Editor’s Note: This article contains major spoilers for The Nun II.
The Nun IIhas premiered in theaters, taking Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) on yet another adventure where she must fight against the demon known as Valak (Bonnie Aarons). The sequel follows Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet) after he was possessed by the demonic nun during the previous installment, setting the stage for the events of this movie. At the end ofThe Nun,the young man has no idea the entity has escaped through his body, meaning that, while he now travels across Europe, there’s no way for him to realize what he’s actually doing when Valak possesses him. During a recent interview with Collider,Perri Nemiroffasked directorMichael Chavesabout what actually happened to Frenchie at the end of the film. He explained:
“That would be up to interpretation. There’s a moment at the end of the movie where – well, there’s a couple of moments; there’s a mid-credit that might tease something. Obviously, in the timeline ofThe Conjuring, to answer it directly, we think he’s saved at the end of this movie, but we know that later on, before the events of the firstConjuring, butafterthis movie, he is possessed and it’s a failed exorcism that leads to him taking his life. So, we know that’s coming.”
The filmmaker went on to state that what happens between this sequel and the next time Valak shows up duringThe Conjuring 2could be open for interpretation:
“Now, Valak either gets back into him or Valak might still be in there, and I think that’s really open to interpretation. There’s definitely a moment; there’s a look between the two of them at the very end that, I think, says a lot. I think that there’s definitely something there, and you could just see that. Irene has got a second sight. She knows that she sees things that aren’t always there, and I feel like…Watch her eyes! Watch her eyes in the end. [Laughs]”
How Did Valak Possess Frenchie in ‘The Nun’?
While the sequel finds Sister Irene years after her first encounter with Valak, the emotional scars left by what she found in Romania are still present in her spirit, which is why she was terrified to learn that the demon had found a way to return. When she went to investigate what was actually happening in Saint Cartha’s monastery with Father Burke (Demián Bichir), Frenchie was merely the person who brought supplies to the nuns who used to live there. Unfortunately, fate had different plans for the young man.
The plot of the first movie takes Father Burke and Sister Irene to a point where they realize that none of the nuns that had spoken to them since they had arrived were real and that Valak hadtaken over the monasterybefore they could even get there. After the realization that the demon had them right where it wanted them to be, the pair knew that there was only one solution to their problem: A vial with the blood of Jesus Christ. During the chaotic final battle with Valak, the demon possessed Frenchie while he fought to save Sister Irene’s life, and the young man was doomed from that point.
The Nun IIis out now in theaters. Don’t miss the rest of Nemiroff’s conversation with Chaves, and in the meantime, check outour explainer on that end credits scene.
