They say old habits die hard. And from the looks of things, that’s precisely what’s going to happen in the latest entry into the The Conjuring universe, The Nun.
The film’s a spinoff of a popular character from 2016’s The Conjuring 2 and looks set to continue the high quality spooks and scares that have made this cinematic universe one of the most profitable franchises around. The kickass first trailer has already scared the living crap out of us, and now with San Diego Comic-Con about to get underway, we’ve got a brand new one-sheet that teases the titular character’s dual nature. In one incarnation she’s a symbol of purity, goodness and faith…only to be corrupted into a dark demonic force clearly desperate to menace and disembowel some unlucky individuals.
According to the synopsis, the character’s origins are that she’s a young nun in a Romanian abbey who commits suicide, possibly as a result of abuse by those who run the place. She then returns in the modern day for vengeance, with the Vatican sending a priest “with a haunted past” (and now a haunted present) and a young novitiate nun to investigate.
Of course, a killer demonic nun is hardly pushing the envelope when it comes to original horror ideas, but there’s definitely something to be said for a solid concept done well. The film has an excellent pedigree, too, with a cast including Demian Bichir and Taissa Farmiga, a script by series creators James Wan and Gary Dauberman and what should be ace direction by Corin Hardy.
Incidentally, Hardy’s previous hit, The Hallow, really deserves to be seen more. I’m a sucker for Cronenberg-esque body horror and that film delivers it in spades. Let’s just hope The Nun continues the horror renaissance we’re currently going through.