Rev. Walter Contreras Explains ‘The Nun II’ and It’s Depiction of St. Lucy

The ever-expanding Conjuring universe’s latest installment hits theatres this weekend with The Nun II, the next chapter in Sister Irene’s face-off against the demon nun Valak. A superior sequel to 2018’s The Nun, with bigger scares, a spine-tingling opening sequence, and brilliantly expanding the franchise’s lore, there is a lot of religious backstory that audiences may not be familiar with. We sat down with Rev. Walter Contreras who discussed the significance of St. Lucy in The Nun II, his own experience with possession, and why possession films are so popular.

Rev. Contreras served as Vice President of NALEC (National Latino Evangelical Coalition) for seven years, is the founder of AEL, the Alianza Evangelica Latina, and remains a Presbyterian Pastor in California.

Possession has remained a cornerstone in The Conjuring franchise and Rev. Contreras is no stranger to the world of possession and exorcisms. Aside from The Exorcist being his favorite horror movie, Contreras’ father was heavily involved in community activism and helped raise over 1,500 churches in areas where Satanism and witchcraft were very prevalent. “I saw it with my own eyes and it was very scary, seeing people possessed, shaking, and moving on the floor. I saw it but also saw how they were delivered. Now, it doesn’t scare me. I know that it’s real so seeing it [portrayed onscreen] doesn’t bother me.”

The Nun II picks up four years after the events of The Nun and finds Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) and Sister Debra (franchise newcomer Storm Reid) investigating a series of mysterious deaths of leaders of the Catholic church. This leads her to an all-girls boarding school in France where she reunites with Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet) and realizes that the demon Valak (Bonnie Aarons) possessed him after he tried to save Irene’s life. They discover that Valak is using Frenchie to find the eyes of St. Lucy, the patron saint of the blind, to give them unlimited power and Irene and Debra must race against time to stop it.

St. Lucy plays a major part in the backstory of The Nun II, and Rev. Contreras explains her significance in the Church and the film.

“St. Lucy was persecuted by the Roman Empire in 300 A.D., and she was forced to do many things but God’s hand was upon her life. She is depicted holding her two eyes on a plate which gives us the power to understand the light of God, spiritual vision, and the battle between darkness and light.”

We asked Rev. Contreras what some films like The Conjuring and The Nun may be missing in their storytelling, and why possession films are such a common subgenre in horror.

“Many Latin American countries have opened themselves up to this world, this evil world. It exists and that’s why the church has to have an answer for it, to find a way to communicate this message, and movies do that job. Valak is one of the known representations of Satan, the fallen angel, and The Nun II shows a little bit of what to do when you come across the challenge of facing that evil. This film gives a great perspective between the spiritual world and the everyday experiences that people have in this world. Not all movies do that.”

It’s no secret that horror films, especially those dealing with possession, have experienced eerie coincidences and horrific accidents on and off set, from The Exorcist and The Omen to The Poltergeist and Rosemary’s Baby.

“They did a very good job of covering themselves [on set], and had a priest present while they were filming and they blessed the set. They had very good leadership in that facet of making The Nun II. ”

If you’re a fan of The Conjuring franchise, then head to theatres this weekend for The Nun II!