Posted in: Horror, Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: film, horror, The Conjuring, the nun II, Warner Bros
The Nun II Director Reveals the Complications of the Original Opening
Director Michael Chaves shares details about the original opening scene for The Nun II and explains why it didn't pan out.
Article Summary
- Michael Chaves discusses scrapped dock opening for The Nun II.
- The Nun II's Valak returns with a vengeance in a revised opening.
- Technical issues prompted the shift to a church setting over a dock.
- The Nun II available for digital purchase, rental, and Max streaming.
When it comes to The Nun II, it felt rather refreshing to see that the horror sequel had polished its original scares, now including some truly unsettling use of silhouettes and distinct, ominous appearances in the shadows. However, the film's opening scene opted to show that the titular character wasn't looking to keep a low profile after playing with fire and religion. Now, the film's director is shedding light on the original plans for the sequel's opening scene and how its complications actually ended up working out for the best.
From a Dock Scene to a Church Opening in The Nun II
During an interview with Screen Rant, The Nun II director Michael Chaves explained that the hard-hitting opening was designed to, "Show that Valak is back." He continued, "There needs to be an announcement that she is. This isn't going to be kind of creepy. She's going to just be knocking on doors and creaky windows – she's back with a vengeance. That was always the goal. It took different shapes as we were developing the movie. Originally, it was actually set outside."
Chaves then delved into some of the technical complications, noting, "It involved, it started in the church, but then it actually took the boy and the priest out to the docks and we had a whole sequence on the docks. And then that, as we got into it, it was a very similar sequence, but as we got into it got really brutal to try and find a dock and then we're going to have to build a dock and then okay, it's going to have to be on set and then we're going to have to flood the set and to make the water and it got more and more complicated. I finally was like, 'What if we just keep it in the church?' That was almost better and it was more blasphemous. It became very hard to find a church to do that in. That was something that we had to find a decommissioned Catholic church because that would not have flown with any church."
The Nun II is available to purchase and rent across all digital platforms, or you can currently stream the film on Max.