9 Horror Movies That Reward You For Paying Attention

4. The Conjuring 2 Continuously Hides Valak In Plain Sight

The Conjuring 2 Valak
Warner Bros.

A major plot point of The Conjuring 2 is that Ed and Lorraine Warren must learn the name of the demon taunting Lorraine with visions of her husband's death. In traditional folklore, the only way to banish a demon and stop it hounding the Warrens is to discover the beast's name - and this is something that torments Ed and Lorraine at their home and through to the couple's travels to England.

That name would, of course, be Valak, the sinister presence that takes centre-stage in The Nun, but it's not until the second half of The Conjuring 2 that the Warrens discover this moniker.

For those viewers paying attention, though, the name Valak has already been shown several times throughout the sequel.

When Vera Farmiga's Lorraine Warren is at at home, Valak can be seen spelt out on her bookcase. Similarly, the name can be spotted spelt out on a windowsill and on a friendship bracelet as other examples - with these instances used to show how this demon is connected to Lorraine, Ed and their daughter Judy.

So popular did Valak prove, that's why the call was made to give the demon her own film with prequel picture, The Nun.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.