The Nun: Scarcely Scary

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Image result for the nun
The Nun
Director: Corin Hardy
Writer: James Wan, Gary Dauberman
Cast: Taissa Farmiga, Bonnie Aarons, Demian Bichir, Charlotte Hope, Jonas Bloquet
Genre: Horror- Mystery/Thriller
Rating : 2.5/5

The third prequel to the much acclaimed The Conjuring, The Nun has been marketed as the “darkest chapter yet” in the Conjuring Universe. However, that is true only as far as the colour tone. The movie doesn’t even measure up to half of what the Conjuring was.
The synopsis of the Nun reads— When a young nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania takes her own life, a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate. Together, they uncover the order's unholy secret. Risking not only their lives but their faith and their very souls, they confront a malevolent force in the form of a demonic nun.
If you think the plot sounds promising, don’t fall for it. It is a far cry from what the promotional campaign has made it out to be. The movie is full of shortcomings, has a messy plot and has no real heft. The three leads, namely Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga), Father Burke (Demian Bichir) and Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet) and the audience develop no real connection and since they are all in the Abbey to save the day, you don’t really feel scared for any of them. As a result, the movie has no lasting effect on the audience as opposed to the Conjuring.  Part of what made the Conjuring so loved and a horror brilliance was because of the real sense of fear and danger the audience felt for the characters. The Nun, however, disregards this facet of storytelling and relies heavily on the “surprise” element, sound manipulation and visual effects to create “horror”. This tried and, frankly, overused trope of the horror genre does get you a few times. But then, when the moment is over, you burst into giggles. In short, the “horror” is momentary and is nothing more than a scare.
Keeping in line with the sorry storytelling, the characters carrying the plot aren’t well developed either. The three leads (mentioned already) don’t seem integral to the plot. This is despite the fact that the movie is basically Sister Irene’s story. In addition, when the “miracle hunter”, Father Burke is first introduced, it is with the implication of his expertise in the occult and the unholy. However, he turns out to be just a man with a robe and a cross and is as helpless as anyone. All three protagonists, including Frenchie, are “here to save the day” type and as such, you don’t really feel the mortal threat and this takes away the authenticity of the fear barely evoked.         
All in all, The Nun is, at best, an average horror film, which uses all the familiar tropes and does nothing special. To put it simply, I wouldn’t suggest this to the casual movie goers. However, to the fans of the Conjuring Franchise, with all its fan service, I believe it is, may be, worth a shot.                                                                                                                                                                                             

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