Irene Palmer was born March 2nd, 1930 in
Bridgeport, Connecticut, as we can see right here on her passport. Irene’s mom was deeply religious,
claiming that God spoke to her directly. As a girl, Irene had a series
of visions just like her mother, but her father never believed any of
this. He thought his wife was crazy, and had her committed to a psychiatric
hospital, forcing a tearful goodbye. –[Mother] I will always be with you. That was the last she ever saw of her mom, but
her visions continued, which created issues with her father. After each vision, Irene would
be left with the same thought in her head: “Mary points the way.” Word of her visions
eventually reached the Catholic Church, and they sent a Bishop to meet with the family and convince
her father not to have her committed as well. The script for The Nun offers a little more
insight. Scripts are not usually considered canon, but this is one of those cases where
it’s relatively non-contradictory, and even fits pretty well with The Nun
II, so I do want to talk about it briefly. Irene was investigated by the church to see if
she had potentially been possessed, but it was ultimately decided that she was pure. The Bishop
suggested she dedicate her life to the Lord, and when she did so, her visions stopped, so
she planned to become a nun when she reached the proper age. And this process is sped up when Irene
is sent away to live in Europe by her father. –[Irene] I was different. Sending me away was
easier than trying to understand who I was. So she was born in Bridgeport,
Connecticut, has psychic visions, and became connected to the Catholic Church?
If you follow The Conjuring franchise, this should all sound similar to another
character: the paranormal investigator slash basically superhero: Lorraine Warren.
So what is the deal here? What is the true relationship between these
two characters? To answer that question, and to hear my full analysis of Sister
Irene, stick around to the end of this video. ♪ Metal Music ♪ Welcome to Horror History. Yes, I have conjured
up another one from the Conjuring universe. As the highest grossing horror franchise of all
time, The Conjuring films have done a great job of incorporating familiar elements to keep people
interested in the spin-offs. The Annabelle doll was introduced in the first movie and became
the centerpiece of several films of her own, but for The Nun spin-off series, the
antagonist was not the only familiar element. In April 2017, it was announced that
Taissa Farmiga had been cast to play the lead role. Taissa is the sister
of Vera Farmiga, who plays Lorraine Warren in the mainline Conjuring films.
So fans immediately began speculating that she could be related to Lorraine, or
possibly even be a younger version of her. Now, the last time I said the word titular in a
video, I pronounced it wrong. I said tight-ular, and everybody just eviscerated me in the comments.
And I just wanted to defend myself, because the word refers to the title of a work. So in my
mind it makes sense that it would be tight-ular. Like title. But I admit I was wrong. I think next
time I’ll just play it safe and say: e-pony-mous. Reason I bring this up is this Variety article
claims the younger Farmiga sister is playing the titular role in the Nun. And I think that’s
kind of arguable. Yes, she does play a nun, (or at least she becomes a nun) but when I hear
the title: The Nun, I’m not thinking about her, I’m thinking about the nun demon: Valak. I don’t
think anyone would go see a Nun movie if Valak was not in it, but they would probably be just fine
if they did one without Sister Irene. But that being said, I would prefer to see more of this
character, not less. It would be fun to see her up against another villain in a different spin-off
series at some point. Because her backstory is mostly left as a mystery, other than a few clues
here and there. So to begin unraveling them, let’s take it back to the unexpected
guest who changed the course of her life. (IMPACT) ♪ Dreadful Music ♪ As an adult, Sister Irene works at
Saint Vincent Hospital in London, England. She still plans on becoming
a nun but hasn’t taken her vows yet, making her a novitiate. Something that
everyone likes to point out, constantly. [Montage of every time she’s asked about her vows] Now you know how I feel everytime someone asks
me to make a Nun 2 video. I’M LITERALLY DOING IT. Different cultures handle it differently,
but there are basically 3 steps to becoming a nun. First there’s Discernment. That’s where
you’re considered a “Sister” or “novitiate”, but not yet a nun. Once a sister takes
her temporary vows, she becomes a nun, and this kind of allows her to test
the lifestyle, and if she’s successful, she may make her perpetual vows,
signifying lifelong commitment. In 1952, she’s a natural history teacher for
a group of kids who are in maybe fourth grade. –[Irene] I have survived many terrifying encounters.
