The fifth film in The Conjuring Universe series, The Nun, has finally been released with reaction coming in via reviews and social media. The follow up to 2016’s The Conjuring 2, The Nun explores the origins of demonic Nun Valek in 1950’s Romania. Demián Bichir (Father Burke) and Taissa Farmiga (Sister Irene) arrive to investigate the strange death at the Cârța Monastery. Recently, (August 15), a trailer for the film was removed from YouTube after it was deemed “too scary” for viewers. Advertisement The six-second advert sees a volume sign decreasing until it reaches mute before the titular Nun appears to scare the living daylights out of viewers. The first trailer for the film was released earlier this year, along with an appropriately terrifying synopsis. It read: “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”, the synopsis teased. It continued: “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.” However, early reaction to the movie suggests it hasn’t impressed with reviews being almost universally negative about the film. Advertisement Consequence of Sound called it “the most boring horror movie in years” and said it was “exhausting” to watch, whilst Rolling Stone described it as “an unholy mess”. Variety concluded “it doesn’t seem to have much in mind beyond punching the local clergy” and The New York Times said it had “spectres and hallucinations…without consistent narrative logic.” The Telegraph said it was “sludgy, and kind of random,” a view echoed by Digital Spy who added: “Let’s hope the future Conjuring movies don’t make a habit of it.” IndieWire added that the “Conjuring prequel delivers evil mythology, but not enough scares.” The Nun opens across in the UK on September 7.<doc-sep>The latest "Conjuring" prequel offers a backstory to the demonic Nun that proves that knowing less is more when it comes to making evil truly terrifying. While horror has seen its fair share of franchises over the years, James Wan’s 2013 “The Conjuring” has spawned a cinematic universe to rival Marvel, with a rogue’s gallery of creepy characters coming into play for interconnected spin-off films. 2016’s “The Conjuring 2” offered something especially horrifying, a demonic nun named Valek, that stalked the Warrens from Amityville to London before getting its own origin story with “The Nun.” But while “The Nun” has some veritable scares up its sleeve, it’s also proof that sometimes the most terrifying horrors are the ones we don’t understand. Director Corin Hardy, best known for 2015’s Irish horror offering “The Hallow,” makes the most of the film’s Romanian setting, with Transylvania’s imposing and stunning Corvin Castle serving as a stand-in for the film’s ominous Abbey. Utilizing “The Conjuring” cinematic palette of stark greys and cool blues, not to mention a smattering of upside-down crosses, Hardy carves out a Gothic nightmare that both stands on its own and sits at home in the horror series. As the film’s Father Burke (Demián Bichir) explains, he was sent to the abbey in part to determine whether or not the ground was still holy. With the Abbey feeling as ominous and insidious as Shirley Jackson’s Hill House in 1963 “The Haunting,” there isn’t any room for doubt as to the answer. In addition to assessing the sanctity of the grounds, Father Burke is sent to the Abbey by the Vatican to investigate the death of a young nun, who was found hanged outside of the Abbey’s doors by a local farmer, Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet). Father Burke is paired up with a young novice, Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga), and the two are brought up to the Abbey by the skittish Frenchie, who explains that the entire village lives in fear of the Abbey, believing it to contain a dark evil. After giving the dead nun a proper burial, Father Burke and Sister Irene head into the labyrinthine Abbey to seek out answers, but a shrouded Mother Superior tells them the nuns are observing their nighttime vow of silence and (of course) they must spend the night. Throughout “The Nun,” it becomes clear that the past is the most haunting demon of all. Lost in a foggy graveyard resplendent with crooked crosses, Frenchie is tortured both mentally and physically by the dead young nun he discovered. For his part, Father Burke is overcome with guilt over the death of a young boy, Daniel, some years before. Father Burke was sent to exorcise the child, which resulted in the boy’s death. Daniel appears to Father Burke throughout the film in gruesome visions and a particularly suffocating live burial sequence, melding the character with a terrifying thought — if a priest cannot save a single soul from becoming lost, what hope is there for the rest of humanity? Cos Aelenei Much like the other “Conjuring” films, “The Nun” packs plenty of jump scares, many obvious and yet still jarring, as the trio are stalked across the Abbey by the demonic Valek. The demon, who is also known as The Defiler, plays plenty of mind games, preying upon both the sins of the past, as well as Sister Irene’s own innocent faith. “You haven’t taken your vows yet,” the novice is told multiple times throughout the film. But Sister Irene’s faith is never truly called into question as with Father Karras in “The Exorcist.” Sister Irene, clad in sweeping, snow-white vestments, is the light in the darkness, a pure Bride of Christ who offers the obvious antidote to Valek’s venomous hatred. Cinematographer Maxime Alexandre is able to expertly play with this contrast of light vs. dark, offering up some stunning if horrifying religious imagery that can recall the best of “The Exorcist III.” But “The Nun” still gets lost in its own mythology, providing an easy backstory for the demon’s presence that is paired with an easy solution that makes Valek feel decidedly less threatening. Sure, the demon will pop up later on in “The Conjuring 2,” but Valek’s temporary suppression also feels inevitable. Fans of “The Conjuring” will be pleased to see how “The Nun” circles back to the original film, as history is cheekily rewritten just a touch to bring everything full circle. Although the film doesn’t make a definitively clear connection to the “Annabelle” films, eagle-eye fans should be able to spot a picture of the Abbey’s nuns on the wall of Sister Irene’s room, the same picture that later pops up in “Annabelle: Creation” courtesy of Sister Charlotte. While “The Nun” is another solid and scary entry in the “Conjuring” Universe, it is hopefully the last origin story. The point of “The Nun” was to give an explanation to evil, but what makes evil truly chilling is when there is no clear-cut answer as to why it exists. Much like the literal demons in Father Burke’s past, it is life’s unresolvable puzzles, not the knowable ones, that will haunt us long after the lights go down. Grade: B Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.