A priest with a dark past and a novice nearing her final vows are sent by the Vatican to Romania to investigate a nun's death and face a demonic force.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.5/10
IMDb: 5.4/10
Letterboxd: 2.31/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 24%
Metacritic: 46
TMDB: 5.9/10
Director
Corin Hardy
Production
New Line Cinema, Atomic Monster, The Safran Company
Cast
Taissa Farmiga, Demián Bichir, Bonnie Aarons, Jonas Bloquet, Ingrid Bisu, Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Lili Taylor, Charlotte Hope, Sandra Teles, Maria Obretin, August Maturo, Jack Falk, Lynnette Gaza, Ani Sava, Michael Smiley, Gabrielle Downey, David Horovitch, Tudor Munteanu, Lili Bordán
Where to watch
Max
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy, atmosphere-first demonic possession spin-off with strong iconography but thin scares, repetitive plotting, and more noise than dread. It has a few effective gothic images, but the movie is too dependent on jump-scare mechanics and franchise lore to feel essential.
Best for
Viewers who want a moody, old-world haunted convent setting
Fans of the Conjuring universe looking to fill in the mythology
People who enjoy creature-feature visuals and Catholic horror imagery
Casual horror viewers who prefer mainstream, low-to-mid intensity scares
Skip if
You want smart, escalating horror with real narrative payoff
You dislike jump-scare-heavy studio horror
You prefer transgressive, unsettling, or psychologically rich possession films
You are looking for a standout entry in the Conjuring franchise
Overview
The Nun is built around one of modern horror’s most striking images: a demonic figure framed by abbey corridors, candlelight, and religious ritual. The setting does a lot of the heavy lifting, and the film understands how to turn stone walls, shadows, and iconography into a gothic mood piece. It also benefits from a committed lead performance and a clear sense of franchise branding, even when the script is running on fumes.
Worth noting
Where it falters is in the basics of horror storytelling. The scares are often blunt, the pacing is repetitive, and the movie leans so hard on loud stings and dark-corner reveals that the tension starts to feel mechanical. Instead of deepening its central mythology, it keeps circling the same beats, which makes the runtime feel longer than it is.
Bottom line
If you’re here for atmosphere and Catholic-horror aesthetics, there’s enough craft to make it passable. If you want a genuinely frightening or especially inventive supernatural film, this is more of a serviceable franchise chapter than a must-see.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Jacob Hinchely (1.5★) · 7785 likes
Nun of this made any sense.
mia (1.5★) · 6524 likes
this shit said sister more times than a james charles video
sree (1★) · 4456 likes
organised religion is more terrifying than any demon
stevie (1.5★) · 3549 likes
Why would someone make a movie about a demonic nun and not include ANY blasphemy?? I want GORE! I want DEVIL-WORSHIP! I want LESBIAN NUNS! And ORGIES! And CRUCIFIX MASTURBATION! When Taissa Farmiga met that hot French guy and he flirted with her and she was all like “no sorry I’m a novitiate!” …um hello MISSED OPPORTUNITY?? Erotic Nun Horror was right in front of you and you decided NOT to go through with it???? Disappointed. I’m disappointed!
<3 (2.5★) · 2255 likes
the scariest part was when the nun said "you've failed, just as you failed everyone in your life" it got too real 😔