But nothing could have ever prepared me for this. My only hope was that the beast could not
smell me. But then, the wind changed and… ROAR! This may just be a fictional story that she’s
telling to these kids to entertain them, but it could also be a personal story
about her experiences growing up with supernatural visions. It’s possible that
she’s already taken on an entity in her past. If she grew up alongside Lorraine
Warren, then I would say it’s very likely, since we know Lorraine also
had visions from a young age. –[Lorraine] You know, when I was about your age, um, I was visiting my mom at a hospital and
I saw an angel. It was standing next to a little boy's bed. It was just gently
touching his cheek and then it stopped. By the way, if Irene and Lorraine grew up
together, which they most likely did given that Lorraine was born in 1927 and Irene was
born in 1930, they are most likely cousins. We know they aren’t sisters because Lorraine’s mom
is still around in old age, but Irene’s is not. Her dedication to religion made her believe
that anything could be a sign from God, such as her brushing red paint onto this
girl’s nose. We’ll come back to that. She’s visited by a representative of the Vatican, which is basically like the HQ of the
Catholic Church. His name is Father Burke, and she learns that she’s been assigned
to assist him on an investigation of an unusual phenomenon in Biertan, Romania,
due to her familiarity with the territory. –[Father Burke] Romania.
–[Irene] I’ve never been in that part of the world. Perhaps she’s been chosen, not because she is
geographically familiar, but rather because she’s familiar with the territory of supernatural
encounters, maybe even involving evil entities. This begs the question, why would they
choose her over Lorraine? Afterall, this was the same year Lorraine founded the
New England Society for Psychic Research… at least in real life. It seems Irene was
chosen because of the nature of the mission. Father Burke was to bring her to the Abbey of St.
Carta to determine if the grounds were still holy. –[Cardinal Conroy] Since it is a cloistered convent
and your access will be limited. This basically means they are giving him
a guide because the church is cut off from the outside world. Given
that she’s a nun in training, she would be allowed to explore the inside
more than a normal civilian like Lorraine. But after arriving in Romania, things would
prove more difficult than anticipated. (IMPACT) ♪ Suspenseful Music ♪ Their first stop in Romania is to visit
Maurice Theriault, commonly known as Frenchie. He’s immediately flirting with her until
learning that she’s a prospective nun. However, she still charms him enough to convince
him to take them up to the abbey. -[Maurice] With all due respect father, I... –[Irene] Please, Frenchie. That was not that difficult. Don’t you have
anything better to do than simp? Once reaching the edge of the grounds, their horse refuses
to continue and they have to go by foot. This is just like the dog in the Conjuring, who
refused to enter the house haunted by the witch, Bathsheba. They learn that the locals spit on the
ground when the topic of the abbey is brought up, and the crosses lining the perimeter
may be keeping the evil locked in. They visit the ice house to check on the body
of the nun who killed herself, Sister Victoria, and she’s strangely been moved into an
upright position. Burke discovers a key clenched in her hands, and they decide
to give her a proper burial outside. Sister Irene begins to notice a number of strange
things. The blood at the site of Victoria’s death is still fresh, and upon entering the abbey she
senses something behind her without looking. This appears to be the Reverend
Mother, or essentially the head Nun, but what they don’t know is that
this is actually Valak, the defiler, an ancient demon who is responsible
for the evil plaguing the Abbey. Quick Horror History lesson for those
who haven't seen my Valak episode, this creature escaped from hell and killed off
each of the nuns at the abbey. Their spirits continue to inhabit the place as ghosts, but
the Reverend Mother’s ghost is under Valak’s control. Much like how Bill Wilkins’s
ghost was controlled in The Conjuring 2. They're asked to come back in the morning, since
the sisters take a vow of silence after sunset. I bet my neighbors wish I would take a vow of
silence after sunset, but hey, that’s the best time to record videos. But Sister Irene and
Father Burke nearly don't make it to sunrise. Burke gets trapped in a coffin by Valak,
and Irene is awoken by a breeze in the middle of her sleep. If her visions are
believed to be messages sent to her by God, I don't think it's that crazy to assume
this was God waking her up so that she could save her comrade, and stand
a chance to defeat Valak later on. She comes upon some kind of
midnight ritual in a chapel, where Valak appears to her as a shadow, but after
