The Nun: Directed by Corin Hardy

The universe of the Warren File continues to expand with its second spin-off which, as in the two installments of Annabelle (especially the second), delves into the origin of one of the diabolical protagonists of the saga, the nun seen in The Enfield case.

This new film places us in Romania in the 1950s, in an old abbey inhabited by cloistered nuns, to which the Vatican sends a priest and a novice to investigate the apparent suicide of one of the nuns. An interesting premise that we will soon see that does not hide more than what the film shows at its start.

Once the main couple arrives at the abbey, the film works more like a house of terror than a story. An imposing setting and Corin Hardy’s skill with tricks mean that things don’t slow down too much during part of the film, but there comes a point where there is no more to scratch. The tense scenes, generally well resolved, end up becoming routine because they are based on the same kind of game: the character enters the scene/sinister corridor, looks aside, the camera follows his gaze without us seeing anything, the camera returns to the character and CHAN CHAN CHAN!. It is a mechanic that James Wan has used a lot, but Wan usually has a much richer script, a familiar environment, endearing characters and, ultimately, something to tell beyond the duel with the bug on duty. Without that and without a little imagination in the development of the film, the trick is too obvious and repetitive.

Taissa Farmiga’s character is perhaps the most grateful and the only one who helps not to give up completely. He is the only one that shows nuances and a certain innocence, without falling into the geek, in a set where, apart from the traumatized father Burke (Demian Bichir) and the handsome and scoundrel Franchute (I swear his name is that), we only find characters with a lot of yuu inside.

As interesting as it could have been to take advantage of the dynamics of a cloistered convent, both in its routines and in its power relations, as was seen in the curious Novitiate, no one even considers exploring them a little bit. Those responsible comment on the same clumsiness as Annabelle: Creation was able to correct her predecessor by giving importance to the context and the particularity of the family environment on duty. A lost opportunity in pursuit of the pure and simple formula.

More interesting than the first Annabelle for the setting in which everything takes place (the most exciting part of the film) but, without a doubt, a minor and disappointing film within the saga.

Tags:

• horror