The Nun is the chilling standalone in the world of the conjuring that tries to disturb the audience with its air of fear and supernatural horror. The film concerns a priest with a torturous past and a novice about to take final vows as they are sent to a Vatican to determine the mysterious death of a young nun at a Romania abbey. The dark secrets they reveal and the ancient evil they represent in the person of the demonic nun have already haunted viewers in the earlier installments of the Conjuring franchise. The movie creates a sense of ominous atmosphere, as the dark corridors, rattling doors, and a sense of horror pervade the movie and leave you in suspense constantly.
The most memorable was the mastery of the atmosphere in the film, the way the lighting, the use of sound and the haunting images made the film overall an incredibly uncomfortable environment. It is not a rush and is supported by the tension that it creates somewhat slowly and the timely jump scares that cause actual fear and suspense. This supernatural horror is supported by performances, in particular, by the lead priest, which provides the movie with an emotional background, pulling it out of the frightening spectacle. The motifs of faith and evil and war of good and evil are hopelessly intertwined into the plot, and the horror becomes deeper and closer.
Nevertheless, there are flaws to The Nun. It occasionally heavily relies on well-worn horror tropes and guess-the-scare, and this can water down the effect of what can be perceived as real discomfort. The storyline is at times less interested in the plot than in the jump-scares, and some of the computer-generated imagery is not as convincing, which weakens the tense atmosphere of the movie. Nevertheless, the movie manages to achieve its dark and immersive horror experience that is not forgotten after the credits are over. It is a chilling descent into the depths that will be familiar to those who like atmospheric and psychological horrors.