she realizes the ritual was all an apparition; and the demonic entity makes
itself known in a bold way. (roar) (mirror shatter) The fact that Sister Irene sees Valak in its
nun form in the mirror has to be symbolic of the choice that lies ahead of her. She’s considering
becoming a Nun herself, but struggles to make the commitment to take her vows. It’s almost as if
Valak in the mirror represents her fears about her potential future, a theme that would come up
throughout her story. She’s also not the only one to encounter Valak in this way, this is another
connection Sister Irene shares with Lorraine. Also in the nearby town, they have a tradition
to cover their mirrors whenever someone dies –[Irene] …so the deceased doesn’t see their reflection. This is likely why Valak destroyed the mirror, so that Irene can never find out that
all of the nuns are already dead. After fleeing the chapel, she hears a bell ringing
and instantly knows Father Burke is in trouble. The gravesites around the perimeter contain what
are known as safety coffins. The bell system was developed in 1892, with strings connecting the
occupants head, hands and feet to a bell on the outside. This way, the cemetery watchman would be
alerted if they accidentally buried a live one. If you’re wondering if this is where the
phrase “Saved by the Bell” comes from, it’s not, according to this article
from Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. But apparently the phrase doesn’t come
from school either, it comes from boxing, and as someone who shares a name with the
main character from a cultural touchstone sitcom called Saved by the Bell,
YOU WOULD THINK I WOULD KNOW THAT. Anyway, Sister Irene had learned
about safety coffins earlier that day, and somehow knew the Father was in trouble
when she heard one ringing. As she got close, Valak chimed all of the bells
in order to confuse her, and we see her close her eyes and envision
which distress call is the real deal. (breath shutters as she comes out of trance) The next day, he sends Irene away with
the key acquired from Sister Victoria’s cold dead fingers. I bet he tells that story,
seriously like whenever he gets the chance. “And then… I pried the key from her cold
dead hands. Waiter, one more round please.” Sister Irene finds the main sanctuary and
comes across Sister Oana, who informs her that the nuns are taking prayer shifts
to maintain a constant state of prayer. –[Oana] Sister Victoria’s death was a
terrible tragedy for the convent but we still feel her presence. She
was the most devoted out of any of us… Has anyone else noticed that we are
literally getting Shyamalonged right now? –[Cole Sear] They don’t know they’re dead… Personally, I’m never one to complain
about getting Shyamalonged or Weezered or Rick Rolled or even Josh
Hutcherson Whistle Edited! (Josh Hutcherson whistle edit) They also discuss an imposter nun which
sister Oana describes as something unholy, perhaps the evil re-emerging after being
sealed so many years. Another sister, Sister Abigail, instructs Sister Oana
to resume her prayers, and tells Irene that she should not be here since she has not
taken her vows yet. We f*cking get itttttt!!! However, she’s told she has to stay the
night, because the gates have once again closed until morning. My theory about the
mirrors being connected to Irene’s fear of becoming a Nun is supported here, because
the room she stays in contains a mirror, and she receives another vision in her dream,
where “Mary points the way” echoes through her head and she envisions Valak, the suicide of
Sister Victoria, and a girl covered in blood. When she awakens, a door opens and she’s beckoned
to explore by a spectral voice, leading to the discovery of an underground passage marked by the
words “Finit hic Deo”, Latin for “God Ends Here”. It opens to reveal the bane of all things
holy: Valak. She finds herself suddenly in a windstorm as she tries to escape, but
the evil Nun just grins menacingly at her. It comes to a halt as she’s slammed
into the door, but then, this happens. (hands come out and grab her) What little light there is in
the corridor is smothered away, and she’s pulled into a hiding spot by
Sister Oana. When the threat passes, she’s instructed to get her things and
meet in the chapel so that they can pray their way through the night. But after arriving
there, Sister Irene makes a gruesome discovery. (IMPACT) ♪ Suspenseful Music ♪ In the main sanctuary, Irene finds a nun praying fervently next to a body under a sheet, which turns out to be Sister Oana.
A whole flock of nuns storms in. I’m pretty sure I established in a previous
video that at some point that a group of nuns traveling together like this
should be referred to as a flock, and I’m sticking with it. They lock the place up,
and sister Ruth urges Irene to pray with them. –[Ruth] And whatever happens,
whatever you may see or hear, keep your eyes forward, and don’t stop praying. Sister Irene hyperventilates, but compiles.
