The Nun, was a highly anticipated spin off of The Conjuring 1 and 2. It stars Taissa Farmiga as Sister Irene, an innocent young woman who is well on her way to becoming a nun, and the contrasting Jonas Bloquet, playing Frenchie, a raunchy farmer. Expectations were set high for the film, this can be attributed to the massive success of past films in the franchise. These movies are known for being more than cheap jump scares and gory images, they have real story lines and the slow burn of the horror elements build up to a truly terrifying climax; however, The Nun abandoned this structure and went straight for disturbing images and loud noises.

The Nun dominated the box office, making approximately $53.5 million over its first three days in theaters. The story line was simple, an evil presence had taken over an abbey in Romania, causing a Nun to hang herself. Her body was discovered by Bloquet’s character. Sister Irene and a priest go to investigate, and a series of horrific events ensue. The film played on people’s worst fears —  being buried alive, finding a decaying body in a familiar place, being held under water, etc. One thing that I found confusing, was the casting of Taissa Farmiga. She looks very similar to her sister Vera Farmiga, who plays Lorraine Warren in the films. No connection between their characters was mentioned, but the resemblance was hard to overlook. If it isn’t going to play a part in a future movie, it was a very poor choice.

The movie, while not very intellectual, was fun to watch. I was truly scared at some points, and my mind didn’t wander. I was thoroughly engaged the whole time. As the film drew to a close, it tied back into the first Conjuring film very neatly. Overall, The Nun was good for a scare, but didn’t quite live up to the reputation the Conjuring and Annabelle films set.