The Nun 2 Ending Explained: I Only Have Eyes For You

The following contains major spoilers for "The Nun II." 

Fire is one of the most potent and common elements seen in religious iconography, for very good reasons. It not only turns up as a representative of God in the Jewish and Christian faiths (the infamous "burning bush" seen by Moses), it also acts as a catch-all symbol for faith itself. Fire can be seen as an agent of purification, burning away sin and corruption. It can also be seen as a perpetual force that represents the staunch power of one's belief, often in the form of a lit candle.

It's no surprise, then, that fire is all over "The Nun II," literally and metaphorically. The movie is the 9th in the film series The Conjuring Universe, movies that began as fictionalized adaptations of the life and times of demon hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) that have now expanded to include a host of other characters on both sides of the war between Good and Evil. Just as the main "Conjuring" trilogy seeks to evoke the Satan Chic/paranormal films of the '70s and '80s ("The Exorcist," "The Amityville Horror," et al), the Conjuring Universe spin-offs have branched out into a number of other film genres.

"The Nun II" is no exception, touching upon everything from classic Universal monster movies to '80s Italian horror to adventure films. Yet its main thrust is still very much in line with the "Conjuring" series as well as the original "The Nun," telling a tale about the power of faith being able to overcome darkness, like a bright fire in the black night that allows eyes to see.

Picking up from where "The Nun" left off (save that movie's epilogue in 1972 ... more on that later), "The Nun II" begins in 1956. At the end of the first "Nun," the demon known as Valak (played once again by Bonnie Aarons in Demon Nun form) had escaped imprisonment at the bottom of a Romanian abbey by possessing the body of Maurice aka "Frenchie" (Jonas Bloquet). The (temporary) vanquisher of Valak, newly professed nun Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga), seeks anonymity by heading off to a rural European nunnery even as her legend grows within the Church; early in the film, Sister Irene overhears another nun recounting the battle with Valak in Romania, claiming that the nun who fought the demon supposedly went insane and was sent to an institution.

Meanwhile, in Tarascon, France, Valak starts to get up to its old demon tricks again, terrorizing an altar boy, Jacques (Maxime Elias-Menet), by lifting his priest high in the air, setting him on fire, and roasting him alive. Back at Sister Irene's nunnery, Irene is informed by Cardinal Conroy (David Horovitch), who knows her true identity, that Valak is back, and she's the only person left who can stop it: her old partner in Valak-busting, Father Burke (Demián Bichir), has passed away. Irene at first refuses, but like so many of her cinematic ancestors — everyone from Lankester Merrin to John Rambo and Luke Skywalker — her higher, heroic calling wins out, and she begins to follow Valak's trail.

As Sister Irene goes off in search of where Valak might be, the film shows us up front (though it doesn't tell us outright, saving a little something for Irene's investigation): a girl's boarding school somewhere in France. Turns out that poor, possessed Maurice has taken a gig there as a servant and all-purpose handyman. He's also made friends with the adorable and socially shy Sophie (Katelyn Rose Downey), a girl who could use a friend given that she's often bullied by her cruel classmates.

Most of that bullying revolves around the section of the school that used to be a chapel back when the entire property was a monastery. Sectioned off and forbidden to students by the headmistress, Madame Laurent (Suzanne Bertish), Sophie is dared to venture inside the chapel one day. She's told by one of the girls that one window's stained glass artwork of a goat is a representation of the devil staring at you, especially when the sun hits the glass in such a way that makes the goat's eye glow red.

Little do Sophie and the girls realize that a demon is indeed lurking close by, as Valak, using Maurice as a conduit, is menacing people in and around the school. It's during this section of the film that "The Nun II" most closely resembles its predecessor (as well as a few other entries in the Conjuring Universe such as "Annabelle: Creation"), adopting the loose structure of a slasher film where Valak finds an individual alone, menaces and then murders them.

Yet Valak's actions aren't solely motivated by doing evil for Evil's sake. Sister Irene is joined by her pal, Sister Debra (Storm Reid), a woman who was pushed into the Church by her overbearing father and thus has some big unanswered questions about her faith. Irene confides to Debra, not just about her identity as Valak's nemesis, but about her ability to have psychic visions (as was established in the first "Nun") as well as her memories of her mother, who was taken away from her at an early age.

Irene and Debra buddy cop it to Tarascon, picking up on Valak's trail. They discover that the demon has been killing people who possess a certain totem that ties them to the legend of Saint Lucy, a martyr who refused to give up her virginity and was sentenced to death by immolation but would not burn. Allegedly, once she was eventually executed her eyes were removed from her body and hidden away by her descendants, whose symbol is borne by Valak's recent victims.

After speaking to Jacques and encountering a dangerous vision of Valak, Sister Irene discovers that Maurice had been working at the Tarascon church when the priest's murder occurred, and that he has since gone to a school in Aix-en-Provence, a place in the South of France where a descendant of Lucy — a monk — hid the eyes for safekeeping. Deducing that Valak wants the eyes for purposes of enhancing its evil abilities, Irene and Debra race to the school.

