Do You Need to Watch The Nun and The Conjuring Before The Nun 2?

The greatest evil in the Conjuring universe is finally making her horrifying return in The Nun 2 after traumatizing fans in The Nun. Spooky season is upon us as this highly anticipated sequel is just around the corner. The Nun 2 follows Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) as her innocent footsteps are once again dogged by the wicked Valak (Bonnie Aarons), a demon boldly sporting the visage of a fellow nun. The movie starts with the mysterious murder of a priest in 1956 France and takes a turn for the truly terrifying as Sister Irene is thrust once more into a fight for her life.

Watching The Nun and The Conjuring Before The Nun 2

No, you don’t need to watch The Conjuring, but you should watch The Nun. It is an important part of Valak’s backstory, after all, and it’ll be pretty difficult to understand where her journey of terror will take her next if you don’t know where she’s already been. The Conjuring takes place (mostly) in 1971 and sets up the story that’ll eventually revolve around the Demon Nun. But it doesn’t add to her story in any way that makes it required viewing before going into The Nun 2 as it takes place almost 20 years prior.

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While The Conjuring only had two sequels, it’s spawned a franchise with seven movies total with The Nun 2 being the eighth installation. If you want the exclusive Valak experience, then watch The Conjuring 2 and The Nun. The first shows us where she ended up and the second shows us how she started with terrorizing local nuns at Saint Cartha’s monastery in Romania. If you want the full experience, though, here’s a list of Conjuring movies to watch in timeline order:

• The Nun
• Annabelle: Creation
• The Nun 2
• Annabelle
• The Conjuring
• Annabelle Comes Home
• The Curse of La Llorona
• The Conjuring 2
• The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

True horror enthusiasts will want to watch every Conjuring movie and soak up every Valak-related Easter Egg they can get their hands on. More casual viewers only need to watch The Conjuring 2 and The Nun to keep up with what’s going on in The Nun 2.

The Nun 2 Release Date

Get ready to jump out of your seat when The Nun 2 is released in theaters on September 8.