Suddenly, a blast AIR YEETS all the other nuns away from her, and she does exactly
what sister Ruth told her *not* to, she diverts her eyes and her prayer
is interrupted. This whole scene is another test of her commitment to religion on her
journey to becoming a nun. By looking away, she is distracted by outside elements. But then she
refocuses her attention and continues her prayer. Her garb is then ripped open from behind, but
this is not Frenchie choosing an inopportune time to make his move, it is instead, an invisible
force that scratches a pentagram into her back. This is another test of her dedication, she
must tune out the pain to continue her prayer. It’s like when you’re trying to get work
done, but you see the notification that CZsWorld just uploaded, and you have
to resist the temptation to watch the video. Except in that scenario, the
correct answer is to watch the video, or at least put it on in the background, but my
point is that her restraint was being tested. She only stops when she hears Father
Burke and Frenchie trying to get in, and one of the other nuns
gives her a nod of approval. After letting them in, she tells them that
they’ve all been praying to hold back the evil, but when she turns back, all of the others
are gone. And this is what makes her realize that the “nuns” she’s been seeing up until
this point were just part of her visions, or rather, spirits of the deceased
nuns that once inhabited the abbey. In other words, there was
nobody left when they arrived, the place is filled with ghosts.
And apparently reanimated corpses. (growls and screams) He instructs her to get some holy water from
his bag and throw it on the evil nun. And I love in all these movies whenever they try to
make the priests these badass action heroes, and they just have their satchels packed with holy
water so they can just whip it out like a gun. And it works. It works every time.
He douses a cross in holy water and uses it to drive the demonic
force out of the nun’s body, which goes up in flames when the entity can no
longer endure the divinity bearing down on it. Frenchie’s about ready to GTFO, but Sister Irene, bravely insists they cannot leave without
first sealing the gateway to contain the evil. She’s come a long way. At first she had
no idea what her purpose was on this mission, but now, she’s the one leading the charge
into the underground passages to search for the blood of Christ that will supposedly send the
crooked-nose conventual back where it came from. And having found her purpose, she’s ready to
make a commitment she wasn’t sure about before. – I’d like to take my vows. She does this because she discovered her
visions are a miracle of God. Either that, or she’s just sick of everyone asking her about
it. It’s kind of an L for Frenchie though. –[Frenchie] Now that, Sister, is a
noble act. It’s a shame, but… Oh Frenchie. You’ll find someone.
Briefly. Then you’ll die. Imagine if you were crushing on a girl, and then
she became a nun and swore herself to celibacy. That’s kinda like… I don’t
know, I think I’d be kinda salty. Father Burke helps her make what I believe
are her temporary vows. And she’s t-posing face down on the ground, so that’s kinda
funny. After officially becoming a nun, she feels she’s ready to face
down the demon posing as a nun, no longer willing to be taunted by
the form that she felt mocked by. In the corridors under the Abbey, a beam
of Light shines down on the finger of this Virgin Mary statue, connecting to the phrase
associated with her visions since childhood, “Mary points the way” and further making
her believe that her visions came from God. They follow the beam to a secret keyhole in
the wall, and unlock it to find the glass orb containing the blood of Christ,
and Father Burke tells her that only a true bride of Christ can wield it. So I
guess it’s a good thing she did the vows. With the ultimate weapon in hand, they proceed
past the cellar door for the first time into the area where evil reigns supreme. They split
up, you know, the thing you’re definitely supposed to do in a horror movie, and Irene
is stalked by a faceless nun as she hears the whispers of the spirits of the nuns who had
assisted her, but before she can do anything, she’s chokeslammed by Valak, and runs to a
seemingly unused storage room for safety. Once again, there’s a mirror, and for the third
time now, it would be connected to Valak. She’s encircled by five candles which light themselves
and realizes she’s standing in a pentagram, but as she runs for the exit, she’s stopped
in her tracks by an army of robed figures, who abduct her and bag her head,
forcing her to join their ranks. Frenchie eventually finds her,
but when he uncovers her head, she’s been possessed by Valak, and she AIR
YEETS him into a pillar, which he’s pinned against. This is the next logical step in
the mirror metaphor. Valak had used mirrors to make Irene fear her future as a nun, and now
that she’s realized that life by becoming one, Valak would literally possess her,
it’s bringing those fears to fruition. The possessed Irene hurls targeted
insults about Frenchie being the village idiot. It’s a trope we’ve seen a lot in
the exorcism genre, going back to the Exorcist. However, he’s able to use the vial hanging from
her neck to smear the blood of Christ on her face, calling back to the beginning of the adventure
when she smeared paint on the girl’s nose. This has an immediate and powerful effect, exorcizing the demon from her body.
