It says a lot about the history of nunsploitation cinema that “The Nun II,” which opens with a scary ghost nun levitating a priest and setting him spectacularly on fire, is one of the more understated entries in the genre.
That’s not to say “The Nun II” is a subtle film, or a thoughtful film, or even a good film. It’s just that when you share space on the video store shelf with Ken Russell’s “The Devils” and Bruno Mattei’s “The Other Hell,” a bunch of cheesy random jump scares wrapped around a tepid storyline just doesn’t stand out much.
Even compared to Corin Hardy’s first “The Nun” movie — itself the fifth entry in the “Conjuring” franchise, with “The Nun II” now the ninth — Michael Chaves’s sequel is a major step down.