As some of you likely already know, the character Valak – one of the scariest of the franchise and otherwise known as The Nun – was a last minute addition to The Conjuring 2. She was implemented as a replacement for a completely separate demonic entity, one which was fully designed and made up for the film. While it’s gone unseen over the years, James Wan has now revealed the original demon animatronic that was replaced by Valak in The Conjuring 2.
James Wan revealed the beast via concept images and behind the scenes photos on his Instagram page, where he explained that the original Conjuring 2 demon was actually inspired by an unused Dracula design from a Castlevania project that never came to be. As he explained:
“Here’s my first design of the demonic entity haunting the family and Lorraine. Aaron Sims (concept designer) and myself took inspiration from our Dracula design for a movie I was attached to a long time ago called Castlevania. @justin.raleigh/Fractured FX built an awesome animatronic suit, and we were going to augment it with CGI wings.”
“But alas, during editing, I deemed this beautifully designed/sculpted horned demon too out of left-field for the film,” he continues. “It needed to be more grounded and personal — something that would take Lorraine’s faith and try to test/corrupt it. I remember the real-life Lorraine Warren talking about her love and reverence for her nun friends, and a lightbulb went off — thus… the Demon Nun was born. So we went back and replaced all the Horned Demon with the Nun during additional photography.”
While it didn’t end up being used in the film, it’s still a fantastic design. As heartbreaking as it is to know that it never got to be used in either the unmade Castlevania project or The Conjuring 2, at least we can finally see it in all of its horrifying beauty.
Meanwhile, if fans are still eager for more horror, then they’ll be happy to know that The Conjuring and its story isn’t quite over yet. In fact, there’s a new entry due out next year. The next film in the franchise, titled The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, will be hitting theaters on June 4, 2021.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, was directed by Michael Chaves, who previously directed The Curse of La Llorona. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga will be returning as main characters Ed and Lorraine Warren, with Ruairi O’Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook, and Julian Hilliard being added to the cast of the new film.