As if that weren’t enough adventure, once the Eyes have been uncovered, the Demon Nun uses the possessed body of Maurice (Jonas Bloquet) to attack the women and obtain the Eyes for itself. During the fracas and mayhem, the rope holding the old church bell is cut, causing the massive object to crash through the tower (in a moment reminiscent of, well, not Indy, but “Batman”). Poor Sophie finds herself stuck on a piece of wood that is perilously connected to the stairs by a rapidly unraveling strand of rope while the possessed Maurice claws at her, dangling from the same fragile piece of wood. That’s right, folks: it’s a literal cliffhanger moment, an “Indiana Jones” franchise staple in the middle of this spooky horror film!
“The Nun II” has even more surprises in store during this final act, which I won’t spoil here. Suffice to say that it does the thing that “Conjuring” director and franchise patriarch James Wan tends to do so well, blending horror with other genres, typically action and adventure (see also: Wan’s first two “Conjuring” films, “Malignant” and, yes, “Furious 7”). While, as I said, I found “Dial of Destiny” to take the character of Indiana Jones to intriguing new places, for those of you who found yourselves let down by the film, I’d encourage a peep at “The Pope’s Exorcist” and/or “The Nun II.” They just might give you the spook-a-blast ride you were initially looking for!
