A good horror movie is hard to make; a lot of times I find myself laughing at the cheesy special effects, bad acting, or confusing plot, but “The Nun” lived up to my expectations. The film is intended to be a prequel to “The Conjuring” series, giving background into the past of the demon, Valak, who has been a recurring character in the franchise.

 When a young Romanian nun takes her own life, The Vatican sends Father Burke (Demián Bichir), and novitiate Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) to investigate, along with a local villager ‘Frenchie’ (Jonas Bloquet) as their guide. When they arrive at the Abbey, they find themselves led into a series of dark mind games with the spirit of a nun. As more secrets about the haunted establishment are brought to light, a final attempt to vanquish the demon is made. The movie ends with a shocking full circle allusion to “The Conjuring.”

  While many critics reviews vary, I would give “The Nun” 7/10 stars. It was much more reliant on jump scares and gore than suspense for it’s horror aspect, and at times the plot was muddled with the complexity of the effects and ‘wow factor.’ Looking past any plot holes, the visual design of the film was very well done; the makeup and set looked great, as well as the acting itself.

 “The Nun” undoubtedly took the path of big-budget Hollywood horror, it was not ambitious with it’s camera work or premise. In comparison to other horror releases of 2018 like “Hereditary” or “A Quiet Place,” “The Nun” is rather cookie cutter. I believe that this is standard with such high budget franchise installments. I would encourage you to see “The Nun” whether you are familiar with “The Conjuring” series or not. Arguably, there’s nothing better to put you in the Halloween spirit than a scary movie.