On Friday, Sept. 8, fans of the wildly popular “The Conjuring” films had the opportunity to kick off the start of spooky season with the franchise’s latest addition: “The Nun II.” However, those looking to repeat the sinisterly religious experience of “The Nun” might find the newest film lacking the same qualities that made the first one so powerful.

On paper, “The Nun II” had plenty of opportunities to capitalize on the strong foundations of the first film with the returning cast: Taissa Farmiga reprises her role as psychic Sister Irene, and Jonas Bloquet returns as demon-possessed Maurice. These two characters offer strong, emotionally charged performances; unfortunately for them, they perform from a script that lacks significant forethought and development.

“The Nun II” isn’t helped by the pre-existing “Conjuring” films that spoil the ending ahead of time. All die-hard fans already go into the film with the knowledge that a) Ed and Lorraine Warren will exorcize Maurice, not Sister Irene, and b) the demon Valak will go on to terrorize more generations of intrepid demon hunters. As a result, the film has the complex dilemma of having to create a goal for Valak out of nothing and yet also must allow Valak to escape… again. 

The movie focuses on the fact that Valak managed to escape the abbey featured in “The Nun” and is now embarking on a murderous rampage across Europe. Sister Irene and fresh-faced nun Sister Debra (Storm Reid) are sent to investigate the string of murders connected to the Catholic church and figure out the demon’s motivations.

While the first hour of the movie successfully shows the audience why they should care about each character with charming bonding moments and backstory flashbacks, the movie begins to fall apart with each wildly implausible plot point it adds toward the middle of the film. Some of the worst additions include random reveals about Sister Irene’s family and another historical artifact that proves essential to fighting the demon – even though “The Nun” already put the audience through having to believe that a group of nuns in Romania had access to the blood of Christ.

Despite major mistakes in story progression, “The Nun II” also failed to capitalize on what really drew audiences to the first film – the sheer power of religious iconography to create truly terrifying ambiances in the film. Some of its scariest locations, including a high-ceilinged, humongous church, are only seen for a few minutes, while the majority of the movie takes place at a boarding school with limited spiritual gravitas in comparison.

While “The Nun II” struggles in some essential aspects, it’s still an anxiety-inducing film with plenty of jump scares and tense moments that will leave viewers covering their eyes out of fear. Its execution overall puts it solidly above other “Conjuring” films such as “The Curse of La Llorona” and “Annabelle Comes Home,” but places significantly below franchise stand-outs “Annabelle,” “The Conjuring” and even “The Nun.”

Overall, “The Nun II” is a solid movie choice to set the mood, but those looking to poke holes in its plot will leave hoping that “The Conjuring” franchise will finally put Valak to bed before it loses its scare factor.