The Nun II Review: All this thrill, just for a pair of eyes?

Ever since the first Conjuring movie came out in 2013, followed by three sequels and other spinoffs like Annabelle and The Nun having their own origin stories and sequels, the universe that now consists of eight movies, sets a benchmark of thrill and horror with every new release.

I have been a fan of the Conjuring universe for 10 years now, watching every movie as soon as it came out. 

When The Nun 2018 was released, I was blown away because, despite being the fifth movie in the universe, it connected to the first and second Conjuring movie in the most amazing and mysterious way.

This connection building, and the excitement to understand the tangled network of links and references spread across the eight conjuring movies - The Conjuring (2018), Annabelle (2014), The Conjuring (2016), Annabelle: Creation (2017), The Nun (2018), Annabelle Comes Home (2019), The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021), and the latest one, The Nun II (2023) - was the main magnet that pulled me towards the theatres and convinced me to watch The Nun II.

So if you don't want spoilers here's the crux of it: I watched it, got goosebumps, and felt petrified while the unexpected jump scares made my heart leap out of my chest. Overall, I loved the story but not without some its bad parts. 

The Nun II: The good, the bad, the eye-watering truth (pun-intended)

Heading into the theatre was a big decision for me, with hundreds of questions rushing into my mind, like, 'Will this be a good movie?' 'Will this connect well to the first one, The Nun (2018)?' And 'will this movie also link to the other conjuring movies, or will it just be a standalone?'

But as soon as I got into the theatre, I got the answers to all my doubts; some as I expected, some wholly out of the box, while some straight-up disappointing.

Starting with Sister Debra not believing in miracles, the movie is a direct sequel to the first movie, The Nun (2018), and picks up five years later, with Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) turning up at a new convent in France, having fled the demon Valak (Bonnie Aarons), who she assumed she had sent it back to hell.

The only link that this movie has with the Conjuring universe is the same as the first movie, which is Maurice the Farmer (Jonas Bloquet) and the demon, Valak.

However, the demon seems to have returned when prominent religious figures begin to die strangely in a pattern. When a cardinal summons Irene as the only remaining church member capable of overcoming such evil, she finds herself pulled back into a world she thought she'd left behind.

The Nun II adds more gore, blood, and especially facial clarity to Valak's character than the first movie. It is also much more fast-paced and progressive than the first one, as the horror and thrill doesn't let you sit still. With highly unexpected flashbacks coming at your face out of the blue, you probably jump out of your seat.

The Nun sequel efficiently uses the eerie environment of Europe's blocks-paved streets, and the demon doesn't seem to have let go of its old habit of scaring its victims hurtling towards them out of pictures, shadows, and, at times, magazines, too.

Ending with a lot of red wine flooding across the cinema screen and sister Debra hoping for a miracle, the movie only bummed me out at one point, when the creators set the hunt of the demon and Sister Irene's quest around a "pair of eyes" which are supposed to be a holy relic. 

This along with its background story was a big no-no for me.

The Nun 2 follows an intense build-up, connecting each scene to the previous movie, solving the mystery for viewers with a touch of comedy and romance here and there.

The movie scared me the most where I least expected it, and while I felt a little bad for Sister Irene's love life, it had the right elements to make for an enjoyable, nail-biting watch.