This review was originally published on Facebook (Oct 30, 2023).
The Nun II is really bad.
I find it interesting that Christians will watch these and emphasize how real the stories are, but mock us for ghost stories. The plot of Nun II involves the demon trying to find a magical relic to regain powers to ascend from hell.
I know a lot of pagans who like these films and I want to know how y’all feel about the framing of the story. We are told by Catholic sources that the Saint was tortured and martyred by pagans which means this whole film is built around the audience cheering on Catholicism and conversion.
After learning more about the Warrens being hucksters*, I find it hard to believe this has any “true” elements upon which the story is based besides the fact that the specific buildings existed.
The only redeeming feature of The Nun II is the cast, particularly Anna Popplewell, Storm Reid, and Katelyn Rose Downey. SPOILER: I look forward to seeing Reid in other films and think she was done wrong in this one–she didn’t die, but she was a tool for the white savior and teetered on the edge of being a Magical Negro there at the end.
It took me a couple attempts before I finished the entire thing because I kept falling asleep or losing interest. I think this film is pure Christian propaganda and unlike the first one, you can’t ignore it to just enjoy the story.
*–I believe Lorraine was genuinely clairvoyant, but that she used her skills for personal gain to please her pedophile husband, Ed the fraud.
English