To quote an oft-used phrase in horror circles: reader beware, you’re in for a scare.
It’s one that can be traced back to R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series, of course, but it very much applies to today’s all-new teaser trailer for The Nun, New Line and Corin Hardy’s horror prequel poised to whisk viewers off to 1950s Romania, where a demonic force has sunk its teeth (literally and figuratively) into an unsuspecting monastery.
Even the church’s greatest exorcists, like Father Burke (Demián Bichir of Alien: Covenant), don’t stand much of a chance against Valak. She’s already been caught peering over Burke’s shoulder, for instance, but today’s promo cranks things up to 11 and leaves Bichir’s priest at the mercy of the Nun – so much so, that our protagonist finds himself trapped in a coffin with only Valak for company. Yikes!
Another religious figure set to confront Valak is Taissa Farmiga’s Sister Irene, whose troubled childhood led her to a life in the church. It’s something that ought to evoke a cathartic sense of calm and serenity as one surrenders himself/herself to the mercy of God, but for Sister Irene, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Under the command of the Vatican, she’s asked to partner with Father Burke for his investigation into the death of a fellow novitiate, ultimately leading to a run-in with the hooded demon that stalks its prey from the shadows (and a submerged coffin, it seems).
Said to be the darkest installment in the Conjuring franchise thus far, expect The Nun, Corin Hardy’s horror prequel, to be summoned into theaters in time for September 7th. Will it sink or swim? That largely depends on word-of-mouth and online buzz, which proved crucial for horror films like A Quiet Place, It and even Get Out.