A priest, a nun and a Frenchman walk into a church….

What says horror more than a malevolent spirit and the Catholic church? Last week Director Corin Hardy and New Line Cinema failed to deliver their own punchline with the release of “The Nun.” 

The film serves as one of the first of its genre to welcome the highly anticipated Halloween season this year. 

Set in Romania, a Frenchman (Jonas Bloquet) stumbles upon a nun, who appears to have taken her own life in the isolated abbey. The Vatican sends a priest (Demian Bichir) and a novice nun (Taissa Farmiga) to investigate the unusual death. Upon arrival, they quickly discover the evils and history buried within the forsaken monastery and are forced to face a demonic presence that has camouflaged itself as one of their own, a nun (Bonnie Aarons).

“The Nun” comes as the fifth film in the “Conjuring” franchise but serves as a prequel to the films attempting to bring the series full circle. Unfortunately, the attempt misses its mark.

Since the world was first introduced to “The Exorcist” in the 1970s, filmmakers have attempted to reinvent and expand the classic ‘vengeful spirit’ horror trope. Despite some subtle scares and vivid graphics, “The Nun” lacks originality.

While some films have succeeded at reimagining the overly used theme, other films like “The Nun” and the “Insidious” series continue to retell the same demonic story.

To further add to the lack of creativity, the film is also slow paced and fails to clearly tell the story about the plaguing nun-like demonic presence. As a result, the film fails to fill some of the gaps in the story left behind by its predecessors leaving audiences with more unanswered questions.

Although “The Nun” may not satisfy the most critical horror fanatics, it definitely gives evil a different look and is a demonic cocktail best served hot.

Should you watch it? Maybe. 

Even with its spotty storyline, I enjoyed the simplicity of the scares and recommend “The Nun” to anyone looking to start the Halloween season with a somewhat fresh film.

“The Nun” is now playing in Cinemark and AMC theaters. 

Deja Calloway can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @callowaydeja.