And it’s honestly just nice to see an exorcism scene in this franchise that doesn’t
involve throwing up that black substance. She’s knocked aside as Valak deviously
grabs Frenchie by the throat and flashes a disgusting smile in her direction. She tries
to bum rush the evil entity, but she’s AIR YEETED completely out of the room into a pool of
water that’s formed by flooding from overhead. It’s possible that this moment is supposed
to represent a symbolic baptism. A baptism is a Christian practice of submerging a person in
water to cleanse or purify them as an initiation to joining the religion. This is more of a
symbolic baptism than a literal one. Being baptized is a requirement for being a catholic
nun, so it’s likely that Sister Irene already went through the baptism ceremony when
she was young. But now that she’s taken her vows and joined the sisterhood of nuns,
she’s starting a new chapter of her life. On the website tv tropes, a symbolic baptism
is defined as “a sign of character development where swimming or watery immersion marks
a major turning point in the characters' life. Most commonly, it marks the point where
the character begins to let go of the past, or is initiated into a new phase of their life”. So this fits Sister Irene pretty well.
She loses grasp of the holy grail, but when she goes to reach for it, she notices
Valak rising up from below the surface. (IMPACT) ♪ Intense Music ♪ Valak attacks, and holds down Sister
Irene under the water. Even Father Burke’s prayers do little to slow it
down. However, he does provide just enough of a distraction for Irene to bring
the grail to her mouth under the surface. With that, Valak believes that it has
won and lifts her up to eye level, but realizes the contents of the
glass case has been removed. And Irene outsmarts her hellish counterpart
with where she’s hidden the goods. (spits on Valak) For years, the people in town have spit on the
ground after any mention of the evil as an ancient superstition, and now Irene is using that same
tactic to hopefully finish it off for good. And this has a devastating effect, as Valak appears to be sucked down into
a vortex and back where it came from. Before leaving, she gives a proper
blessing to the nuns of St. Carta. –[Frenchie] I thought this ground wasn’t holy anymore.
–[Irene} It is now. Before leaving Romania, she sees
off Frenchie at the train station, and learns he’s planning on going to
Hungary, then traveling the world. At some point after this, she must have gone back
to the Vatican with Father Burke, and met Cardinal Conroy, who was obviously impressed enough by
her work to call upon her again in the future. The story of what happened in Romania becomes kind
of an urban legend among other sisters and nuns. –[Nun] What happened to the nun?
–[Sister Jessica] Well, no one really knows. They say the experience was too much
for her. Some say that she went mad. It seems like it would be difficult for gossip to
spread, considering cloistered nuns generally do not travel, however other nuns and sisters
do apparently travel a lot. Primarily for missionary work, where they try to recruit
people in other countries to their religion. They would not be the only ones bothering people
from other countries. After lying dormant inside of Frenchie for 4 years, Valak would re-emerge in
1955 and 1956 and take four victims across Europe, one of which was a priest named Father Noiret
(no-are-ayy) who was immolated at his church in Tarascon, France. Because of course the
French priest would be named after wine. That night, Irene wakes up in the middle
of the night in a manner very similar to when the breeze woke her up at St. Carta’s,
right down to the way the curtain blows in the breeze. Given my earlier analysis, I would
interpret this as a divine call to action. And in fact, this is another dream, a vision of Maurice possessed by
Valak, and asking to be saved. The next day she’s visited by Cardinal
Conroy. She doesn’t look thrilled to see him, which is kinda understandable considering
this dude only shows up to deliver bad news. –[Father Conroy] There has been an incident. See? I told you! He doesn’t even make any
small talk first… I am the exact same way. She’s given the lowdown on the four
gruesome deaths moving west across Europe, which they suspect to be the work of
the demon she thought she had sealed away 4 years prior with the help
of Father Burke. Speaking of whom. –[Father Conroy] Father Burke is dead. See, this guy never has good news. She doesn’t
want to go, but they basically strong-arm her. Luckily, her friend Sister Debra tags along
to look after her, so she’s not completely solo as she begins her search at the site of
the last known incident: Tarascon, France. Like the Abbey in Romania, there’s a belief
that this church is cursed following Valak’s appearance. As she looks around the place,
she’s able to see visions of the past: falling ash, the burnt up husk of Father
Noiret and the boy who inherited his rosary. They’re taken to see Father Noiret’s room, where they come across a picture of
St. Lucy, Patron Saint of the Blind. Like much of the lore in the Conjurverse,
St. Lucy is based on a real person, a saint from Italy in the 200s who devoted herself
to Christianity. There are a number of myths and stories about the cause of her blindness.
