The Nun 2 Easter Egg Guide: Director Michael Chaves Reveals His Hidden References
This article contains major spoilers for "The Nun II."
Has "The Nun II" signaled the start of a fresh, new subgenre of films? After the success of the Russell Crowe-starring "The Pope's Exorcist," maybe we ought to welcome our newest overlords: supernatural-themed horror movies following associates of the Vatican who investigate paranormal events. Call me crazy, but I know a pattern when I see one!
Okay, maybe that's a bit of a stretch (as much as we'd love to see that happen!), but there's no hiding the fact that audiences simply can't get enough of anything related to filmmaker James Wan's "The Conjuring" universe ... including movies that are lacking the involvement of fan-favorite characters Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, respectively). The opening weekend box office haul of "The Nun II" speaks for itself, even as the overall critical reception indicates there's still room for improvement. (You can check out my mixed-positive review for /Film here.) In the end, however, none can deny the widespread appeal of the franchise's brand recognition.
A large part of that comes from the willingness of filmmakers like "The Nun II" director Michael Chaves to embrace connections, deep-cuts, and references to the original "Conjuring" movies. Both "Nun" movies were made with newcomers in mind, but diehards have a whole assortment of Easter eggs to dig through. Thankfully, Chaves spoke reached out to /Film and spilled the beans on some of the sneakier references he slipped into the movie.
Connections to The Conjuring 2
Many expected that "The Nun II" would call back to either "The Conjuring" or "The Conjuring 2" — both of which directly and indirectly involve the demon nun Valak that haunts Lorraine Warren — but few could've known that such a reference would be as overt as it ultimately is in the spin-off/prequel film.
Chaves calls special attention to an early moment where young Sophie (Katelyn Rose Downey), a student at the French boarding school for girls where much of the film takes place and a frequent target of bullies, comes into uncomfortably close contact with the malevolent, nun-shaped figure that resides in the building. Upon being lured upstairs into opening a creepy-looking door, Sophie finds herself in another time and place altogether. Fans will immediately recognize this as the same hallway located in the Warren residence, with the demon Valak standing in the exact same place that Lorraine saw it in "The Conjuring 2." This moment, which may as well have been pulled right out of "The Shining," further draws connections between the new characters featured in "The Nun" movies and the Warrens. And since "The Nun II" takes place in the '50s and "The Conjuring 2" in the '70s, it seems the laws of time and space can get warped when demonic forces are at play.
The next reference is a little more oblique. According to Chaves, he intentionally framed a certain scene in "The Nun II" featuring Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) and Maurice (Jonas Bloquet), more affectionately known as Frenchie, as a "mirror image" evoking a similar moment between Lorraine and young Janet, the young girl portrayed by Madison Wolfe who Valak targets in "The Conjuring 2." The director played coy on the exact details, so naturally, we can only encourage viewers to see if they can pick up on this parallel themselves. But in light of the parallels between Irene and Lorraine, it makes perfect thematic sense to juxtapose two of Valak's most innocent victims in Janet and Maurice.
Say my name
How do you defeat a demon nun like Valak? "The Conjuring 2" provided the answer to that mystery, thanks to Lorraine's quick thinking when she revealed that only by invoking the name of the tormenting spirit could the paranormal investigators damn it back to hell. Luckily, Valak inadvertently provided its name to Lorraine in a vision years prior at the infamous Amityville house, the memories of which later caused her to scratch Valak's name into a Bible while under a trance. Although the demon's exact identity doesn't quite factor into either "The Nun" or "The Nun II," Chaves still had some fun by scattering the letters that spell Valak's name throughout the film.
This is actually something of a tradition in these movies, as this was also done in "The Conjuring 2" and in the first "The Nun" movie in 2018. Chaves once again remains tightlipped as to the exact locations of these letters, which only means that observant fans will have to go back for another viewing or two to keep an eye out for the instances where Valak's name is hiding in plain sight.
The Saint and the Occultist
Religion class is now in session, and I certainly hope everybody brushed up on their lore about saints and demons. "The Nun II" brings a vital addition to the canon through the real-life story of Saint Lucy, who is brought into the story through a religious artifact passed down by the saint's descendants. According to myth and legend, Saint Lucy was decried by paganists and martyred for her piety — though not before being burned alive (unsuccessfully, mind you) and having her eyes gouged out. Valak, as it turns out, is on the prowl for this deeply spiritual object and won't stop until such immeasurable power belongs to itself. So how does this connect to the rest of the "Conjuring" universe? I'm glad you asked.
