AWAKENING THE NUN (a.k.a. The Bad Nun: Deadly Vows / The Watcher 2) *** UK 2020 Dir: Scott Jeffrey, Rebecca Matthews. 89 mins
Catherine and her family move into an old converted church and soon begin to realise they are being stalked by a killer nun who is haunting all three generations of the family of sinners.
Awakening The Nun opens on a gruesome young couple being butchered by a pair of scissors by a creepy deranged Nun. Fast forward to present day and we see three generations of women move into a perfect country retreat. Following the discovery of her husband’s infidelity, newly separated Mandy moves in with her mother, whilst her daughter Catherine takes a break from university to help them settle into their new home.
The women have barely unpacked before a mysterious nun turns up at the door and begins causing havoc. Before too long we discover that Pamela Seers has a dark secret, connected to the church. Before long Catherine and her newly acquainted neighbour begin to unravel the secret and the reason behind the nun tormenting the family, as the nun begins killing the sinners one by one.
Awakening The Nun is part two of Bad Nun, the film is also known as Bad Nun: Deadly vows. I really enjoyed the first film, Bad Nun, I caught it on Amazon Prime a few months back. Though I was pleasantly surprised with this film and actually ended up liking it more.
What to expect with this film? It’s a eerily creepy ghost story which is reminiscent of an old MR James type horror/thriller. This wouldn’t be out of place on a Sunday night on the BBC as a chilling two parter.
This feels like a TV movie, and that’s not a bad thing. This is a true independent film with a lot of heart, it may seem like they are cashing in on The Nun from The Conjuring franchise, but that’s not a bad thing and many more filmmakers won’t be far behind!
A chilling ghost story, perfect Sunday night viewing!
Review by Tony Newton