The Nun 2

One of the three trips i did to Scotland back in the 2000´s i especially remember walking among some of the most historical parts of Edinburgh. There are some very interesting places to visit in this city and especially if you want to hear stories from the plague during the year of 1350. I remember visiting an exhibition that showed artifacts from this time period as well as giving information on what happened during this time period. Once i had looked around and this exhibition we continued to some other different historical buildings in other areas in the city. I remember passing by St Catharine´s Convent, a Catholic convent of the Sisters Of Mercy and a centre for the homeless in Edinburgh. As we were passing by i was thinking as i looked across this huge convent how important it is to have nuns like these helping people in need. Just imagine how much a meal matter to the people who have nothing, just being able to eat. Nuns have been seen in several films no matter if we are talking about a drama film, a comedy or even a horror film with nuns. I thought it would be interesting to bring up a film that probably not many of you remember or have seen at all. If i say the title Agnes Of God does that ring any bell ? If not it is actually a good drama mystery film from 1985 from director Norman Jewison ( director of the really good crime drama ....And Justice For All with Al Pacino ). Agnes Of God tells the story of psychiatrist doctor Martha Livingston ( Jane Fonda ) begin looking into what happened to a pregnant nun who were found dead at a Roman Catholic convent in Montreal. Agnes Of God is actually an interesting story where you see what might happen when faith can cause damage as well. Even if Jane Fonda does a great performance, a very young Jennifer Tilly steals the show as the nun Sister Agnes. Definetely worth checking out if you want to see a good crime drama. Speaking of nuns most of you have probably seen the Demon Nun ( Bonnie Aarons ) in The Conjuring 2 and later on in her own film The Nun back in 2018. I enjoyed parts of The Nun but remember having issues with some of the acting and lack of really scary scenes. So here we are with a sequel The Nun 2 that i sat down to watch on HBO Max. Is this a better sequel to The Nun is or this just as bad as Lindsay Lohan´s 2004 solo album Speak?

In 1956, Father Noiret ( Pascal Aubert ) and young Jacques ( Maxime Elias-Menet ) perform their daily chores in their church in Tarascon, France. While investigating a disturbance, Father Noire is raised into the air, set on fire, and burned to death before a terrified Jacques who then flees. Four years following the events at Saint Cartha´s monestary, Sister Irene ( Taissa Farmiga ) now serves in a convent in Italy. Suddenly Sister Irene is dispatched by the Cardinal to investigate a series of deaths across Europe, attributed by the demon Valak ( Bonnie Aarons ), due to her previous experience with the demon. She travels to Tarascon with the help of Sister Debra ( Storm Reid ) to face the demon again. 

One of the big issues i had with the first The Nun movie was that there were not a lot of scary scenes in the film. A couple of scenes were alright while other scenes felt too simple and should have been constructed more effective. I am happy to say that The Nun 2 does not only work better as a horror film but also deliver better acting than in the first film. There are some other details i also appreciate about this sequel so let´s talk about that for a while. I really enjoy that this film takes place in the year of 1960 in France. The costume design feels realistic and the old buildings match perfectly with the environment. I also feel that this films looks really good thanks to cinematographer Tristan Nyby ( who also worked on The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It ) who clearly knew what this film needed to capture the right look for this type of horror film. If the first film didn´t manage to scare as much with the character Demon Nun, i can happily say actress Bonnie Aarons works better this second time around as the evil nun. She may not use dialogue, but just the way she stares at her victims and use her face is quite effective. Lead actress Taissa Farmiga ( who also stars in the first The Nun film as well ) definetely gives a stronger performance in this sequel. It is like she listened to the feedback from the first film and actually improved her acting. There is especially one scene i love with a magazine and newspaper stand that looks really good. So anything negative to say? Perhaps there are a small details such as CGI effects that could have been improved. Otherwise i don´t have much to complain about since this film is actually better than i expected. Director Michael Chaves ( director of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It ) proves that you can make a great sequel if you find a way to capture the right tone for a horror film such as this. The Nun 2 may not be a future classic but is definetely one of the better horror releases this year. 

Rating: DDD