Early Concept Art For The Nun Will Give You Nightmares

With the release of The Nun so close that you can practically feel the frosty exhale of Valak the Defiler on the back of your neck, the marketing blitz for the “darkest chapter” in The Conjuring universe has ramped up, and director Corin Hardy is here to ensure you don’t get an ounce of sleep until opening weekend.

Courtesy of Bloody Disgusting, Hardy’s provided us with a batch of his hand-drawn concept art which, according to the filmmaker, is an integral part of his process: “I always start sketching when I get excited, so once I started reading the script, I did drawings when I was on the train. Ideas, little looks of characters and things,” he said.

In the gallery below, you can catch a glimpse of Hardy’s handiwork, including a never before seen first look at Demonic Daniel and Demonic Sister Victoria, in addition to the filmmaker’s first ever freehand of Valak the Defiler. Although, if you’re just settling down for bed, maybe it’s best you save the viewing for the morning.

With roughly a week to go before release, early tracking has The Nun headed toward a huge opening weekend. Granted, it’ll come nowhere near the absolutely monstrous bow of Andy Muschietti’s IT remake – which debuted to the tune of $123 million, and is the all-time record holder for September – but Corin Hardy’s gothic horror could launch as high as $40 million.

Scheduled to have you down on bended knee to the Defiler, look for The Nun – starring Taissa Farmiga as Sister Irene, Demián Bichir as Father Burke, and Bonnie Aarons as the titular prioress – to keep you sleepless beginning Friday, September 7th.