The Nun 2: Plot, cast, trailers as horror sequel hits cinemas

Having a protagonist that’s already dead surely means your franchise can never truly die - and that certainly seems to be the case for The Nun 2, the ninth instalment in The Conjuring Universe.

Created by Saw’s James Wan back in 2013, this hugely popular horror franchise has gone on to produce two direct sequels, a spin-off focusing on the story’s creepy Annabelle doll complete with its own prequel and sequel, and a feature focusing on the terrifying nun figure first glimpsed in Wan’s original film.

Needless to say, Wan and his series producer partner Peter Safran have wasted no time in mining as many scares as they can from their haunted house tales. They show no signs of stopping either, with a new film set in the Conjuring universe entitled The Crooked Man currently in development and a sequel to The Nun out in UK cinemas now.

Read more: The Conjuring Universe timeline

With so many scares to keep on top of, things can easily get muddled up - so read on to get up to date on all the key details of The Nun 2, including its cast, plot, trailers and more.

The Nun 2 release date

There’ll be no hiding behind the sofa for The Nun 2 viewers, as it’s out exclusively in cinemas, with a streaming release date yet to be announced.

Then again, is there a better way to experience a good old-fashioned ghost story than by getting hopped up on sugar and sitting in a dark room with strangers? Probably not.

The Nun 2 reviews

Is The Nun 2 your new favourite horror movie or is it plagued with cinematic sins? As reviews begin to pour in, we're starting to get a better idea of just how successful this scary sequel really is.

Our own critique put its thoughts up front, highlighting how the movie offers more of the same - which is handy for people who loved the first movie but perhaps less so for those who were after something a little more in-depth.

The Independent mentioned its "bloody and well-constructed scares" before suggesting it could benefit by ditching its franchise links. Digital Spy also highlighted its habit of leaning into lore but praised its director Michael Chaves for being "unafraid to let the dread slowly build."

Read our review round-up below.

Yahoo Movies: Horror sequel falls into bad habits (3-min read)

The Independent: Sequel could have been a M3GAN-esque thrill if not for its franchise commitments (3-min read)

Digital Spy: Better than the first movie, but has familiar flaws (4-min read)

Total Film: Best stop now before it becomes a habit (1-min read)

The Nun 2 plot

A prequel, The Nun part one took us back to Romania in 1952, where we met a young nun named Irene who comes into contact with a demonic spirit called Valak that takes the form of a twisted and terrifying nun.

Warning: Spoilers for The Nun lurk below

By the end of the first film, Irene is led to believe that a successful exorcism has banished Valak from the realm of the living before director Corin Hardy revealed to audiences that one of her friends, Frenchie, was in fact possessed by the demon at the last moment.

The film then flashes forward 20 years where we see paranormal investigators and heroes of the original Conjuring movies, Ed and Lorraine Warren, showing a video of Frenchie’s exorcism to a university classroom. With that, Hardy connects the dots between The Nun and the beginning of Wan’s The Conjuring, with Lorraine receiving her first terrifying vision of Valak the nun.

Read more: Saw director James Wan on the ropey creation of his horror classic

The Nun 2 is also a prequel and promises to bring the action forward a few years to 1956, transporting the story to France. According to the film’s official synopsis, “a priest is murdered. An evil is spreading. The sequel to the worldwide smash hit follows Sister Irene as she once again comes face-to-face with Valak, the demon nun.”

In an interview with SFX Magazine, director Michael Chaves claimed that he believed the film was the most violent to be made for The Conjuring universe.

Speaking to the publication he teased: "I think that this does get darker. Even audiences have said this, when we screened it. It is definitely more violent than what they expected from a Conjuring movie.

"It’s always a delicate balance. It’s definitely scary, it’s 100% delivered on that. Just as horror audiences have developed the appetite for horror, the appetite for violence has started to increase, and so there are some violent elements in this."

Other than that, not much else is currently known about the plot of The Nun 2 - but we do know that it has been written by Akela Cooper, the same screenwriter behind Malignant and M3GAN, so we should be in good hands when it comes to quality frights.

The Nun 2 cast

Bonnie Aarons will return as Valak the demonic nun, with Taissa Farmiga once again inhabiting the role of Sister Irene, the religious youth hellbent on beating this ancient evil.

Jonas Bloquet, who played the possessed Frenchie in the first film will also be back, alongside newcomers Storm Reid from Missing, Anna Popplewell as seen in The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Princess star Katelyn Rose Downey.

While little is known about their characters, it is believed that Popplewell will play a widow and the mother of Downey’s character.

Part one saw some of the original stars of The Conjuring - including Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren - appear in archive footage. However, it remains to be seen as to whether they’ll pop up again in part two.

The Nun 2 trailer

The shadowy first trailer for The Nun 2 dropped in mid-July 2023 and in it we got to learn a bit more about Valak’s evil backstory, primarily how it was at one point an angel before being “rejected by God.”

We also see a group of young nuns-to-be coming into contact with the demon, as Sister Irene once again tries to stop it in its tracks before anyone is hurt.

The Nun 2 is out now.