Although it adheres to the strict laws of The Conjuring universe, The Nun II mostly succeeds as a gothic religious horror that is anchored by a strong lead performance from Taissa Farmiga.

With this ninth entry in The Conjuring franchise, The Nun II most definitely has that feeling of “been there, done that” in its structure and tone. Director Michael Chavez previously directed the underrated The Curse of La Llorona and the overblown The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, so he knows the brief and how to execute it.

It’s a surprise then to find that The Nun II is an effectively spooky gothic horror that features several well-structured sequences that will frighten movie fans this Halloween season. If not, The Nun II will at least provide striking horror scenery for horror fans to gaze upon, with the production design by Stephane Cressend (At Eternity’s Gate) and photography from Tristan Nyby (The Dark and the Wicked) delivering on the gothic horror period film front, especially in those scenes where the demon nun Valak (Bonnie Aarons) slithers in and out of the shadows to psychologically torture her victims.

The Nun II stars Taissa Farmiga as Sister Irene, a Catholic nun who previously battled Valak. When various clergy are murdered in mysterious and grizzly circumstances throughout Europe, Irene is ordered by The Vatican to investigate if Valak has returned, a mission that sends her to a boarding school in France where she reunites with fellow Valak survivor Maurice (Jonas Bloquet) who is holding a dark secret.

Farmiga provides that grounded, yet engaging presence needed to anchor the films’ core theme of strength in faith when combating pure evil. While the Catholicism on display in The Nun II is more “cinematic” than authentic, it is impressive to see a horror film franchise embrace traditional religious conventions during a time when the genre has grown more secular.

Not to say that The Nun II doesn’t have its own mean streak. Chavez has developed a masterful handle on those patented Conjuring anticipation-to-jump-scare sequences, with The Nun II featuring some of the best in the series so far. One sequence involving a horned-beast is pure nightmare fuel, while the various ways in which Valak makes her dark-hearted presence known gets high scores for creativity.

Of course, a lot of the success of The Nun II will rely on whether viewers still have a taste for what The Conjuring series has to offer. With that in mind, The Nun II is a fine slice of gothic horror pie, habit and all.