The Big Picture

The Nun II adds new details to Conjuring lore, including a possible connection between Taissa Farmiga’s Sister Irene and a key Conjuring character. Director Michael Chaves shares his thoughts on whether the characters are indeed related. The Nun II is the ninth installment of the Conjuring Universe.

[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for The Nun II.]Not only is The Nun II a riveting and mighty chilling watch, but it also adds new details to Conjuring lore that will likely reverberate throughout the long-running franchise.

Going into the 2018 Nun movie, the chief connection between that spinoff and the main Conjuring films was Valak (Bonnie Aarons). After receiving a mention in the first Conjuring film, Valak went on to become a major scene stealer in The Conjuring 2, sparking so much interest that James Wan and co. opted to give The Nun a solo movie. That film revealed one of the demon’s earlier haunts, the horrors at Saint Cartha’s monastery, and also introduced a link between Maurice (Jonas Bloquet) and the Warrens (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson). Maurice does manage to save Sister Irene at the end of the film, but in the process, Valak claims Maurice as its vessel instead. As shown in 2013’s The Conjuring, at some point, Ed and Lorraine Warren perform an exorcism. That exorcism marks Lorraine’s first encounter with Valak because the person they’re trying to save is Maurice.

Establishing that connection was a pretty big deal for the franchise, and now The Nun II adds another significant link from the Nun series to the main Conjuring films. The Nun II implies that Taissa Farmiga’s Sister Irene and Vera Farmiga’s Lorraine Warren are related.

The Nun II puts a heavy emphasis on the Eyes of Saint Lucy. After having a number of visions of the patron saint of the blind, Sister Irene comes to learn that Saint Lucy’s eyes hold a special power. They were removed before her death and are now hidden at the boarding school. That’s why Valak is there. If the demon nun gets ahold of the eyes, all bets are off. With them, Valak could become all-powerful.

In addition to those visions, Irene also has visions of her childhood, most significantly, visions of her mother who was institutionalized after revealing that she had some sort of second sight. Ultimately Irene discovers that she and her mother are descendants of Saint Lucy and that’s why they have the ability to see what others cannot. Another key Conjuring character with that power? Lorraine Warren. And, sure enough, one of Sister Irene’s visions does include an image of Lorraine.

Does that mean Lorraine is also a descendant of Saint Lucy and, therefore, related to Sister Irene? Director Michael Chaves wouldn’t go as far as to confirm the connection, but he did recognize its significance while discussing key story elements that screenwriter Akela Cooper brought to the film:

“The idea of making a more direct connection between a family relationship between Irene and Lorraine. Which I’m not saying there is. I’m just saying that’s up for interpretation as you see the movie and you start to kind of put the pieces together. But I thought that was a really compelling idea. It’s funny because there were things in it that I actually thought were very explicit in the movie that were cut in. You know, it’s press day, I’ve been talking to lots of people. Most people have not picked that up, but there was a couple things that are very explicit that would potentially reveal that if you looked carefully at the movie. I think probably sometimes it just goes too fast, or you don’t catch the little details.”

Image via New Line Cinema 

Given the fact that Taissa and Vera Farmiga are real-life sisters, there’s been speculation that the characters could be related ever since Taissa Farmiga was first cast as Sister Irene. While Chaves wouldn’t confirm their connection and the movie doesn’t specify precisely how they’re related, there is a clear link there which opens the door to some very exciting creative possibilities for the franchise going forward. Not only does it make the time between The Nun II and the first Conjuring movie an even richer period to explore, but it could also add an exciting new layer to Lorraine as the character continues her journey in the fourth Conjuring film, The Conjuring: Last Rites.

Looking for more from Chaves about the making of The Nun II? Be sure to check out the non-spoiler portion of our interview below: