The Nun 2 is the latest installment in The Conjuring Universe, and it promises to bring back one of the most terrifying villains of the franchise: Valak, the demonic nun. In an exclusive interview with Total Film magazine, director Michael Chaves explains why Valak is such a memorable and scary character, and how he approached the sequel.
“I really think that the Nun is a classic movie monster,” Chaves says. “She reminds me of Pennywise and Dracula and Nosferatu. I see every classic monster when I look at her. I feel like she’s absolutely up there in that pantheon.”
Valak made her debut in The Conjuring 2, where she haunted Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) and her husband Ed (Patrick Wilson) during their investigation of the Enfield poltergeist case. She then got her own spin-off in The Nun, a prequel set in 1952 Romania, where she tormented a young nun named Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) and a priest named Father Burke (Demián Bichir).
The Nun 2 follows Sister Irene as she moves to Italy and joins a convent, hoping to forget her traumatic encounter with Valak. However, she soon finds herself involved in another supernatural mystery, when she’s asked to help Maurice (Jonas Bloquet), a friend from the first film who was possessed by Valak at the end. Maurice has ended up in a European boarding school, where strange things are happening.
Chaves, who also directed The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, says that The Nun 2 is more focused on Sister Irene’s journey than Valak’s backstory. He says that he wanted to keep Valak mysterious and menacing, and not reveal too much about her origins or motivations.
“There are some ideas and backstory and specific theories that are put into her intentions,” he says. “But with all monsters and demons, and anything that you’re scared of, there needs to be an element of mystery. The more you know, the more they’re humanized, the less scary they get.”
The Nun 2 is set to hit theaters on September 8, and it will be the ninth film in The Conjuring Universe, which also includes the Annabelle and The Curse of La Llorona movies. Chaves says that he’s proud to be part of this horror franchise, and that he hopes to scare and entertain audiences with his new film.
“I think it’s such a fun world to play in,” he says. “It’s such a rich universe of characters and stories and scares. I think fans are going to love it.”
The Nun 2 is featured in the new issue of Total Film magazine, which also has an exclusive cover story on Gareth Edwards’ new sci-fi film The Creator. The magazine will be available on newsstands on Thursday, July 20.
Source: GamesRadar