Inspired by the filmmakers, I’m going to cut-and-copy a chunk of my review for the first Nun (2018)
This insipid entry into the over-bloated Conjuring franchise keenly demonstrates everything wrong with the state of studio horror. Where the Conjuring franchise once offered a refreshing revamp of classic horror tropes, this entry seems content to simply check off each and every cliche and uninspired retread of overplayed jump scares.
The filmmakers seem so pleased with the ‘scare’ from Conjuring 2, where a painting of the eponymous Nun comes to sudden life, that they insisted on finding incessant ways of repeating the same tactic. The Nun appears, ready to glare and grasp at observers, in paintings, portraits, pictures, magazine racks, cracks of dried plaster, everything short of moldy bread. It hides in every shadow, creeps behind every mirror, and seemingly exists simply to inflict jump scares. Now to be generous, this is a superior sequel, but far from a good film. The director apparently took note of previous issues and decided to actually include basic lighting and more diverse locales. The framing and locations are well shot, and there is a sense of more adventurousness, alongside a lot more potential victims. The plot is a bit absurd, carrying the threads of the last into a magical macguffin quest, but the performances are sound by the leads and majority of the supporting cast. The ending seemingly closes the book on this chapter, but knowing how things ultimately play out through the Conjuring-verse guarantees this is just a temporary reprieve before another round.