The Nun II director Michael Chaves has shared why he thinks the Conjuring Universe is so effective. The franchise began with 2013’s The Conjuring, which followed a 1971 haunting that involved paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga), who are very loosely based on the real-life figures of the same name. Their various exploits, and the demonic figures they encounter along the way, have been detailed in sequels to The Conjuring as well as spinoffs including the Annabelle trilogy and 2018’s The Nun as well as its sequel, which premieres on September 8.
The Hollywood Reporter recently sat down with Chaves to discuss the new movie shortly before the official The Nun II release date. During their conversation, he reflected on the success of the Conjuring Universe, which now numbers nine movies including The Nun II. He considers effective scares, solid characters, and the element of faith to be the “Holy Trinity” that keeps audiences coming back to the franchise. Read his full quote below:
The movies are always scary, and they always deliver on that core experience. The other things that really make them work is that there’s a lot of heart in them. There are characters that you really love, and there’s also the element of faith. Faith is always an element that runs through these films — and sometimes more directly than others — but it’s the combination of those three things that’s the Holy Trinity of the universe.
How The Conjuring Universe Evokes These Three Elements
As Chaves points out, the Conjuring movies wouldn’t be nearly as effective if they weren’t scary. The original The Conjuring was directed by James Wan, a horror filmmaker who was at the top of his game after helming the low-budget smash hit Insidious in 2010. His particular approach to slow burn scares that build to a shattering crescendo has been taken up by the other filmmakers in the franchise, which include Chaves, David F. Sandberg, Corin Hardy, and Gary Dauberman.
The franchise has also had a surprisingly consistent and well-fleshed-out cast of characters. While Ed and Lorraine Warren aren’t a major presence in the spinoff movies outside of 2019’s Annabelle Comes Home, the spirit of the Conjuring movies, which centers their love story above almost anything else, remains. Human stories are always at the center of the Conjuring Universe movies, including The Nun, which focused on the young novitiate Sister Irene’s (Taissa Farmiga) relationship to her faith.
Said faith also forms the spine of The Nun II, which sees the return of Sister Irene. But, as Chaves points out, faith is at the center of the entire franchise, which largely focuses on demonic figures from Catholic mythology. It is unclear how important that element is to the franchise as a whole, which enjoys a strong non-Catholic audience as well, but the three pillars he points out are present in every outing in the long-running franchise, which is looking to continue even further into the future after this new entry.
Key Release Dates
The Nun II
Release Date:2023-09-08