<doc-sep>The Nun: The darkest chapter of The Conjuring Universe FREE now and never miss the top Royal stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow and never miss the top Royal stories again. When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Anticipation was high. The Conjuring and Annabel films already established the terrifying world of the Warrens, and their ghost and demon-busting adventures, scaring audiences silly in the process. This movie is meant to explain how it all began, years before at a creepy monstaery in Romania. The Nun hit headlines when protests about a 'jump scare' teaser trailer terrifying Youtube users forced the company to take the video down. A recent London press screening showed journalists jumping and screaming throughout the traumatic experience. Is it really that scary? Apparently not... The movie hits UK cinemas this weekend, but the overwhelming consensus from critics is that this is a major disappointment: Flickering Myth : Inspite the promise of a skilled cast, cracking locale and spooky villain, The Nun settles for drab soullessness in this disappointing addition to the Conjuring franchise. Times : The scares are non-existent (being pulled backwards along the floor into a darkened room hasn't been scary since Insidious in 2010). San Francisco Chronicle : The dazzling effects can't mask a slow narrative. Also, creaky floors, jump scares - and just about every horror cliche we can think of - can only take the movie so far. The Nun film reviews USA Today : A mix of slow-burn religious mystery and old-school adventure that egregiously fails to utilize its greatest hit: Bonnie Aarons' terrifyingly freaky villainess of the cloth. Total Film : The Nun lacks the confidence to let the location and mood speak, let alone whisper for themselves. Daily Telegraph : The Nun isn't scary enough, doesn't move fast enough, and has not-quite-characters who weirdly feel as though they're occupying different films. The Daily Beast : What never appears is an original idea, or even an effective jolt to rattle one's nerves and break up the monotony. In the end, it's just The Exorcist embellished with a monstrous religious grandma. Empire Magazine : It may be a familiar old dark castle runaround, but Corin Hardy delivers eerie images and nerve-scraping sound effects. The Nun film reviews are terrible ScreenAnarchy : A boring, uneventful, downright ludicrous attempt to capitalize on less than four minutes of screen time in an infinitely better film. Seattle Times : It's all Aaaah! and Eeek! and on and on. It's so choppy and predictable that it becomes laughable. Los Angeles Times : "The Nun," shot in murky pools of darkness that often leave you squinting at the screen, is a dispiriting reminder that franchising evil inevitably dissipates its impact. Guardian : There isn't a genuinely frightening or interesting moment here. SciFiNow : The Nun, which has proudly been calling itself 'the darkest chapter' in the series in the run-up to its release, winds up being the dullest instead. The Nun: Bad film reviews for the latest Conjuring movie<doc-sep>
The Nun: The darkest chapter of The Conjuring Universe We’ve had Annabelle’s solo movies, now it’s The Nun’s turn. Set in 1952 Romania, a priest and a novice are sent to investigate the mysterious suicide of a nun at a monastery. This jump scare horror following the demon Valak is released today, but just what did the critics make of it? Well with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 47% it’s pretty mixed and most reviews say it’s actually not that scary. Telegraph The Nun isn't scary enough, doesn't move fast enough, and has not-quite-characters who weirdly feel as though they're occupying different films. Digital Spy Having featured in some of the creepiest sequences in the series so far, a scary spin-off seemed like a no-brainer... but the result sadly has nun of the finesse of Wan's main films. Total Film The Nun lacks the confidence to let the location and mood speak, let alone whisper for themselves. Time Out There are creepy crypts aplenty and a graveyard with bell-equipped coffins just in case anyone gets buried alive (alas, the transgressive sexuality of the era's more extreme nunsploitation flicks is off the table). Den of Geek Generic and ultimately forgettable. It's certainly not scary, and the family dynamic that made the characters in the earlier films somewhat empathetic is missing here. WATCH THE BANNED NUN TRAILER The Nun movie reviews: Just how TERRIFYING is The Conjuring spin-off? The Nun reviews claim the film isn't actually that scary SciFiNow The Nun, which has proudly been calling itself 'the darkest chapter' in the series in the run-up to its release, winds up being the dullest instead Daily Mirror If you're looking for a thrill and you're willing to throw yourself into a plot servicing scares then go see The Nun... if you're looking for The Conjuring style R-rated scares then this might be a little tame for you. Forbes Despite strong acting and some engaging visuals, The Nun is a glorified nothing-burger of a movie. Despite the poor receptions, not everyone was quite so damning. The Nun is out now