The Nun II (2023)

2 Stars (out of 4)

'Nun' the Less

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

The horror sequel The Nun II is certainly good-looking, but rather than spending time on atmosphere or character, it concentrates on powering through its silly story, and generating typical jump-scares.

Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) is now at a convent in France, trying to forget the incidents of the previous movie. But the demon nun, the Valak, is back again, moving across Europe and now seemingly taking up residence in a nearby boarding school.

The Vatican calls upon Irene to handle the demon once more, so she reluctantly begins conducting detective work, accompanied by an intrepid young novitiate, Sister Debra (Storm Reid). They discover a secret link between the demon's previous victims, as well as a potential weapon they can use to fight it. But time is running out back at the boarding school, and the demon is growing bolder.

The original The Nun (2018) was the worst-reviewed movie in the Conjuring Universe, but, conversely, was the highest-grossing worldwide. So the producers no doubt ordered up more of the same. Taken over by director Michael Chaves, The Nun II makes all the mistakes its predecessor made, going heavy on noisy scare effects — and the usual "nightmare" sequence — and hoping no one notices how ridiculous the story is.

The screenplay is airless, and absolutely everything in it is used to forward the plot; there's no breathing room, and not an inch of life. The timing is all off, and characters are left stranded in certain spots while other characters are running around. And, during the breakneck car ride back to the boarding school, we see Irene and Debra in the back seat, but never the driver! All the doors creak mightily and anyone who holds a flashlight scans the dark rooms ever… so… slowly… — obviously directed to set up more jump-scares.

The sets are gorgeous, and Farmiga and Reid are likable, but when the dull The Nun II finally comes to a close, it's "none too" soon.