Warning! This post contains spoilers for The Nun II
Summary
- The Nun II breaks convention by toning down the violence compared to its predecessor, but it pays off by focusing on suspenseful haunting horror.
- Surprisingly, The Nun II has far fewer kills than the original, deviating from the expectation of increasing body counts in horror franchises.
- The sequel’s decreased number of deaths allows for a stronger focus on building tension and creating memorable scares through unsettling sequences and creepy characters.
While The Nun II might break a major horror franchise convention, the sequel’s surprising change turns out to be a good thing for the follow-up. The Nun II continues the fight with Valak, the demon that terrorized the main characters in The Conjuring 2 and The Nun. Even though her first movie outing performed poorly with critics, Valak still made a splash at the box office with The Nun earning $365 million upon release.
In addition to The Nun II’s impressive box office effectively ensuring another sequel, its surprisingly positive reviews provide a great deal of hope in terms of what the next installment might bring. Like Annabelle: Creation, this Conjuring universe sequel is arguably stronger than its predecessor and the movie managed this feat despite reversing a famous horror franchise trope. Whereas many horror movies up the ante in terms of gore with every new movie, The Nun II took another approach.
The Nun 2 Has Far Fewer Kills Than The Original Movie
Although The Nun II’s Goat Demon and its returning villain Valak might be scary, they aren’t as murderous as the nun was in her debut outing. In contrast to The Nun, which featured 22 deaths, The Nun II killed off only seven characters. The death toll could potentially be increased to eight if Sophie’s bully died from the injuries she sustained when the Goat Demon tore through the door and her shoulder. However, this possible demise is not clearly depicted onscreen or implied in dialogue, and, more pertinently, even a body count of eight would be much less than The Nun’s.
What makes the decreased number of deaths in The Nun II so unusual is the fact that, traditionally, horror franchises are expected to up their body counts with each sequel. It’s natural for franchises throughout the genre’s history to try to keep viewers entertained by adding more carnage with every sequel, reboot, and remake. Thus, it was a bit of a surprise to see The Nun II tone down the violence of the original movie, particularly when The Nun was such a huge hit with audiences. Judging by critical responses to the sequel, the gamble paid off.
Why The Nun 2’s Lower Body Count Works
The Nun II is a suspenseful haunting horror rather than a straightforward slasher, so its comparative lack of gore isn’t an issue for the story. The Nun II was able to focus on building tension with creepy sequences of unsettling children’s games and seemingly sweet characters unknowingly channeling Valek’s malignant spirit, both of which are much scarier than another gruesome death scene complete with CGI blood sprays. By prioritizing scares over gratuitous violence, The Nun II succeeded in becoming a standout installment in the beloved Conjuring franchise.
