September 7, 2018
Written by: Gary Dauberman
Starring: Damian Bichir, Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet
Budget: $22,000,000
Tagline: Pray for Forgiveness.
Trivia: An advertisement for the film was pulled from the video sharing site YouTube, as many users complained that the five second clip featuring a startling jumpscare was "too scary." Administrators thus removed the ad and apologized, claiming that it was not their intention to publish content that may potentially "offend" or "shock" viewers.
The Nun is the latest movie from the Conjuring franchise. First, I cannot believe how much money these movies make! Don't get me wrong, they are good films, but their widespread appeal is shocking. I saw this movie on the Friday after it came out and the audience boasts every type of person. We were seated next to three Hispanic ladies in their fifties who couldn't help but whisper to themselves "Dios mio" after every scare. There was the usual drunk college kids (it was a Friday night), families, older couples, etc. I don't know how producer James Wan and the production companies figured out how to market horror to the mainstream but they've done a remarkable job.
Part of the success might be the relative lack of deaths and gore in the films. I've only seen The Conjuring and this one... maybe there is a lot more horror in the others, but I doubt it. These films seem largely formulaic with the same familiar feel and plot. Aside from some suicides early on by characters we never really get to meet, no one dies in these films. There is no bodily injury either, hence no blood (unlike Wan's Saw movies). Without death and gore, what these movies rely on is atmosphere, jump scares, creepy villains (ghosts, a creepy dolls, and now a terrifying nun), and the "true story" elements that the films have.
The Nun begins with a bunch of cuts from The Conjuring movies involving the Nun picture to really drive home that this is a spinoff from the Warrens' investigations. It's a clunky beginning, but finally it gets right into the film with a nun in 1952 hanging herself as she's trailed by a dark force. This death drives the plot bringing forth a woman on the verge of becoming a nun, a priest, and a French local who discovered the body, all who are now tasked with uncovering what happened and if the monastery where this happened is still holy. The priest and and so-to-be-nun, Sister Irene, are left to stay the night at the nunnery. That night Sister Irene meets a nun and learns that the nuns have been praying 24/7 in shifts to keep evil at bay and she learns that the castle was built by an occult freak in the dark ages who released a demon that has been kept away until now (the evil of World War 2 has released it) with the Blood of Christ.
Eventually they all realize that the nuns are ghosts themselves and that there is no one living in the castle anymore, aside from the demon who is given the name Valak. Now joined by Frenchie, the trio must find the Blood of Christ and seal up the demon gate otherwise the demon will do something bad I guess... they never really get into the full repercussions of the demon's escape other than it's making the locals commit suicide. I won't spoil the ending for you, but just say once more, these mores are very formulaic without any real surprises. At the end we get a second clip show from The Conjuring movies to clumsily cement where all this fits into those movies.
Overall, The Nun is very successful in a lot of areas. Least of which is I cannot think of any location scarier than a haunted Romanian castle. The mood that the location creates is suspenseful enough on its own. It helps that 95% of the film takes place during two nights at the castle. In the middle of the film it is day for about 3 minutes of film time before it becomes night again. I really loved this. The filmmakers fake us out by thinking we can relax since it is day with a jump back to night. No rest for the weary. The villain is terrifying. I am really surprised ghost nun hasn't been done more often. In fact I cannot think of a single one (the nunsploitation craze of the late 70s just had sadistic nuns, none of which were ghost... leave a comment if I'm wrong). The Nun Valak works best when it is used subtly (like the other villains in The Conjuring universe). There are moments when you are not quite sure you are seeing what you think you are seeing. Finally, there are some terrifying moments. The priest is buried alive in a medieval coffin, Sister Irene is attacked by the demon as she prays for protection which is her only protection (it tears her habit open and cuts up her back... getting remarkably close to some good ole fashion nunsploitation).
What did not work in the film were the jump scares. The Conjuring franchise relies on these as its bread and butter. Unfortunately, I've always found these to be cheap scares and not very effective. This movie is especially bad at giving clear signals when a jump scare is going to happen. A suspenseful moment and everything gets quiet, count 1, 2, 3, JUMP SCARE! They are not very hard to anticipate which makes them less effective. The dialogue can also be pretty cheesy. Frenchie is meant to be a comedic relief in the film but has some painfully silly moments. "What's the opposite of a miracle father?" "It's such a waste your going to be a nun." (The assumption is that her body would be better used satisfying men). At one point a ghost exclaims to him that tomorrow his village will have lost its idiot. Lastly, the CGI nun. When we finally see the Nun in all its glory, it has a really lame looking CGI face. I wish they would've done practical makeup because it looks CGI and not particularly well done CGI. Like The Conjuring, the film worst best when it is more subtle, and falls apart during its more "in-your-face" moments.
Despite my criticism above, I did enjoy the film. The atmosphere and mythology that the film creates is really interesting and the film has some genuinely scary moments.
No comments:
Post a Comment