Lorraine Warren inspired many in the paranormal community over decades. To this day, she is one of the pioneers of the field. Her life, whether one chooses to believe it or not, remains one to inspire thoughtfully and creatively. Loosely based in The Conjuring universe, The Nun movie is part of the story now.

The Nun Official Summary

When a young nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania takes her own life, a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate.

Together they uncover the order’s unholy secret. Risking not only their lives but their faith and their very souls, they confront a malevolent force in the form of the same demonic nun that first terrorized audiences in The Conjuring 2, as the abbey becomes a horrific battleground between the living and the damned.

By Warner Bros.

The Nun

Based on the trailer, I thought the movie would be focused on the history of one nun specifically and revolve around her life. I thought the story would bring us into a dark and shady past of a woman who became a nun.

Maybe the story would be about an abbey where some nuns practiced something other than prayers. The sad thing is, The Nun met low expectations.

The first and foremost point that attracted me to the movie was that it took place in Romania. Not only was it due to my love of Vlad Tepes, but also because it is a wonderful country, which we rarely see in Hollywood movies.

The building that represents the abbey in the movie doesn’t look quite like the actual building. I believe due to the filming purposes and the subject. Another establishment soothed better the screenplay. So, many scenes are filmed in a movie studio rather than on set.

However, the nun itself, the makeup, and the look were intriguing. I wanted to know the in-depth story of the nun. I wondered how it would come together with The Conjuring and how it attached itself to Lorraine Warren.

Low Expectations

When I first saw the trailer, I wanted to see the movie. I am a fan of The Conjuring, and the overall look of The Nun seemed something interesting enough. My husband watched the trailer and said it looked low budget.

I asked a few others of my friends, including my sister, Kendra Hale. She said to give it one watch.

I followed her advice after many people said it was not a movie to ride home about. Typically, I don’t give critiques or reviewers much of a hold on me because I have strange tastes. Sometimes a film can be poorly made, but the story itself can be good enough that I keep watching.

Sometimes it’s about the art and not the production. Nevertheless, everyone’s opinion on the movie drilled my brain, and my expectations were quite low for The Nun.

I put on my headphones, sat in front of my 27” iMac in the living room, and hit play. Let me tell you, The Nun met low expectations.

The Nun Expectations

The Nun met low expectations. Then again, The big picture of the movie is quite useful to set a specific mood. Choosing Romania was a smart move considering it is the “birthplace of the hibbie jibbies.”

The scenery is breathtaking, and the fact that the selected town is a remote place gives you another look at Romania and what it could have been like in 1952.

The Cârța Monastery, a Cistercian, is an actual place in Țara Făgărașului in Southern Transylvania. Today, the emplacement is an Evangelical Lutheran church. The monastery building itself saw the light of day in 1202-1203.

The music is by Abel Korzeniowski and fits the movie perfectly well. The soundtrack is right to the ambiance of the story and has you moving forward with the characters.

The acting of Taissa Farmiga, previously known from the first season of American Horror Story as Zoe Benson, is moving. She is a kind person, and it reflects well in the movie. The acting is good, so what is the problem with The Nun getting low reviews?

Missing The Nun Story

WARNING: SPOILER!

While the overall quality of the movie is enjoyable, it leaves next to nothing to complain about, yes? False. The Nun has the entire country, building, The Conjuring franchise backing it up, and a look to fear and yet, such low ratings.

That is because the nun itself is nothing more than the demon Valac presenting itself as a nun. So, there is no “nun.” That in itself is a disappointment.

While you are looking forward to an immersive story about one nun and a heavily haunted emplacement, instead, you receive Valac hiding as a nun and not doing a great job at it.

Valac is the demon who had an introduction in Annabelle: Creation and The Conjuring 2. The demon does exist in demonology. Based on the Lesser Key of Solomon, It is one that controls, locates, and summon serpents.

He rules over thirty to a thirty-eight legion of demons. There is not much more about Valac. He likes snakes and spirits, but yes, he is a demon.

What About The Nun and Low Expectations?

Nothing. The nun is nothing but what Valac appears to people as and so there is no nun. The abbey is nothing but a victim of the builder of the place who praised evil. After the castle’s siege by the clergy, nuns moved in, and perpetual devotion started to keep evil at bay.

The story revolves around a young—not yet official nun—Irene and a Catholic Priest sent to investigate the suicide of the last nun of the monastery.

The place suffers possession by evil, and they are present, with Frenchie, who is the one man who found Sister Victoria hung weeks before Sister Irene’s arrival.

The mystery surrounding the death of Sister Victoria unravels quickly; after all, the movie is only ninety-six minutes. The pace is excellent, and the friendship between the trio is also quite realistic.

Then again, the nun is not the center of attention because there is none.

Conclusion of The Nun and Low Expectations

As my friend Kendra Hale said, it is worth a watch because I find each of us should come to our conclusion. The movie is part of The Conjuring franchise, therefore, also it is now in its universe.

The Nun met low expectations. The story is not bad, but the story of that “one nun” for me was everything, and it turned out to be nothing. For that alone, it left me robbed.

It seemed as if it was a false representation and a waste of a unique look!

Overall, it’s a 6/10 for me just because of the look, the Romanian factor, and because it is tied to The Conjuring.

The OCD Vampire,
Alexa Wayne