Horror films are designed to terrify audiences, but what happens when the scares extend beyond the screen? That’s exactly what happened during the shooting of The Nun. The film is a spine tingling prequel to The Conjuring II and a key installment in The Conjuring franchise. With its creepy, unsettling atmosphere, haunting storyline and real world occurrences, The Nun blurred the line between fantasy and reality in ways that left the cast and crew a little shaken.
The Film’s Premise
Set in 1952 Romania The Nun follows Father Burke (played by Damian Bichir) and Sister Irene (played by Taissa Faminga) as they investigate the mysterious suicide of a nun in a secluded abbey. As they dig deeper, they encounter a malevolent force: the demon Valak. This demon takes on the form of a nun as a bold mockery. Valak, traditionally appears in occult text such as The Lesser Key Of Solomon, where it is described as a high ranking demon. For the purposes of The Nun, Valak was depicted as an ancient, manipulative demon that was summoned centuries ago by a duke obsessed with the occult. There are hints of Valak being connected to serpents especially in scenes that depict him almost slithering. Father Burke and Sister Irene must confront the ancient evil and seal the demon away before its darkness spreads across the abbey. The film’s gothic atmosphere and unnerving setting made it a box office hit. It cemented its place as one of the creepiest entries to The Conjuring universe. But it wasn’t just Valak as the terrifying nun that sent shivers down spines, it was the strange events on set that added an extra layer of horror.
Supernatural Phenomena During Shooting
Unexplained Movements
From the beginning, strange occurrences plagued the set. Crew members reported items moving on their own. Lights flickered despite the absence of electrical issues, and set pieces shifting without any probable cause. One crew member described how a heavy prop fell over inside of a locked room, even though no one had been inside.
“It was as if something was playing tricks on us,” one production assistant noted. “You’d leave something in one spot and come back to find it someplace else.”
Mysterious Figures
Perhaps the most chilling accounts involved sightings of shadowy figures. The film’s director, Corin Hardy, shared an unsettling experience while shooting in the abbey. Hardy claimed he saw two men standing in the shadows of a corridor. He assumed they were crew members. However, when he turned to speak to them, they had vanished.
“I even walked down the hallway to check where they may have gone,” Hardy recounted. “But there was no one there. It gave me chills.” Several crew members reported seeing eerie figures lurking in the shadows only to vanish when approached. The encounters always left an unsettling feeling filling the space. Other crew members reported similar sightings, particularly in areas of the set that were dimly lit or difficult to access.
Technical Glitches
Filming a horror movie often comes with its fair share of challenges, but the technical difficulties on the set of The Nunfelt almost deliberate. Cameras malfunctioned at critical moments, and audio equipment picked up strange noises.
“We’d hear things in the playback that nobody remembered happening during filming,” said one of the sound engineers. “It was like someone or something was trying to join in.” During playback, sound engineers would pick up strange anomalies, unexplained whispers, even faint chanting in a language that nobody understood. The distorted static seemed to make words, even when no one was speaking.
Romania’s Haunted History
Romania, with its dark forests, looming gothic castles and ties to the Dracula legend is a country steeped in supernatural folklore. Legends of restless spirits, cursed monasteries, and, of course, the Vlad The Impaler’s legacy. These tales have cemented Romania’s reputation as one of the most haunted countries in the world. The film’s production took place in an actual Romanian abbey. This location provided an outstanding atmosphere for the film. Cast members described feeling a palpable sense of unease while filming on location. Some even reported having vivid nightmares throughout the shoot.
The Power Of Belief And The Paranormal
Some skeptics may argue that the cast and crews’ heightened awareness of horror themes made them more susceptible to interpreting ordinary events as supernatural. However, the sheer number of weird happenings on the set of The Nun is difficult to dismiss, entirely. It’s not uncommon for horror movie productions to develop a reputation of being haunted. Classics like The Exorcist and Poltergeist are infamous for their behind-the-scenes stories. Could the dark themes and intense fear surrounding these movies invite supernatural activity?Or are they simply coincidences amplified by our own imagination?
Conclusion
Whether you believe in the supernatural or not, the stories from the set of The Nun add an extra layer of creepiness to the film. As audiences continue to be terrified by Valak’s haunting presence on film, one question lingers, was it just a movie or did the darkness seep into reality? Maybe some secrets are better off staying in the shadows.