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The next installment in The Conjuring Universe is coming soon. Fans of The Conjuring, Annabelle, and The Nun would do well to catch the sequel coming to theaters on September 8th. Historically, films in this universe have always performed well at the box office, making The Nun II somewhat of a safe bet if recent horror releases have disenfranchised you. Here’s everything you need to know about The Nun II before catching it in theaters.
What is the plot for The Nun II?
The famous demon Valak will, of course, be returning in The Nun II, but other than that, we don’t know too much. The short description on IMDb simply states, “1956 – France. A priest is murdered. An evil is spreading. The sequel to the worldwide smash hit follows Sister Irene as she once again comes face-to-face with Valak, the demon nun.”
There’s reason to believe that this installment will delve more into the backstory of Valak, as James Wan, the mastermind behind the universe, teased back in 2017 that a sequel could connect to The Conjuring, one of the best horror movies of the 2010s, and the Warrens. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Wan stated, “I do know… where The Nun 2 could lead to and how that ties back to Lorraine’s story that we’ve set up with the first two Conjurings and make it all come all full circle.”
What happened in The Nun?
If you need a brief recap on the events of the first film before going to see The Nun II, here’s a quick summary. Sister Irene and Father Burke are investigating an apparent suicide at an abbey. They soon come to find out that an ancient demon is behind everything—Valak. A rift to hell has been inadvertently opened by WWII bombings, and the pair must seal the portal by using the blood of Christ.
Unfortunately for them, Irene is lured into a pentagram and possessed by Valak, but luckily, Frenchie (a farmer helping the duo) smears the blood of Christ on her face, releasing the demon. Irene winds up spitting some of the blood onto Valak, seemingly banishing him back to hell.
That is until we see that on the back of Frenchie’s neck, there’s an inverted crucifix, suggesting that Valak has possessed him and is waiting for an opportunity to take hold again—which leads us to the potential plot of the second film, the possession of Frenchie and the origin story of Valak.
Do I need to watch The Nun to understand The Nun II?
You don’t need to necessarily watch The Nun to understand The Nun II, but it would definitely help. The Nun II isn’t a standalone movie, but you can still quickly understand what’s happening without having seen the first movie. If you’ve seen other films in The Conjuring universe, you’ll quickly get what’s going on and be able to connect the dots between The Nun II and the rest of the series.
Who is in The Nun II?
Obviously, we know that Taissa Farmiga of American Horror Story fame will be reprising her role as Sister Irene. Likewise, we also know that Jonas Bloquet will be Frenchie, as the demon Valak is still inside of him as far as we know. As Valak is a major part of this movie, Bonnie Aarons will also be coming back. Bonnie Aarons played Valak/demon nun in The Conjuring 2 and The Nun.
Besides those three, you’ll also see Storm Reid in an unannounced lead role new to the series. Anna Popplewell is playing Kate, a school teacher at St. Mary’s. Her 10-year-old daughter, Sophie, will be played by Katelyn Rose Downey.
When does The Nun II release?
You’ll be able to catch The Nun II in theaters this September 8th—if you’re in the United States or one of the other countries with a scheduled release for the 8th. Non-US watchers might have a different date depending on your location in the world, so be sure to check your local theaters for tickets. It won’t be streaming anywhere until its theatrical release is over, so don’t expect to catch it on Netflix or Hulu. If we follow the timeline of past releases, you can probably expect it on a streaming platform sometime in December or Q1 of next year but don’t hold your breath.