Some versions say she gouged out her own eyes when a potential lover became infatuated
with them, in order to prove her dedication to religion and virginity. Another take on the
matter tells of how she was captured by the Roman Emperor Diocletian (die-uh-klee-shin), and
her eyes were gouged out prior to her execution. That seems to be closer to version of
the tale that appears in the Conjurverse. –[Irene] She was murdered by pagans. They
lit her on fire but she wouldn’t burn. Before killing her they gouged out her eyes. Very metal. Irene learns that Frenchie had
worked at this very church as a handyman until Father Noiret was killed, and
comes to the realization pretty quickly that *he* must have been the vessel
that smuggled Valak out of the Abbey, and the reason these tragedies are
seemingly spreading across the continent. While checking in at the Hotel Tarascon, Irene’s
sixth sense is on high alert and she’s led out into the street where she sees the alter boy,
Jacques, among a group of kids playing European football. Jacques is the one whose father
was killed by Valak. In pursuit of answers, she finds herself at a newstand, where the wind
blows the pages of each magazine open to the right page to collectively form the haunting image
of Valak, right next to this picture of Harambe. When she gets close to it, Valak
appears in a flash and grabs her throat, and in this instant, she receives a
vision of a burning ritual in a forest, where a man in a red cloak stabs a nun in
the face as she holds some kind of artifact. He stabs her twice, then we see a
divine light coming from her eyes, leading me to believe this is a representation
of St. Lucy, Patron Saint of the Blind. Irene passes out in the street, not waking up
until the next morning. I’m not sure if the doctor was using a figure of speech or if Irene’s
survival from this incident was not guaranteed. –[Doctor] There she is, back from ze dead. I kind of wish I could see what happened in
between. It seems like she was out for like 8 hours at least. Was the doctor just prodding her
and shining lights in her eyes all night until she woke up? And then he just leaves without getting
paid? Are we sure this dude is a real doctor? –[Debra] What happened last night? Nah! That’s what she should be asking you! Anyway, Irene concludes that Valak is using Frenchie
to get at this relic she saw in her vision. While she was unconscious, Jacques
visited Sister Debra and dropped off his father’s rosary, which is
basically this necklace with a cross, which is often seen being used to fend off
demons, and it also contains this symbol. –[Irene] This symbol seems so
familiar but I can’t place it. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and
just assume she’s still a little foggy since she just woke up, but it’s clearly the
symbol from the artifact in her vision, which doesn’t seem like it was that long ago.
The symbol also matches a piece of jewelry seen in the crime scene photos of the other Valak
victims provided by Cardinal “Bad News” Conroy. They hurry to Palais de Papes (palay du Pop), the
Catholic archives, to try to learn what they can about this symbol, but they would also receive
a tip that would have rippling ramifications. (IMPACT) ♪ Mysterious Music ♪ The librarian at the Catholic archives is able
to identify the symbol they brought in as the family crest of St. Lucy. The archivist
thinks each of the demon’s victims are descendents of St. Lucy, and that Valak is
hunting them down in search of “The Eyes”, a sacred relic in Lucy’s family that holds
spiritual power, much like the blood of Christ. According to his records, he thinks they
can find the eyes buried at the monastery of Jean Paul Redar, (roe-dar) which is now
a boarding school. They rush over there, hoping to arrive before the
relic falls into the wrong hands, and the first person she encounters
is none other than her old guide, Frenchie, but the reunion is soured by Irene’s
accusation that the evil is living inside of him. –[Irene] GET AWAY FROM THEM! – [Frenchie] What? We need to go… Now!
