A Filmmaker’s Review: “The Nun” (2018)

Okay, so I’m a bit biased because it is one of my favourite films. Valak, as you’ll know, is one of my favourite characters in film history because of her incredible presence. In this film, there are a few main things I’d like to discuss because going through everything would be incredibly difficult and make everything just really long. Let’s talk about my history with this film then, and brace yourselves, it’s a bit of a history. I’ve seen this film over seven times.

First of all, I went to watch this film in the cinema, at midnight, with my brother. It was pretty awesome and I loved it immediately. As soon as it came out on digital release, I was super excited and bought it almost immediately. From then on - I watched the film over and over and I love the opening scene so much that sometimes, I just watch the opening scene on its own to calm me down and get me through the day. There’s also the end scene which is really cool too and I am really looking forward to them making another. Every time I watch this film I think about how great the next one is going to be. If you haven’t seen this film yet then I would definitely recommend it. It’s one of those films that may not be very scary, but is very enjoyable to watch. It has a really good story and some really great characters. I thoroughly enjoy it every single time!

The first thing I love about this film is Valak. I love the character Valak, as many of you know and I have written about her and her character before in my "Filmmaker's Guide to the Character of Valak" which you can read here: https://vocal.media/horror/a-filmmaker-s-guide-to-the-character-of-valak She is one of the best characters I've seen in a long time and I can see a lot of thought has gone into basing the character from one of the lesser known demons in Christianity. We don't see Satan or Beelzebub anymore, but instead we see the Marquis of Snakes - Valak. (When you see the real "Valac" then it's a cherub but for now it's a cool, scary nun). As someone who went to a Catholic Girls' School for a long time, I've seen teachers scary than Valak (laughs in nunnery). But the character itself is interestingly played out in the film and, after "The Conjuring 2" it makes you want to know more about the history of the character.

The next thing I love about this film is the atmosphere it creates. Instead of your typical 1950s atmosphere, we've got a very dark, almost depressing one and it really works in the movie. Something very dull creates this darkened scene and so, to make it scary works better. It is a very clever and yet incredibly simple thing to do and so, within the movie it just keeps getting darker and darker until finally, we hit the climactic part of the film and yes, it is at its darkest.

The third thing I love is the way in which the film has been written. You can tell the dialogue is very 'matter of fact' but within this, we're told everything that goes on and the 'dream state' of the past and present day are blended together especially when Irene starts seeing the dead nuns everywhere. The best part of the movie is possibly the prayer scene and it is the best because of the way it has been presented. It hasn't been presented as horror, but instead it fills the gap between the then and the now without leaving any loose ends. All information is given in a way which is incredible intelligent and also makes everything understood to the audience. We know it is this nun that's dead, but does Irene?

No, it may not be technically brilliant and it may be far from a masterpiece - but it is an enjoyable film altogether. It makes for an adventurous viewing experience every single time I watch it - and I do watch it over and over. It is the only way to witness what is a brilliant and clever little film that fills in so many gaps within itself and within its universe.