Download
Please Verify that you are Human
Spoiler Warning: This article reveals the ending of The Nun (2018) and its connection to The Conjuring (2013).
A demon disguised as a nun, a ruined Romanian abbey, and a vial containing the blood of Christ. The Nun saves its biggest battle for the final act, when Sister Irene must face Valak and stop an ancient evil from escaping into the world.
But did Irene actually destroy the demon? The ending reveals a much darker truth.
Why Was Valak Released?
In 1952, Sister Irene and Father Burke travel to a remote abbey in Romania to investigate the apparent suicide of Sister Victoria.
They discover that centuries earlier, a duke used occult rituals to open a gateway to Hell. Christian knights sealed the rift with a relic containing the blood of Christ.
During World War II, bombings damaged the abbey and broke the seal, allowing Valak to return. The demon begins terrorizing the remaining nuns, hoping to escape the abbey and enter the wider world.
How Does Sister Irene Discover the Demon’s Weakness?
Father Burke uncovers the abbey’s history and realizes that the blood of Christ may be the key to closing the gateway again.
The trio searches for the relic, using a key left behind by Sister Victoria. Irene also takes her final religious vows, strengthening her commitment to confront the evil.
Their plan is dangerous: they must reach the rift and use the sacred blood before Valak can escape.
How Does Irene Use the Blood of Christ?
During the final confrontation, Valak possesses Irene and tries to overpower her. Frenchie manages to smear the blood of Christ across her face, forcing the demon out of her body.
But Valak attacks again, throwing Irene into a flooded chamber and attempting to drown her. The relic becomes separated from her, leaving her apparently helpless.
Irene has one final idea. She has secretly kept some of the sacred blood in her mouth. When Valak approaches, she spits it directly into the demon’s face.
The blood burns Valak, banishing it from the chamber as the gateway is sealed. Irene appears to have saved the abbey—and prevented the demon from entering the world.
Did Sister Irene Really Defeat Valak?
Not completely. The ending includes a chilling twist that changes everything.
After the battle, Frenchie reveals his real name: Maurice. As the survivors leave the abbey, an upside-down cross appears on the back of his neck.
This mark suggests that Valak has possessed Maurice during the confrontation. Although the demon has been driven from the abbey, it has found a human host.
Irene may have sealed the gateway, but Valak has found another way to continue its evil work.
How Does The Nun Connect to The Conjuring?
The film jumps forward roughly 20 years to a university presentation by Ed and Lorraine Warren.
They show footage of an exorcism involving Maurice, linking the ending of The Nun directly to the beginning of The Conjuring (2013). In that film, Lorraine experiences a terrifying vision connected to Valak, setting up the events explored in The Conjuring 2.
This connection makes the ending more than a simple horror-movie twist. It explains how Valak’s story reaches the Warrens and becomes part of the wider franchise.
Final Thoughts
Sister Irene wins the immediate battle by using the blood of Christ to banish Valak and seal the gateway. But Maurice’s possession reveals that the victory is far from complete.
The ending is a clever reminder that evil does not always disappear when the heroes think they have won. Sometimes, it simply finds another way out.
FAQs
1. How does Sister Irene defeat Valak in The Nun?
She spits the blood of Christ into Valak’s face, banishing the demon and helping seal the gateway.
2. Does Valak die at the end of The Nun?
No. The ending strongly suggests that Valak survives by possessing Maurice, also known as Frenchie.
3. Why does Maurice have an upside-down cross on his neck?
The mark signals that Valak has possessed him, despite the apparent victory at the abbey.
4. How is The Nun connected to The Conjuring?
The final scene shows Ed and Lorraine Warren presenting footage of an exorcism involving Maurice, linking the films’ storylines.
5. Is The Nun based on a true story?
The film is fictional. It draws loosely on paranormal themes and the Warrens’ reported investigations, but the story of Sister Irene and Valak at the Romanian abbey is not established as a real event.