as part of The Conjuring universe, The nun Includes true story connections that make the movie more disturbing. Based on the experiences of real-life demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren, The Conjuring Universe tells stories presented as real-life horrors with a supernatural connection. Actors Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga have made the Warrens household names, but previous films have made loose connections between fact, fiction and horror.
Questions about the movie’s inspirations become even stronger when you consider the prequel, The nun. The nun Takes place decades before the rest of The Conjuring Universe movies‘ Hauntings and in a completely different part of the world. It is a safe assumption that Romanian history is not that well known to most viewers, which makes it easier to blur the lines between fact and fiction. Still, the story is not entirely baseless. Real figures, locations and accounts of demonic possession have ties to The nunAdding a degree of realism that makes the movie creepier.
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Who is Wallach? The conjuring demon explained
The demon Valak appears in multiple historical grimoires
The demon is haunting enough to appear in The Conjuring Universe five centuries after Weyer wrote about it.
The Conjuring Universe demon Valak has taken many forms throughout The Conjuring franchise, functioning as an overarching nemesis to the Warrens. in The nun, The nun IIAnd The Conjuring 2Volak appears memorably as a nun with pale skin, a hooked nose, straight yellow eyes, deep eyes and teeth like a razor. However, the demon also takes on two other forms The Conjuring 2. Interestingly, the demon Valak has a connection to real demonology history, Appearing with the names Valak, Wallak, Valak, Malak, Falak and Valu.
The demon appears in most demonology grimoires, particularly Pseudomonarchia Daemonum by Johann Weyer and The Lesser Key of Solomon by Aleister Crowley. Across all significant historical grimoires, Wallach looks like a child with angel wings riding on the back of a two-headed dragon. It can deliver those who contact it to treasures or snakes, highlighting its trickster nature. In theology, the symbol of the “serpent” can refer to demons or evils.
According to some sources, Wallach is also the High President of Hell. He also rules over 30 or 38 legions of demons. Like most theological figures, there is no proof that Wallach exists in real life, but that doesn’t make the character any less fear-inducing and relatable. The demon is haunting enough to appear in The Conjuring Universe five centuries after Weyer wrote about it.
Is Lorraine Warren really haunted by a nun?
Valak’s nun form was inspired by a memory Lorraine Warren described to the Conjuring 2 director
The haggard, demonic nun is not the traditional appearance of the demon Wallach, which raises questions about the inspiration for the movie The nun. Surprisingly, the design of the demon form is not simply Hollywood marketing. It expands on Lorraine Warren’s actual experience with being haunted.
Wallach’s nun form challenges Lorraine and Warren’s faith because the demon looks like something that is supposed to be holy.
While making the press rounds for The Conjuring 2Where The nun First emerging as an antagonist haunting Lorraine Warren, director James Wan explains the beginning to i09. Lorraine tells Juan that a spectral entity is haunting her. It took the appearance of a swirling vortex with a hooded figure inside. The visual description is vague enough that the director could have come up with many interpretations.
After much thought, he decided to make the hood figure Lorraine described in a demonic nun. Wallach’s nun form challenges Lorraine and Warren’s faith because the demon looks like something that is supposed to be holy. It is also vivid imagery that lasts in the minds of viewers. The inspirations of the true story help explain Valak’s role in the end of The Conjuring 2 – Being tied to Lorraine specifically through visions.
Why the nun was put in the Carta Monastery
The Cârța Monastery has a long history of hauntings
The setting of The nun Helps shape the movie’s creepy ambiance, continuing to expand the haunted locations of the Conjuring Universe. The film takes place in the Carta Monastery located in Transylvania, Romania. According to Atlas ObscuraThe monastery was built in 1205. Like the film, it was home to monks referred to as “white monks” because they wore white habits, not black. The CârÈ›a Monastery had its Cistercian monks evicted by the King of Hungary around 1474.
When the events of The nun Depicting the abbey in full operation in 1952, the real-world monastery was reduced to a handful of stone walls, while the rest of the original wooden structure wore away over time. Nowadays, this place is considered one of the most haunted places in Romania. According to Amy’s CryptThe monastery is supposedly haunted by monks who lived there in squalid living conditions. They did not eat, worked hard and never lived more than 40 years.
