The James Wan-led “Conjuring Universe” is filled with creepy houses, family turmoil, possessed children (THE CONJURING 2), and children’s toys & games gone wrong (both ANNABELLE films). Besides the fact that THE NUN takes place in 1952 which is well before the other four films in this universe, the film brings a stark change of environment by setting the scares in a monastery compared to the usual family households. Of course, with this eerie setting, a whole new style of scares and creepy imagery await audiences anticipating this scary new entry in the series.
THE NUN follows the evil entity first introduced in THE CONJURING 2. But before seeing the film when it opens this Friday, September 7th, let’s dive into a world of religious horror filled with nasty nuns, satanic spirits, and malevolent monasteries. Holy hell, let’s pray we make it out alive!
THE CHURCH (1989)
When you build a church over a mass grave of expected Devil worshippers dating back to The Crusades, you know that you might run into a little bit of trouble. Flash forward to present day 1989, a newly-hired librarian and a painter restoring frescos in the church discover that religious evil begets even greater evil. The underground catacombs and buried secrets beneath the church give way to some effective scares reminiscent of what we’ve seen in the trailers for THE NUN. A scene where the male lead opens a sealed crypt at the center of a stone crucifix leads to some unexpected scares and ushers in the gory but somewhat silly second half. Michele Soavi is a better visual storyteller than a writer (which he wrote with Italian master Dario Argento), so head into THE CHURCH knowing you’re getting slow creeping atmosphere at first before it segues into a bizarre, unhinged exploitation flick with allusions to ROSEMARY’S BABY in the second half.
THE NAME OF THE ROSE (1986)
A religious figure leaps to their death. An expert and a young apprentice are called in to investigate. Mysterious happenings pile up. If this sounds an awful lot like the plot of THE NUN, you would be correct. Yet, it’s also the plot of the book and 1986 film adaptation, THE NAME OF THE ROSE. Here you have Sean Connery playing a cross between a Franciscan monk and Sherlock Holmes, while Christian Slater plays more of a naive student in training than Dr. Watson. This engaging murder mystery was actually shot in a real monastery, and the gloomy look to the candle-lit hallways and stone archways gives the film an ominous feel. While it doesn’t feature killer nuns popping out at you, it’s worth watching to see how this inspired Gary Dauberman and James Wan’s story in THE NUN.
ALUCARDA (1977)
Dozens of large crucifixes and hundreds of candles are the backdrop for two girls strapped and stretched over a cross. Nuns walk around with blood-stained white garments. A late night ceremony conjures a horned demon. A woman emerges from a coffin filled with blood. Nuns burst into flames. And this is just a taste of the nightmarish imagery on display in ALUCARDA – a film praised by Guillermo del Toro. In just 74 mins, this Mexican thriller gets under your skin as it tells the story of two girls whose souls are possessed by the Devil during their stay at a monastery. Director Juan Lopez Moctezuma has a unique approach to the material that makes the sensational and exploitative events feel surprisingly artistic. The film is overflowing with blood, screams, and nudity – it’s a wild devilish ride and a chilling reminder of the horrors of teen rebellion when religion is fueled by fear.
THE GORGON, KISS OF THE VAMPIRE, or other Hammer Films (1964, 1963)
During interviews with the screenwriter of THE NUN earlier this year, he mentioned how the film was heavily influenced by the imagery of gothic castles and fog covered forests in the horror films of Hammer Studios. KISS OF THE VAMPIRE opens with a burial funeral in a foggy cemetery that plays as the perfect atmospheric reference to influence THE NUN. However, it’s THE GORGON that’s often praised as one of the defining moments from a studio known for producing dozens of gothic horror films from the 50s into the 70s. The film might move a little slow for some monster fans considering that the creature is shown only in brief glimpses until the end. During the wait, we’re treated to beautiful and colorful shots of the meticulous set design, an element that became a trademark in Hammer films. Hammer didn’t make a nun-inspired horror film, but the studio’s use of gothic imagery seems evident in what we’ve seen so far from THE NUN.
THE OTHER HELL (1981)
Bruno Mattei was never going to reach the Italian horror ranks alongside Mario Bava or Dario Argento, yet alone Lucio Fulci. Try as he may through aping their gimmicks in his C or D-level films, the Italian director never really got much recognition even though he pumped out over 50 films in his career (Argento has still directed only half as many). The plot centers on a priest investigating murders at a convent, but you’re not gonna watch a Bruno Mattei film for the story or dialogue (which was often made up on set). Demon dogs, demon girls… yes, this is cheesy exploitation through and through complete with a plot line that doesn’t make any sense. Directing under the pseudonym Stefan Oblowsky, Mattei surprisingly avoids some of the “nunsploitation” tropes like nudity and gratuitous lesbian sex scenes. It may not be scary and often includes too much padding between setpieces, but THE OTHER HELL might be the sleazy director’s most-underappreciated film.
THE DEVILS (1971)
There isn’t anything new that I can say about this classic and controversial horror film (yes, it is a true horror film in my eyes). Ken Russell pulls out all of the stops in this intense, surreal, and fiery critique of the abuse of power and hypocrisy within organized religion, specifically the Catholic Church. It’s no wonder that it was banned in so many countries and is still without a Blu-ray release in North America. Set in 17th century France, THE DEVILS stars Vanessa Redgrave as a hunchbacked nun named Sister Jeanne who lusts after Father Grandier (Oliver Reed). To this day, THE DEVILS has some of the most beautifully-shocking images I’ve seen in any film – one of the original deleted scenes features a massive orgy of nuns and a statue of Christ that was used in “unholy” ways. It’s the kind of film where a public burning is treated like a crazed and hysterical festival of death. And yet, the emotional performances from icons Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed ground the film from going completely off the rails. There’s never going to be a time when a religious horror film gets released and the conversation doesn’t call to mind THE DEVILS. What it lacks in jump-scares, it more than makes up for in real, fervent terror.
THE HALLOW (2015)
It’s always interesting to revisit the films that paved the way for a director. Corin Hardy made a name for himself with several music videos and short films that led to his feature film debut. THE HALLOW has a pretty simple siege premise: A family in a remote Irish village bunker down to survive from some newly-awakened creatures in the woods. This 2015 creature feature earned Hardy the Best Horror Film at the Empire Awards. It’s also worth noting for old-school horror fans that the director pushed to use practical effects as much as possible. Leaning heavily towards suspense with a healthy dash of fantastical folklore, THE HALLOW shows a director that knows how to ratchet tension and effectively work in isolated and tight quarters. As is the case in the trailers for THE NUN, you never know what might be around the corner.
THE NUN opens in theaters this Friday, September 7th.
