Scream Stream: The Nun digs deep into religious horror with unholy terror and may help you burn 223 calories!

The Nun, released in 2018, explores the theme of good v/s evil, twisting many beliefs systems. The standard for religious horror was set by the 1973 classic film The Exorcist. The fright-fest of 2018 also follows a similar theme. 

Set in 1952 Romania, the supernatural horror film is about a Roman Catholic priest and a nun who uncover an unholy secret during their investigation of the untimely death of a nun. It is a spin-off to The Conjuring 2, which introduces the demonic nun Valak. The Nun is directed by Corin Hardy and written by Gary Dauberman. On its release, it received mixed reactions but became the highest-grossing film of the series, collecting $365 million worldwide. The film was praised for its performances and atmosphere. It creates jump scares without many lull moments. Silence can be often creepy and scary and the film explores it quite well. 

The screenwriter Gary had told USAToday that there are fewer films with these 'sorts of deep religious overtones'. "I don't know if he really exists or not, (but) the devil is everywhere. There's no hiding from him, so your soul is always in a bit of jeopardy, no matter where you turn,” he said. 

The film is the origin story of Valak, played by Bonnie Aarons. Its plot combines classic horror with unholiness. It gets nightmare-inducing and terrifying when religious sanctuary becomes untrustworthy, which is shown by the upside-down crucifix – a "Nun" signature. But hope and faith are key for such narratives as you rely on them during such dark times. Gary further said that evil will throw things at you and test you but it's faith that pulls you out of the darkness. This is what forms the crux of the story. 

The prequel to The Conjuring 2 won the Golden Trailer Awards in the Best Horror Poster category. The trailer was considered so scary that YouTube had to ban the video. Watch the trailer here:

Few did experiments with filmgoers to find if the film is actually that scary. Nightmare on Film Street, an independently owned and operated firm, had tested how scary the film is. They had their subject equipped with a heart monitor, which they claim to be a professional-grade and hospital-certified, to record real-time measurements of her heart rate, oxygen intake and stress levels as studies have proven that the human body produces a physiological response when subjected to a stimulus. Their subject had gone to the theatre with high expectations and anticipation, which was recorded in the first few minutes of the film with its impeccable opening scene. A heightened sense of unease kept her heart rate above 80bpm throughout the middle of the film, which tended to even out as the main demonic nun started taking the centre stage in the film and moving shadows appeared too often. But the final scene took plummeted her heart rate to the 90bpm mark with its unusual jump scare. Though many jump scares might seem predictable, the film still made an engaging watch as you still wonder what's going to happen throughout its narrative. 

The film, many considered, isn't as scary as many other films, but according to the firm, it helps you burn an average of 223 calories that you gain with two glasses of wine. So next time, when you have some wine at a late-night party, you could probably binge on this film to compensate for the calories you are consuming.