Two men were also buried in the basement and began feeding on the spot after their graves were disturbed during an excavation. The most common Signs of haunting include ghosts roaming the halls, the walls vibrating, objects flying across the room, and chairs dragging across the floor. The real-life haunting alter presents The nunIt’s confirming a bit of reality, increasing the scare factor of the movie.
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Romania’s History of Nun Hauntings Explained
Romania has one notable example of a nun possession
Considering the previous conjuring films related to real-world events like the true story of the Amityville Haunting and Enfield Phenomena, it would be strange if The nun Ignores actual supernatural history entirely. Fortunately, the movie’s setting has a deeper connection to the paranormal outside of the specific abbey. Romania has a tragic nun “possession” called the Tanaku Exorcism, which took place in 2005.
Between the haunting of the Cârța Monastery and the famous Tanaku exorcism, Romania was the perfect place to give The nun The realism that the Conjuring Universe strives for.
According to NBC NewsA 23-year-old nun named Maricica Irina Cornici was admitted to a psychiatric hospital and received a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Cornisi was medicated and released to the care of Holy Trinity Convent with orders to follow up for more treatment in 10 days. Unfortunately, because her hallucinations involved her hearing the voice of the devil, the clergy believed they were witnessing a demonic possession. The resulting exorcism lasted three days, With her tied to a cross, gagged with a towel, and left with no food or water. The nun tragically lost her life.
The horrific story and the subsequent criminal trial brought the Tanaku exorcism global attention. In 2007, those responsible were sentenced to prison, gain coverage in The New York Times. Between the haunting of the Cârța Monastery and the famous Tanaku exorcism, Romania was the perfect place to give The nun The realism that the Conjuring Universe strives for.
Is Sister Irene based on a real person?
Sister Irene provides a central point of view for the nun and the nun II
While the setting of The nun And the Warrens both exist, There is no evidence that Sister Irene is based on a real person. Her story doesn’t line up with any known stories that tie into the movie. Furthermore, her background and personality are vague enough that Irene could be any number of real people. As such, it is likely that she was created for The nun and brought back in The Nun 2 cast, giving the movie a solid central point of view and plotline.
This gives The nun With a less concrete experience on which to build a story than any other Conjuring Universe movie. However, the filmmakers can be afforded a freebie since The nun Does not boast the same ties to true accounts or events as previous entries. Plus, the true story of the setting adds enough chills to make it feel realistic.
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Other conjuring stories with true stories behind them
The Conjuring Universe pulls from the Warren family’s museum of stories
While The Conjuring’s Universe of movies as a whole are fictional stories, Many of the stories presented are inspired by real artifacts in the Warren family’s museum and the stories behind them. Their museum has artifacts collected from cases they worked on during their time as paranormal investigators.
The music box in the first movie, for example, that Lorraine Warren sees a child in as she plays it, is based on a music box that is actually present in the museum. It’s the same music box from The Peron family home, whose haunted house story inspires the first The Conjuring Movie. The haunting of the Perron family is not one that has made it into many movies before The Conjuring Give it a fictional name. Their farmhouse was haunted and the Warrens were called to investigate in the 1970s.
Likewise, the Annabelle doll that got its own spin-off movie The Conjuringis also inspired by a real-life object. The real Annabelle doll is a Raggedy Ann doll and is housed in the museum. It is said to be one of the most haunted dolls in the world, and as a result of the movies, has become one of the most famous real-life objects in the Warren family’s possession. The doll is actually housed in its own case as the Warrens have stated that no one is able to remove the entity from inside the doll making it a haunted object.
With a TV series set in the universe in this way, more stories like that of The nun Are sure to be pulled from the Warren archives.
Sources: Pseudomonarchia Daemonum by Johann Weyer, The Lesser Key of Solomon by Aleister Crowley, i09, Atlas Obscura, Amy’s Crypt, NBC NewsAnd The New York Times