Review of movie The Nun

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Rating:3.5/5

When a young nun kills herself at an abbey in Romania, Father Burke (Demián Bichir) and Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) are identified by the Vatican as the pair to look into the strange circumstances leading to her death. They quickly realise they are up against something well beyond their understanding when they encounter ‘The Nun’. Centuries ago, this evil entity was fended away by divine forces but is unleashed once again through human folly, now seeking to cross over into our realm. This being wreaks havoc with the intent to invade all that is good and pure – as any self-respecting foul being is prone to do. No points for guessing the religious significance of the demon; the title is a dead giveaway. ‘The Nun’ is steeped in Catholic imagery making for impactful visuals. 

The unsettling atmosphere forms the strongest aspect of the film. A place of worship defiled by malevolence is a powerfully disturbing notion, and ‘The Nun’ capitalises on it as much as possible. Graveyards are spooky enough by mere existence, and the dark interiors of sprawling castles equipped with murky spaces add to the setting. The background score is garishly gruesome, signalling dangers lurking around the corner. However, it’s a shallow well that quickly runs dry because the script and screenplay are devoid of a genuinely fearful threat. The story is conveyed in the form of theological exposition that might appear substantial but is pretty much the same formula explored many times before in the genre.