery without feeling forced or heavy-headed.
To elaborate on its depth, The Nun II renders spine-tingling moments that leave audiences tossing their popcorn in the theatre. Addressing a common complaint of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do lacking in the scare factor, The Nun II is the birth of the skilfully constructed suspense by Chaves, hence heightening the impact of its terrifying moments.
To add on, he proficiently blended an amalgamation of practical effect, creating an authentic, old-school atmosphere leaving audiences marvelling at the implementation of the bone-chilling sequences and trying to work out the technical wizardry behind it.
The final act of The Nun II introduces a novel character, a monster conjured by Valek, terrorising the young girls at the boarding school. The grotesque character is a spine-tingling addition alongside the likes of Valak and it is not easy trying to shake off the horrifying visage.
Without divulging any spoilers, The Nun II introduces more depth into the franchise by uniting the entire cinematic universe in an imaginative and enthralling manner. This is attributed to its well-crafted screenplay, balanced character development and gut-wrenching scares. Hence, becoming the inaugural Conjuring spin-off that functions at a profound level as the franchise’s core films, unravelling notions of the universe being exhausted.
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