The Nun, directed by Corin Hardy, is an origin story for Valak that takes place in the 1950s and devoted and studied Conjuring fans are looking for connections throughout the franchise that may not have been immediately apparent. A great example is the video at the bottom of the article from the YouTubers at CZsWorld: “19 Things You Missed That Set Up The Nun”! Though the narrator has yet to see The Nun himself, meaning many of his observations can’t be confirmed (at this time) he offers some incredible observations, making a great case that Valak has been subtly yet inaugurally woven into the very fabric of the series. Let’s review some of his key points by examining each Conjuring movie and spinoff individually.
First, here are some potential hints at Valak’s presence from 2013’s The Conjuring:
The next film in The Conjuring franchise is Annabelle (released in 2015) and, while there don’t appear to be any direct connections to The Nun, there is religious imagery that at least establishes similar thematic overtones.
While Valak appears in earnest in The Conjuring 2, there are clues throughout the film the suggest the demon nun is more entrenched in the Warren family’s lives than they initially realize. For example:
The next film in The Conjuring franchise came in the form of a second Annabelle spinoff; Annabelle: Creation (released in 2017) takes place in 1955. While the exact date of The Nun hasn’t been revealed in trailers or plot summaries available so far, it definitely takes place in the years following World War II; whether Annabelle: Creation takes place before or after the events of The Nun, we can at least assume with certainty that the two films take place within a reasonable amount of time from each other. And while connections to The Nun are extremely few, they’re extremely important.
In a key scene, Sister Charlotte (played by Stephanie Sigman) shares a picture of herself and some peers at a convent in Romania. Almost undetectable in the shadow is Valak, presiding over the entire group. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to deduce this picture shows the setting of The Nun, creating an iron link between the two films and establishing Valak as a demon who can’t be contained to certain chapters of The Conjuring universe. She’s everywhere!
As someone who’s seen an advanced screening of The Nun, I can confirm that are additional, solid connections made to previous chapters of The Conjuring franchise. Of course, I’d be doing an extreme disservice by revealing them here and now. I can, however, state with confidence that these connections add volumes to The Conjuring franchise’s core mythologies, making it a vastly more terrifying universe than previously established.
In addition to CZsWorld’s video, you can check out the synopsis and trailer for The Nun, starring Demián Bichir, Taissa Farmiga, and Jonas Bloquet, below.
When a young nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania takes her own life, a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate. Together, they uncover the order’s unholy secret. Risking not only their lives but their faith and their very souls, they confront a malevolent force in the form of a demonic nun.
Do you agree that the demon nun Valak has been lurking around The Conjuring franchise since it was first launched? Are you excited to check out The Nun when it hits theaters on September 7th? Let us know what you think in the comments below (or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram)!