On Sept. 8, “The Nun II” was released, nearly five years after the original debuted in 2018. Both films are part of “The Conjuring” universe, with “Nun II” being the ninth installment. In the original, after a young nun takes her own life, the Vatican sends a priest and a novitiate, Sister Irene, to investigate the death. They meet a young farmer, Maurice, who gives them directions and returns to save the novice from Valak, a demon who takes the form of a nun. They work together to defeat this evil force before it can cause more damage.
The second installment begins in a church where a priest is burned to death. A series of strange deaths occur all over the country and the Vatican reaches out to Sister Irene and asks her to help stop Valak, who is believed to be causing these deaths once again. A new nun, Debra, wants to help Sister Irene defeat the demon. Together they track the demon and head to France to stop it before it is too late.
Sister Irene figures out that Valak has taken over yet another church official and is now after the eyes of Saint Lucy, a woman who could not be burned and whose eyes have since become a holy relic. Sister Irene must face off against the evil force along with Debra’s help with many twists and turns along the way.
The “Nun II” had thorough editing, but the jump scares were very predictable, making them less scary. This movie takes place in 1956, before the plot of “The Conjuring”, released in 2013. It foreshadows what later takes place in that movie with a glimpse of Valak in “The Conjuring” setting. This was an interesting twist because we get to see how these movies all connect. The movie also had a thought-provoking plot twist before the end of the film. Despite the lack of effective jump scares, it was very suspenseful and had the audience on the edge of their seats the whole movie.