Of course, the discovery that Valak has possessed Maurice is devastating to Irene, particularly because she realizes that his possession took place while Maurice was saving her life at the climax of the first film. This revelation adds to Valak's possession of Maurice resembling the classic Universal monster, The Wolf Man: after his being "bitten" by Valak in Romania, he now carries with him the curse of the Demon Nun despite being nun — sorry — none the wiser about his condition. To wit: when not controlled by Valak, he's his normal, kind, lovable self, only "transforming" when Valak is letting itself out and/or controlling his body.

Making matters worse, Maurice has not only developed a close relationship with Sophie, but with the girl's mother, Kate (Anna Popplewell), a teacher at the school who also seems to be a bit smitten with the hunky servant. Fortunately, Irene and Debra arrive at the school just as Maurice begins to lose control, with Valak attacking Sophie and Kate. Subduing Maurice, the nuns enlist the other ladies' help with locating the hidden Eyes of Saint Lucy, realizing that the light hitting the goat's eye in the stained glass window is actually an indicator of where the eyes are buried. Irene and Kate retrieve the eyes from their burial place in the chapel, but unfortunately, Valak has used its demonic power to take over Maurice's body completely, allowing him to escape.

Attacking our heroes in an attempt to get the Eyes for itself, Valak has also unleashed a few additional beasties to distract, break up, and dispatch the quartet of demon fighters. These include a creepy half-man, half-creature Demon Goat (Aaron-Jon North), and the possessed corpse of Madame Laurent, whom Valak had murdered earlier by exploiting the woman's grief over the loss of her young son.

As the young schoolgirls and Sister Debra are chased around the school by these creatures, the movie lets loose, becoming a no-holds-barred spookfest/adventure movie. In addition to feeling a little summer blockbuster-y, these sequences also feel akin to vintage Italian horror films, ranging from the likes of Dario Argento ("Suspiria") to Lucio Fulci ("The Beyond") and Michele Soavi ("The Church"). Through this ordeal, Sister Debra's faith is tested, as she struggles to keep the girls from being harmed by entities that are clearly not of the rational world.

As Sophie, Kate, Irene, and Debra attempt to play keep-away with Valak and the eyes, the Demon Nun uses all of her tricks and powers to stop them. One of the most effective, of course, is the abuse of poor Maurice, whom Valak appears to kill as Irene brandishes the eyes against the demon. Letting her guard down for just long enough, Valak takes the eyes from Irene, and absorbs them into its being. Right away, Valak attempts to do to Irene what it did to the priest at the beginning of the movie, setting the woman on fire. However, just like Saint Lucy, Irene will not burn — and there may be a distinct reason for this.

Earlier in the film, Sister Irene teased Sister Debra for neglecting to make her confession. It turns out that Irene has been keeping her own secrets from Debra, to whom she finally confesses: Irene's mother wasn't taken away from her by circumstance or illness, but by her father, who had the woman committed for having the same types of visions that Irene is blessed with. During this recent battle with Valak, Irene has been having visions of Saint Lucy, strongly implying that she belongs to the Saint's lineage (as does, potentially, Lorraine Warren, whose eyes we see during one of the visions). Irene remembers that her mother told her "You have my eyes," and the message seems clearly laden with a double meaning.

Convincing Debra to pray with her, Irene manages to set the Demon Nun on fire, and the nuns burn Valak to a crisp with the power of their own faith (and a little help from Irene's special abilities). Maurice awakens, still alive, and the nuns are relieved to see that Valak has claimed no victims.

It seems that love has conquered all in Aix-en-Provence: the schoolgirls are safe, the Demon Nun has been expelled, and Maurice is able to apologize for his possessed actions and reconcile with Kate and Sophie.

Yet, as the newly formed family trio walks away, Sister Irene looks on a little worriedly. That's likely because she has a psychic inkling of what "Conjuring Universe" audiences already know: things are due to get a lot worse for poor Maurice and those in his company. As the original "Nun" concluded, it seemingly tied up the loose end of Maurice aka Frenchie being exorcised by Ed and Lorraine Warren about 20 years later. During that ordeal, the possessed Maurice grabs Lorraine, a moment that leads to the events of both "The Conjuring" and "The Conjuring 2."

Now that "The Nun II" has expanded the story of Maurice and the journey of the demon Valak, leaving a good deal of narrative to be accounted for between the ending of this film and where Valak eventually ends up, it's anyone's guess as to how and where Valak turns up again in the interim.

Fortunately, director Michael Chaves (along with writers Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing and Akela Cooper) gives us a little hint: the film's post-credits scene shows Ed and Lorraine at their Connecticut home, receiving a phone call from their regular contact in the Church, Father Gordon. "Yes, Father. How can we help?" asks Ed to Gordon's unheard and unseen query. Is this scene taking place just prior to the events of the first or second "Conjuring" film? Or after? Or is it prior to both of them, and Father Gordon's calling about a still-possessed Maurice?

We likely won't know until the Warrens' next cinematic adventure, "The Conjuring: Last Rites" hits screens sometime in the near future. Whatever happens, we know that Ed and Lorraine's faith burns just as brightly as Sister Irene's, and they're going to need that fire to burn Valak once and for all.