The Nun II Director on What Makes the Conjuring Universe Successful

The Nun II is the ninth film in the Conjuring Universe, a franchise that's as strong (or stronger) than any other in Hollywood.

By Charlie Ridgely

This weekend, the latest chapter in the Conjuring Universe arrives in theaters in the form of The Nun II. A sequel to 2018's The Nun (which was a prequel to The Conjuring 2), The Nun II continues the story of Taissa Farmiga's Irene and the demonic Valac. The film is directed by Michael Chaves, who has now become the seasoned veteran of the franchise. The Nun II is Chavez's third Conjuring movie, following The Curse of La Llorona and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. He's played in multiple sandboxes within the franchise, so he's got as good an understanding of it than anyone.

Ahead of The Nun II's debut, The Hollywood Reporter spoke with Chavez about his work with the Conjuring and the franchise as a whole. The Conjuring Universe has been successful and sustainable for more than a decade now, and it seems like the spinoff possibilities are endless. What is it that makes this particular franchise work so well? 

"The movies are always scary, and they always deliver on that core experience," Chaves explained. "The other things that really make them work is that there's a lot of heart in them. There are characters that you really love, and there's also the element of faith. Faith is always an element that runs through these films – and sometimes more directly than others – but it's the combination of those three things that's the Holy Trinity of the universe."

Chaves went on to explain how each of the films in the Conjuring Universe manage to set themselves apart and stand out from one another.

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"It's interesting. Whenever someone says, 'All three of your movies are in the Conjuring-verse,' it's easy to think that it's a kind of rinse and repeat, but making movies is like raising kids. Each one has their own personality and they become their own person, and that's so true with movies. They just naturally do that," he said. "I'm such a fan of this series, and I'm such a fan of the universe that I actually like those connections. I like feeling that this really is part of a bigger story, and I like feeling the weight of that. It actually feels like something that is both building off of something and then building to something, so I always love having those little connections. So even though they do become their own movies – and I think that they are just naturally – I'm usually the one who's trying to bring those connections back in."

Are you looking forward to checking out The Nun II in theaters this weekend? Let us know in the comments!

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