–[Irene] It’s you! It’s inside of you. This causes the dormant unholiness to take
over his body and deliver a chilling greeting. –[Valak] Hello sister. When she tries to follow him, he
right-hooks her into a window, but she comes back with the rosary and commands
the demon to leave his body. Sister Deborah chips in with the Bellinger Bash, and they chain
up the unconscious Maurice in a hallway. –[Irene] He’s sick. We’re going to
help him, but we need your help. Sister Irene has serious Universal
Studios ride preshow energy right here. Like how they always try to make the
rider feel like they’re a part of the story, and then the “help” that we give is
literally just being along for the ride, but when you get back to the station, everyone
claps for you like you’ve accomplished something. They realize that Frenchie was headed towards
the old haunted chapel, and the young boarding student, Sophie, fills them in on the lore:
that the goat on this stained glass window is a devil whose eyes will glow red when
the sun hits it at right right angle. They’re able to recreate this with a flashlight,
and find the end point of the red beam, which must be pointing out where the eyes of St. Lucy are
buried. If you’re getting a little bit of déjà vu, it’s probably because this is the exact
same puzzle as the one Irene solved back at the Abbey of St. Carta to find the blood
of Christ, but this time instead of being directed by a supposedly divine figure, she’s
following the clues of a supposedly demonic one. Is this representative of the potential danger
that lies in trying to use the eyes? A sign that this time, they’re playing with a weapon
they may not be able to control? Maybe. The goat demon disappears from the stained
glass and appears in the girls’ sleeping quarters on the other side of the
school, causing mayhem for them to tend to. But they soon discover the reason this
previously inanimate object has come to life: Frenchie has escaped from his chains under Valak’s
control, and AIR YEETS Sophie’s mom out of the way on route to tackling Sister Irene, and forcing a
fumble which is recovered and advanced by Sophie. This does draw Frenchie-Valak’s attention away,
but Sister Irene is left in pretty bad shape. There may be some symbolism here pertaining to
Irene’s own relationship with her father. There’s no mention of him being *physically* abusive to
her, but Irene says that she was sent away by him because that was easier than trying to understand
her. Clearly, it’s a strained relationship. Frenchie has been trying to take on a fatherly
role himself lately, doing his best to serve as a role model for Sophie before Sister
Irene showed up. So his attack on Sister Irene was likely received as a very personal
jab, given her problems with her own father. It wouldn’t be that different from when Valak
temporarily possessed Sister Irene in 1952, and started hurling targeted insults
about Frenchie being the village idiot. The extremely helpful archive librarian
guy even hinted that the demon of St. Carta would choose its form to prey on her fears. –[Librarian] And the fears of those around you. You
must be prepared to stop it at all costs. That guy was such a king, by the way. He
basically solved the whole mystery for them, told them exactly where to go and what they would
be up against. And his name isn’t even mentioned outside of the credits! Let’s give it up for
Father Ridley. The true hero of this story. Anyway, Irene is only able to track
down where Sophie and Frenchie-Valak ran off to after seeing this tower start to
crumble under the power of St. Lucy’s eyes, which she uses to ward off the demon moments after
retrieving the blessed artifact from the Sophie. Her will is tested when Frenchie, what appears to be the real Frenchie,
gets through and begs for his life. –[Frenchie] Sister please. It’s killing me. But she knows she must not hold back in order to
prevent anyone else from becoming a victim. Plus, that’s what Father Ridley told her, and he’s
basically a God among men at this point. Just when it seems he’s finished, Frenchie-Valak
springs back to life and grabs the eyes from her, and seems to absorb them? And Valak
rises up -- in nun form -- behind him, now taking on an enormous stature. She tries using the rosary, but
that didn’t work in 1952 so why would it work now? Valak responds by
shooting this chain at Sister Deborah, and Irene is levitated into the air in a
crucifixion pose and lit on fire. Valak seems to be using the power of the eyes to deal
Irene the same fate that St. Lucy once suffered. But then, Irene experiences a quickflash
series of images, so let’s break them down. First she hears her mother’s words: “I
will always be with you.” Then she sees her mother looking at her, followed by
two images of the burning of St. Lucy at the hands of the pagans. Then the picture
of St. Lucy, from Father Noiret’s church. She also sees Valak standing in Lorraine Warren’s
home in 1977 -- and, intercut with more flashes of her mom, an image of Loraine Warren opening
her eyes after seeing Valak for the first time, which also doesn’t happen until 1977. Not
the first example of her having future sight, but maybe the first time she gets a
glance into someone else’s future. After a few more images of the
attempted burning of St. Lucy, her own flame goes out and she falls to the
ground. Like St. Lucy, the pagan was unable to burn her. And I’m considering Valak
to represent the Pagan in this instance, because Valak’s lore comes from a grimoire, or
spellbook, called Ars Goetia, part of a series of demon-summoning guide books called The
Lesser Key of Solomon. So the summoning of Valak is not connected to any major religion,
thus making it a pagan mythological entity. So what do all of these images mean? Well,
remember back at the beginning when I suggested that Irene and Lorraine probably have some blood
relation due to the actresses that portray them, Vera and Taissa Farmiga, being sisters?
Well, there is another pair of characters whose actresses share common blood. St. Lucy and
Irene’s mom are both played by Kate Colebrook, which, to me, suggests that these characters
are supposed to be related as well. Meaning that Irene and Lorraine are both part of the
bloodline of St. Lucy. Which means the images that flashed through Irene’s head have one thing
in common, they are all her blood relatives. When Irene’s mom says “I will always be with you”, she’s not just talking about her memory. She’s
referring to the supernatural power of the St. Lucy bloodline. The power that when combined
with the eyes of St. Lucy, seems to protect her from the threat of burnination. Through the
fire and the flames, Sister Irene carries on. It’s further suggested shortly after, when Irene recalls Father Ridley’s
quip about the Lucy family. –[Ridley] Lucy was murdered. Her family escaped.
