The new movie to The Conjuring universe hit theaters September 7th, 2018. The Nun is a prequel to The Conjuring 1 and 2, Annabelle, and Annabelle: Creation. The Conjuring movies were directed by James Wan, who is an accredited horror movie director who has worked on Saw and the first two Insidious movies, however he did not direct the Annabelle movies or The Nun. The Conjuring movies were a great refresher to the recent horror franchise, therefore there have been high hopes for future movies. However, Annabelle fell flat.

First, it is confusing on who Taissa Farmiga’s character, Sister Irene was throughout the entirety of the movie. With the close resemblance to The Conjuring’s Lorraine Warren who is played by none other than Taissa’s sister, Vera Farmiga, it made it seem that Irene was somehow the same person or could possibly be related to Lorraine in some way. The reveal at the end of The Nun that is also the beginning of The Conjuring showing how Lorraine becomes in contact with Valak, the nun who is the premise of the movie. Frenchie, Sister Irene’s friend, becomes possessed by Valak and the Warrens perform an exorcism. This ties both movies together.

The Conjuring 1 and 2 had great plots that make them enjoyable to watch. The Nun had the idea there but doesn’t quite grab viewers.  Though the creepy and somber mood in the beginning draws in viewers’ attention and sets up what is to come, there were many horror cliches and jump scares. Good horror does anticipation and timing right with correct settings, but this movie didn’t do it justice.

There was great acting, but there was no character development. Characters lacked depth even though there was much potential. Also, the setup in the beginning showed for possibility as well to be later explained in history or conspiracy, but was never explained or brought up. Even the powerful demon nun made careless decisions that seemed as though they didn’t think thoroughly.

Overall, this movie was a let down; however, it is a fun movie to go see with your friends and laugh about later or be easily scared. There are movies coming out in the future of The Conjuring universe that will hopefully rise above the negative reviews from The Nun.