10 Small Details You Only Notice Rewatching The Nun

Directed by Corin Hardy and written by Gary Dauberman, 2018's The Nun is the fifth instalment in the Conjuring universe and perhaps the biggest gothic horror movie in recent times. Set before any of the other films in the franchise, it follows a priest named Father Burke and a young Nun named Sister Irene investigating Saint Cartha's monastery in the wake of a Nun's corpse being recently discovered.

The Conjuring 2 introduced the evil demon Valak to the world, portraying it as a Nun that had been stalking the visions of Lorraine Warren. The demon arguably proved to be the main pull of the film, and a standalone film was commissioned almost as soon as The Conjuring 2 was released.

In truth, The Nun is a bit of a mixed bag however. Valak remains one of the most genuinely terrifying foes the horror world has ever thrown up, the performances of Taissa Farmiga and Demian Bichir are brilliant and the atmosphere of a creepy Romanian castle is both unique and eerily atmospheric, although it's fair to say that the promise of these things are all subbed out in favour of far too many cheap jump scares and a couple glaring plot errors.

Nevertheless, the film carries on The Conjuring universe's trend of layering in plenty of hidden nods and details that are practically impossible to pick up the first time around. Here are ten small details you only notice on the second or third viewing of the Nun.

Though it is only in The Conjuring 2's climax that audiences are given Valak's name through some crafty recollection by Lorraine Warren, there were plenty of little nods and hints scattered throughout the film that spelled out the demon's name. From the ordering of letters on the Warren's bookshelf, to a strange engraving found in the family kitchen, its a name that is subtly dropped in numerous times to help create a truly sinister feel that hangs over the film.

Valak's creepy prescence isn't just confined to the Conjuring however. When Father Burke and Sister Irene arrive in Romania to investigate Saint Cartha's monastery, they meet up with a man named Frenchie and have a scene with the native where Burke puts the pair's luggage on a small van he mistakes as being their mode of transport.

It's perhaps the only humorous scene in the entire movie, but also houses a sinister little easter egg too for eagle-eyed viewers to look out for. The number plate on the small van spells out the demon's name, perhaps showing off the influence it has already managed to cultivate outside the confines of the castle.

It's the second example of Valak's name popping up subtly in the Nun, with the demon's name being spelled out across a set of playground equipment in the scene prior to Sister Irene's introduction earlier in the film.