Though The Conjuring franchise has been the definitive horror franchise of our current cinematic moment, it hasn’t necessarily created many iconic monsters. Annabelle the doll is creepy, but by herself, does nothing; she’s attached to a mostly invisible demon. The Crooked Man is nifty but barely shows up onscreen, and many of the other threats faced by the Warrens mostly remain unseen. But then there’s The Nun, a manifestation of the demon Valak. Ever since she showed up in The Conjuring 2, she’s been nightmare-inducing, especially to anyone who was terrorized by real nuns in Catholic school.
Spinoff Nun the Richer
She’s also a rare horror icon to present female, even though there’s a big asterisk there. Technically, Valak is a male demon but takes the female form of a nun in the belief that doing so is the most offensive desecration it can manifest, as well as effective camouflage to hide in a convent. So Valak/The Nun is probably better classified as gender-fluid, though the Demon Nun, as this form is dubbed, is played by actress Bonnie Aarons.
NECA initially made the Demon Nun as part of its retro clothed figure line, something they usually do if a character might not be popular enough to merit the costs of an all-new sculpt (clothes over a generic body are more cost-effective). In that case, it wasn’t so much due to lack of popularity but due to the fact that clothes essentially make the Demon Nun, and turning them into a sculpt might force either less articulation or conspicuously ugly joints. Instead, they’ve taken the time to work out and engineer a fully clothed, original action figure.
Don’t expect the fine tailoring and soft cloth of a Mezco figure, but for less than half the price, the costuming here is damned impressive. The removable habit features a flexible wire rim and white lining. Her white collar is Velcro-fastened and removable. And her robe is folded to create a multilayered approach that entirely hides the seams. Take care opening the figure, as the really small cross necklace isn’t taped in (at least on our review sample from NECA) and can go missing if you don’t know what to look for. Once on the figure, it hangs easily around her neck but twists like a real necklace. The fabric on the figure is not soft but smooth.
You Like Her? You Really Like Her?
And yes, the wire in the habit can allow you to restyle her headgear if you’re a fan of certain old Sally Field high-concept sitcoms…
So what is the sculpt like under the clothes? The outfit isn’t really meant to be taken off, but we now have some idea. The torso, as much as could be accessed, looks like a basic black block.
The arms are sculpted black sleeves on the biceps, with bare forearms like she’s rolling up her sleeves to get down to business. Nun ya business.
Her legs are bare but simply sculpted, with high heels and a basic black crotch piece. The hips have ball joints, and the knees disc-and-pin. And now that you know, there’s no need to look again.
Stand at Attention
The ankles, both hinge and rocker, are super tight, and the foot peg holes are quite small. A circular figure stand is included, but you’ll want to peg it in and/or adjust her feet before trying to stand her up. This isn’t a figure that’s easily adjustable on the spot. She’s not heavy, though, so once she finds a balance, she’s unlikely to topple.
The Demon Nun comes with two swappable heads, which are tough to pull off the peg, so maybe pick one and stick with it. There’s closed-mouth creepy or open-mouth shriek. Looking up close, one can see the telltale dots of a digital photo-print, but they don’t look that pronounced to the naked eye. She also has two pairs of hands — one better for holding items like the thurible she comes with and another to make scary witch-claws in the air as she’s running at her victims.
The thurible has three chains to go between her fingers, and the only remaining accessory is the painting of her. It’s glossy cardboard, but it is double-sided, with picture frame details on the back.
Nun Sense Is Habit Forming
As The Nun continues along its path as a sub-franchise within the Conjuring universe, undoubtedly, more Nun figures will be made. NECA themselves won’t likely miss a chance to do variants with new accessories, blood splatter, exaggerated mouth, and so on. For a first (second if you count the retro) version, however, they’ve left little on the table. Mezco could probably make the clothes fancier and charge $100 for the privilege; at $36.99, Valak is one of the nicest, fanciest Ultimates NECA has made. Its major competitor in that department would be Annabelle – evidently, something about this universe brings out the best in this company.
Now, it really is more important than ever to decide if La Llorona “counts.” Meanwhile, check out more images and details of The Nun below.
