With the exception of Paramount and Bad Robot’s Cloververse, The Conjuring universe is perhaps one of the most fascinating movie franchises in the business.
It’s still in its infancy, of course, given we’re only four films deep. But it won’t be long before viewers are basking in unholy terror for The Nun, or peeping between their fingers at The Crooked Man. There’s also a third, as-yet-untitled movie in the works alongside The Conjuring 3 (another Annabelle prequel?), though it isn’t expected to emerge from the shadows until 2019.
Closer to home, Corin Hardy and über-producer James Wan (Aquaman) are on the verge of launching The Nun, and it seems the latter was in attendance at CinemaCon to discuss what inspired the 2018 spinoff, before ultimately rolling out some footage that clearly made a good first impression with its audience. In fact, some critics took to Twitter shortly after the presentation to remark on The Nun‘s atmosphere and relentless sense of dread. So, yes, this is very much a standalone movie stepped in The Conjuring‘s DNA.
James Wan said The Nun is being made in the style of a classic Italian horror movie and the glimpses we got from the footage seemed to support this. Heavy on atmosphere and production design. No matter what it's going to look like a million bucks.
— Eric Vespe (@EricVespe) April 25, 2018
Adopting a classic Italian style for The Nun is undoubtedly an interesting avenue to explore, particularly as it’ll help differentiate Hardy’s horror flick from other installments in the ever-evolving Conjuring Universe – a universe that is about to swing its doors open to Valak, a creepy religious figure capable of striking fear into even the most hardened horror fan.
Via Twitter:
The latest Conjuring Universe film, THE NUN, looks scary as balls. Should be a solid addition.
— Exhibitor Relations Co. (@ERCboxoffice) April 25, 2018
For me, the Warners #CInemaCon presentation answered one big question: A STAR IS BORN looked terrific. Goosebumps. Also looking forward to “Aquaman,” “The Nun,” “The Meg.” (On the other hand, the less said about “Mowgli” and “Tag” the better.)
— Brooks Barnes (@brooksbarnesNYT) April 25, 2018
James Wan teases The Conjuring spin-off The Nun as “resembling a classic Italian horror film.” And like IT it has a creepy basement water lunge in the teaser screened at #CinemaCon.
— Fandango (@Fandango) April 25, 2018
The Nun unleashes unholy terror on September 7th, 2018 – one week before Shane Black and Fred Dekker summon The Predator into theaters. And the latter looks set to deliver true, R-rated carnage that ought to make those Alien Vs. Predator movies seem like a distant dream.
