Beginning in 2013, the timeline of The Conjuring series has successfully terrorized audiences with four chilling films hitting the big screen. Based on the real-life experiences of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, the series connects with the “Annabelle” movies— possibly leading to an epic crossover replicating the Marvel Universe. “The Conjuring 2” left us with high anticipation for Valak’s return, and now, the wait is over as the prequel, “The Nun,” tells the origin story of the evil Nun we saw haunting the film. The movie stars Bonnie Aarons as The Nun, Taissa Farmiga, Demian Bichir and Jonas Bloquet.

“The Nun” takes us back to 1952, where the concerned Vatican sends a priest and a novitiate to investigate the tragedy of a young nun’s suicide. We follow the two clerics to Romania, accompanied by a young local called Frenchie, as their investigation of the monastery takes a dark turn when they come face to face with a demonic nun summoned from the gates of hell.

The prequel is nothing like “The Conjuring,” which set the standards high for a nightmarish scarefest. The only frightening features in “The Nun” were dependent on routine soundtrack jabs and predictable jump-scares, as characters encounter every trick in the book. The director Corin Hardy created a classic dark, shadowy atmosphere throughout the film as things begin to bump in the night. The writer Gary Dauberman delivered cliche dialogue, characters that make awful decisions and an unusual story structure that leaves us with unanswered questions.