They were hunted. Scattered across the globe. Perhaps the eyes of St. Lucy are not only
an artifact, but also a generational gift allowing those in her bloodline to have psychic
visions? It would certainly seem plausible, because Lorraine has this gift, and in
The Conjuring 2 and Annabelle Comes Home, it’s clear that she’s passed it
down to *her* daughter, Judy Warren. –[Judy] Mom. Who is that? But the battle isn’t over yet. Sister Debra joins Sister Irene in prayer, and in probably the most French thing that could have possibly
happened, barrels of red wine burst open and wash Valak away (!), causing the infernal enemy
to somehow dry up and combust in an epic inferno. Frenchie is temporarily able to regain
control of his body, but the evil would continue to lie dormant inside of him. But
for the time being, it seemed that Sister Irene had paid back a favor by saving his life
four years after he had done the same for her. The two would see each other off
for presumably the final time, this time, with just a nod, as Frenchie
moves on with his new found-family. Yeah, and then that’s just it. Sister Irene’s story arc is not a typical final
girl archetype of a girl coming out of her shell to kill the villain or overcoming her fear to
escape her stalker. In true Conjuring fashion, it’s more of a spiritual journey.
She’s been chosen by a higher power, whether that be God or Cardinal “Bad News” Conroy, and she’s forced to demonstrate her faith by
taking her vows and believing in her visions. My problem is that her entire character arc
is completed in The Nun 1, and character-wise, nothing really happens with her in The Nun 2. You
could say I was Nun 2 pleased with the sequel. The extremely helpful librarian Father Ridley
does more than she does in that movie. He literally does all the work for her, he solves
the mystery of the Lucy family crest for her, he explains all the lore to them,
then, when she wants to find the eyes, he’s like “I already found them”
and tells her exactly where to go. It’s so bizarre. Irene is basically
only relevant in The Nun 2 because she was born with St. Lucy’s blood. It’s
not something she earned or struggled for, so it feels cheap when that ends up
being what helps her overcome Valak. This is what I call a “chosen one” story.
There are two types of chosen one stories: the good kind and the bad kind. In
the good kind, the hero is destined to be the only one who can defeat the
villain, but success is not guaranteed. For example, in Harry Potter, which also
takes place in a European boarding school, a prophecy seems to point to Harry being the only
one with the power to defeat the Dark Lord, but he still has to mature and form relationships and
overcome adversity by embracing the power of love along the way. His character arc ultimately puts
him in a position where he *could* be the victor. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess has a
protagonist referred to as the Hero Chosen by the Gods. But that doesn’t make him immune to
death. He has to build trust with companion, Midna, and learn ancient skills along
the way in order to even have a chance. Sister Irene seems to just
be invincible against fire, because she was born that way.
She didn’t really earn it. She’s more like Rey from the Star Wars sequel
trilogy, she’s essentially able to win very early on because of who she is. Again, this is more of a
problem with the second Nun movie than the first. If you want to see an example of how this
could have been done a little bit better, watch Insidious: The Last Key. In that movie, Elise Rainier is a psychic
ghost and demon hunter, just like Sister Irene, who had almost the exact same problem -- with her
dad not believing or being afraid of her psychic abilities and treating her poorly because of it.
Elise lives her life hunting some of the world’s scariest demons, but none of that compares to
her personal demons with her father. In the end, the antagonist, Keyface, uses her
father’s ghost to confront her, and she must overcome the familial issues
in order to hunt down her real enemy. Valak has the ability to take on any form,
which is why it chooses the Nun form to mock the sisters at the Abbey of St. Carta in Nun
1, so it would have made sense for one of the alternate forms to resemble Sister Irene’s
personal demon in her relationship with her father in the second movie. You know, instead of
this random goat from the stained glass window. If you want to see my full analysis of
Keyface, by the way, that link will be in the description. But to get a proper grasp on
how everything connects in the Conjuring Universe, you’ll want to have your pointer
possess that playlist on the left. Remember to subscribe to CZsWorld for new
horrors every week, ring the deathbell for all notifications and I’ll see you in
the next one. Assuming we both survive.
