2023 has been another great year for horror thus far. Especially if you love franchises. Scream and Evil Dead have already returned to become massive successes, but another franchise soon to be making its haunting comeback is The Conjuring with The Nun 2. This sequel to the hit 2018 prequel sees the dreaded return of demonic nun Valak. Now, just in time for The Nun 2’s release this Fall, NECA has unveiled their new Valak figure that will have every horror fan shaking in fear.
The seven-inch figure sees Valak all done up in their creepy black nun habit which is completely made out of fabric. The figure also comes with interchangeable hands, two head sculpts, the famous Valak painting done by Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson) from The Conjuring 2, and an orb. The figure will also include a stand and the traditional NECA window box packaging. As usual, NECA chillingly captured the likeness of Bonnie Aarons’ Valak. Aarons has now played the demon three times now, including the upcoming film, and she has given one of the most underrated horror performances in recent memory.
Valak Almost Never Haunted a Soul
When The Conjuring was released in 2013, it quickly propelled director James Wan to superstar status and successfully brought the haunted house sub-genre back to the mainstream. Because of this, Warner Brothers was eager to greenlight a sequel which was released in 2016. The Conjuring 2 was a bigger and arguably better film than the first entry while still retaining the heart of the original. Ed and Lorraine Warren's (Vera Farmiga) loving relationship was further explored thanks to its memorable villain, Valak. The iconic Nun’s simple design and religious ties went a long way to making them relentlessly scary.
However, Valak almost never happened as the character was added completely in reshoots for the sequel. Wan would later release behind-the-scenes images of the original villain’s design. Reshoots are often seen as a bad thing, but Valak gave Warner Bros another spin-off for the series. The Nun quickly became a moneymaker for the horror franchise and, despite being critically panned, it’s a much better film than people give it credit for. It was a gothic fright-fest that had more in common with a classic universal monster movie than your modern haunted house affair. The sequel’s trailer debuted last month at CinemaCon, though it hasn't been made available online yet. With the film right around the corner, horror fans should be seeing The Nun 2’s first trailer in the near future. The Conjuring universe was once thought to be winding down after eight films, but Warner Bros isn’t letting this killer franchise die just yet. Both a new Conjuring series and the next film, The Conjuring: Last Rites are in active development. The latter of which is hitting theaters in 2024.
When Does The Nun 2 Release?
The Nun 2 releases in theaters on September 8, 2023, and stars Aarons, Taissa Farmiga, and Storm Reid. While we wait for the first trailer, you can find more information about NECA’s new Valak figure on their website. The figure will be released in October to coincide with Valak’s sinister return. You can check out images of the new figure above and see our chat with Reid down below.