The Conjuring 2's Original Valak Design Looked Nothing Like The Nun
The demon nun Valak terrified audiences in several Conjuring films, but the original design for the supernatural villain was completely different... and much furrier.
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00:00 The demon nun Valak terrified audiences in several Conjuring films, but the original
00:05 design for the supernatural villain was completely different — and much furrier. As the man
00:09 behind Saw, Insidious, and the Conjuring universe, filmmaker James Wan is unquestionably one
00:14 of the true modern masters of horror. With such enormous franchises under his belt, Wan
00:19 has consistently delivered quality fright flicks without a single flop in the bunch.
00:23 One of his biggest hits to date is The Conjuring 2, a sequel with the rare quality of living
00:27 up to its predecessor. Many horror fans remember the follow-up for Introducing the Demon Nun
00:31 Valak, played by Bonnie Aron. The character resonated so well with audiences that she
00:36 inspired the spin-off film, The Nun. She's become a massive part of the Conjuring universe.
00:40 However, Wan's original plans for the movie's big demon were radically different from what
00:44 audiences are familiar with now. While the filmmaker had talked about these plans in
00:48 the past, he's now offered a pretty incredible look at what could have been.
00:51 Taking to Instagram, Wan revealed the actual animatronic suit that would have been used
00:55 in The Conjuring 2 if Valak hadn't taken its place. The beast is pretty impressive, to
01:00 say the least, even before being augmented with CGI to make it look more realistic. Had
01:04 Wan and the filmmakers gone with this original concept, it would have reshaped the movie
01:08 — and perhaps even the larger franchise, as we know it. As jarring as this creature
01:12 would have been to see on the big screen, Wan had a good reason for replacing it for
01:15 The Conjuring 2.
01:17 In another Instagram post about the original demon's design, Wan explained that the costume
01:21 had been inspired by a concept for Dracula he had for another film. He wrote,
01:25 "During editing, I deemed this beautifully designed/sculpted horned demon too out of left
01:30 field for the film. It needed to be more grounded and personal, something that would take Lorraine's
01:34 faith and try to test/corrupt it."
01:37 Given the intimidating allure of the demon Wan and his crew originally had in mind, this
01:41 was almost certainly a tough call by the filmmaker, as it surely could have looked amazing. However,
01:46 his reasoning for taking it out of the film is quite sound, as it gets at the heart of
01:50 the story he was trying to tell.
01:52 "You are violent! But not vile!"
01:56 It wasn't merely an aesthetic choice. Wan has proven that he makes decisions that best
02:00 suit the project at hand. His consistent track record of success suggests that he, more often
02:05 than not, makes the right decisions. Given the way things worked out for The Conjuring
02:09 franchise, it would be hard to argue he made the wrong call.
02:12 First of all, The Conjuring 2 was a massive hit, taking in over $321 million at the box
02:17 office. Aside from that, it paved the way for The Nun, a spinoff that proved to be an
02:22 even bigger box office hit, making over $365 million worldwide and becoming the highest-grossing
02:28 movie in the Conjuring universe to date.
02:30 So not only did Valak serve this movie well, but it created a very successful spinoff series,
02:35 with The Nun 2 coming out in September 2023, so Valak's iconic design proved to be an indispensable
02:40 part of this franchise. Additionally, Bonnie Ahrens deserves a great deal of credit for
02:45 coming in at the 11th hour and bringing The Nun to life. Though less elaborate than the
02:49 demon Wan and his team created, casting Ahrens as Valak was also a practical way of bringing
02:53 a terrifying supernatural being to life. Her performance has resonated with audiences in
02:58 a big way, and if this original creation had stuck around, Ahrens might never have had
03:02 the chance to shine in this role.
03:04 But who knows? With The Conjuring 4 and a TV series for Max officially in the works,
03:09 the Conjuring franchise does not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. As long as the
03:13 money keeps coming in, Warner Bros. will probably keep making these movies. That being the case,
03:17 we hope they find room to use this original demon elsewhere in another spinoff down the
03:21 road somewhere.
03:22 [music]