Growing up going to a catholic school has its ups and downs.
One of Windhoek’s oldest educational institutions, Holy Cross Convent School, has a rich history and was my home for seven years. Throughout this time, I came to love some nuns and fear others.
There’s something about their stern faces, strict voices and indefatigable pursuit of discipline that will have a small child quiver with fear; and the darkened hallways strategically decorated with crucifixes in no time had me imagining all sorts of horrors of all things Catholic.
‘The Nun’ reawakened all of these fears.
Hollywood has recently started following the trend of cinematic universes, and ‘The Conjuring’ is no exception. Adapting the cases of demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren, this series of films tie in deftly with one another, not only giving the audience scares, but exceptional cinematic work.
That brings me to the next point. Remember the horrid Catholic nun from ‘The Conjuring 2’ and her systematic role in bringing the Warrens to England for a paranormal investigation? Well, her story didn’t just pop out of the blue.
In ‘The Conjuring 1’, Ed (Patrick Wilson) explains in a lecture and video presentation that the subject of an exorcism, Maurice Theriault, a French-Canadian farmer, is infested with a demon and the different stages of the demonic infestation.
This short part in the film might not have been of much significance at first glance, however, the story of Theriault comes alive in ‘The Nun’.
Set in 1952 Romania, two nuns living at the Cârta Monastery are attacked by an unseen presence. The surviving nun, Sister Victoria, flees from the paranormal presence and hangs herself by jumping out a window as the antagonist of the film is slowly revealed.
Theriault, referred to as Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet) in the film, is tasked with supplying the monastery with produce and stumbles upon the hanging sister, whereafter word of the suicide reaches the Vatican.
Frenchie is forced to return to the abbey in the woods, along with Father Burke (Demián Bichir) and novitiate Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga),who are on a mission to determine whether the grounds are still holy. The horror ball is soon set rolling as the demonic presence doesn’t waste time to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting visitors.
With great acting, heart-stopping moments, exceptional cinematography and the everlasting tenebrous atmosphere, ‘The Nun’ however falls short regarding certain elements. With a history as dark and secretive as that of the Catholic church, the plot could’ve been thickened with more mystery and depth.
‘The Nun’ slightly loses its scare factor in some cases as predictability emerges as it relies too much on jump frights. Although the paranormal world defies science, there are some points that are just illogical, such as the monastery having a secret stash of Jesus’ blood. ?
The horror genre is by far one of my favourites and despite these few shortcomings, ‘The Nun’ certainly did not disappoint.
While I tell myself every night since that it’s just a movie, the eerie feeling of something breathing down my neck as I walk the hallways of my house doesn’t seem to want to leave.