Chaves calls attention to 2021's "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It," which he also directed. In the threequel revolving around the Warrens' latest investigation into demonic activity, they encounter an occultist by the name of Isla who has been manipulating the events of the film and tormenting the Warrens. Although one wouldn't necessarily draw an immediate parallel between a venerated saint and an occultist who plagues the Warrens several years in the future, viewers would be well advised to pay attention to one very particular similarity. Both individuals are stabbed through the eyes, albeit in very different contexts — and Chaves specifically called out this parallel in his notes to /Film. Hmmm...
It's clear that we've only scratched the surface of Sister Irene's descendance from Saint Lucy's bloodline and her own connections to Lorraine Warren — as evidenced by their shared talent for visions and, of course, the fact that both characters are portrayed by a Farmiga sister. It stands to reason that a future movie will delve even deeper into how "The Nun" movies integrate with the main "The Conjuring" series.
Seeing double
Who doesn't love a two-for-the-price-of-one deal? There's been plenty of (very justified) talk about the magazine stand scene in "The Nun II," perhaps the film's most inspired and inventive sequence. But while audiences were completely taken by the nun's progressively more sinister appearance out of various magazine pages, Chaves actually snuck in another evocative image that you probably missed if you blinked.
As Sister Irene comes across a newsstand in the midst of a deserted French street, complete with unnerving lighting and a tangible sense of danger, the nun's gradual and supernatural scare takes the bulk of our focus ... which is exactly how the film accomplishes a nifty example of sleight of hand. With everyone so focused on Valak, we forgot that there's another nun factoring in — Irene herself. According to the director, eagle-eyed viewers might notice how, at one point, the flipping pages briefly coalesce to resemble Sister Irene. While Valak has proven to have a knack for appearing in otherwise ordinary household objects — a horrific painting, magazines, and even a moldy and severely damaged wall — this is the first time we've seen the demon conjure up an image of its would-be victim. This moment may have gone by too quickly for most audiences to register, but one quick reaction shot of Irene's terrified face confirms that she certainly didn't miss this implicit threat.
Credit where it's due
Another time-honored tradition in "The Conjuring" movies — or, more accurately, the end of them — has to do with the unsettling credits sequences. The credits routinely include photographs (and, in one skin-crawling instance, the recorded session where a demon allegedly spoke from the mouth of a child) from the real-life exorcisms, possessions, and other supernatural scares that inspired the movies in the first place. "The Nun II" doesn't feature any "real" imagery," but it follows suit in its own unique way, but with an added wrinkle. In a subtle moment of foreshadowing suggesting that we likely haven't seen the last of the demon nun, the end credits are punctuated by flash frames that spell out the name of Valak. In one sense, this could be interpreted as the reminder of the demon's eventual defeat in "The Conjuring 2" ... but, more likely, this is a veiled threat that Valak is still out there and hungry for more death and destruction. In other words: poor, poor Frenchie.
We're here to talk to you about the Warren Initiative
It's the moment everyone's been waiting for. If you remember, Ed and Lorraine Warren made an early (and late) appearance in the 2018 film "The Nun" via archival footage, reminding viewers of their first experience with Valak and their subsequent exorcism of Maurice that took place prior to the events of the first film — a pivotal moment that the entire "The Conjuring" timeline has been building towards in a circular way. Well, everybody's favorite pair of demonologists appear in the flesh in the mid-credits scene for "The Nun II," where the couple receives a mysterious phone call from Father Gordon, the Vatican-associated priest who sent them on their various missions in the previous "Conjuring" movies. Amusingly, the tease can't help but feel like the horror franchise's spin on Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury arriving at the end of the first "Iron Man" movie, though the stakes feel significantly higher.
To nobody's surprise, Ed and Lorraine's expertise is once again needed ... but for what, exactly, is anybody's guess. This could potentially act as a runway to a fourth "Conjuring" film, which we know will be titled "The Conjuring: Last Rites." More likely, however, this may very well take the form of a third "The Nun" installment that functions as the ultimate crossover movie. If so, fans can cautiously anticipate the Warrens to be joined by a returning Frenchie, Bonnie Aarons as Valak, and possibly even an older version of Taissa Farmiga's Sister Irene. The big question remains: Will this be the terrifying story that finally covers the exorcism of Maurice "Frenchie" Theriault? Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way, Chaves included this mid-credits tease for a reason and we can't wait to see how it pays off.