THE NUN (2018) Movie Review

The Conjuring horror franchise continues with The Nun . The demon Valek makes its first appearance in the timeline. Set in 1952, three people investigate a nun's suicide at Carta Monastery in Bucharest, Romania. What they find is far darker and more terrifying than any of them could expect. The story, however, focuses on their level of preparation. It is that preparation that ensures their protection against the demon that has taken over the abbey. Their new mission is to stop it before it escapes into the world.

Father Burke, the committed priest, is educated and experienced in exorcisms. He is the vatican's go-to investigator for unusual pnenomina. His speciality is exorcisms. Yet, the guilt of a failed exorcism weighs on him. He feels responsible for the death of a child, and Valek exploits that guilt.

Sister Irene, the visionary, is a postulant nun. She struggles with commitment, afraid to dedicate her life wholly to God. At the same time, her greatest gift makes her invaluable to the mission. Her visions guide them to the tool they need to incapacitate the demon and send it back to Hell. Her reluctance to dedicate herself to God nearly condemns her soul to the demons.

Frenchie, the local, is a secular man. He is committed to the world. He is an open sinner who partakes in drinking, lust, and violence. His only weapon is a shotgun, ineffective on an enemy of the spirit. Without faith, he has no spiritual protection from the demon making him an easy target for possession.

Together, they discover the ultimate weapon against the evil festering within the abbey.

For decades, the abbey resorts to prayer. The prayer only stalls the evil, but eventually, it stops working. The power of prayer fades without action.

"There's a time for prayer and a time for action. This is a time for action," says Father Burke as they prepare to face Valek.

What is the proper weapon?

What is the proper weapon?

The relic they find contains the blood of Christ. One drop of blood is enough to close the portal to Hell. It is a powerful, irrefutable weapon against evil. Just as the metaphorical blood of Christ provides hope and salvation to all who accept it. The blood of Christ cleanses sin from our souls. Only the blood of Christ can protect and save us from evil. All we need to do is accept it.

Father Burke and Sister Irene are protected because they dedicate themselves to Christ. They accept salvation through the blood of Christ. They are equipped with the appropriate weapon against evil. Frenchie, on the other hand, suffers a possession, because his soul is open and vulnerable to the evil. His shotgun does not properly equip him against the demon.

Evil is ever present in the world. The point of The Nun is not to send the demon away. Instead, it portrays how we protect ourselves from the minions of Satan: salvation. The blood of Christ cleanses sin, accepting Christ brings salvation, and a dedicated life to God shields our souls from evil.