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Valak, The Demon Behind The Film 'The Nun'
Mar 31, 2025
We all know Valak, the terrifying spirit-nun from The Conjuring Two who likes to play with portraiture. Some may assume this habit-wearing ghost was cooked-up by The Conjuring mastermind, James Wan, but they’d be wrong. No. Horror’s favorite soul-devouring sister is based on a real demon who made his first appearance long before cinema was even invented
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0:01
We all know Valak, the terrifying spirit
0:03
known from The Conjuring 2 who likes to play with portraiture. Some may assume this habit-wearing ghost
0:08
was cooked up by The Conjuring mastermind James Wan, but they'd be wrong
0:12
Horror's favorite soul-devouring sister is based on a real demon who made his first appearance
0:17
long before cinema was even invented. Today on Scream to Screen, we're taking a deep dive
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into Valak, the demon behind the nun. First depicted as a child riding a two-headed dragon
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according to a 17th century demon-hunting manual, Valak is very much real
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and, according to some, a demon you can call forth right now
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Valak, which can be spelled with a K or a C, has made appearances in a variety of medieval grimoires
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which are books that contain a mix of spells, conjurations, natural secrets, and ancient wisdom
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In these ancient texts, Valak is represented as a sinister child with the ability to conjure serpents
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According to one 17th century text, Valak controls a legion of serpentine spirits
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and can summon living serpents to see to his evil bidding. The first known reference to the name Valak
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is found in a 17th century grimoire titled Clavicula Solomonus Regis, or The Key of Solomon
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a book specifically created to teach the reader the ceremonial art of commanding spirits
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both good and evil. Within this grimoire, the reader will find a list
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of the 72 demons that King Solomon supposedly vanquished during his reign
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It also provides instructions for expelling said demons should anyone come in contact with such spirits again
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Valak, which is sometimes also spelled Ualik, Valu, Volak, Dulas, or Volak, is the 62nd spirit listed in Solomon
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according to which he appeareth like a boy with angel wings, riding on a two-headed dragon
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His special power, according to the text, is finding snakes and hidden treasures while leading an army of 30 demons
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The Bible itself contains no reference to Solomon's 72 demons, but Solomon was actually listed in the Vatican's Index Librorum Prohibitorum, or the list of prohibited books, which the Church continuously updated until scrapping it altogether in 1966
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The Church considered the text not only non-religious, but heretical. However, to the dismay of many inquisitors, the grimoire was still found in the possession of many Catholic priests
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Despite being banned, the grimoire remained hugely popular in Europe, and given the success of The Conjuring movies
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it seemed that its contents still hold a terrifying appeal to this day. Ed and Lorraine Warren were American paranormal investigators and authors
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associated with prominent cases of alleged hauntings. Ed Warren was a self-professed demonologist
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Lorraine, his wife, was a clairvoyant and a light trance medium. The Warrens who were devout Catholics claimed to have investigated over 10 cases of paranormal activity over the course of their career While their most renowned cases would be inspiration
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for films like the Amityville Horror, Annabelle, and The Haunting in Connecticut
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it was a brief moment Lorraine had in church that would lead to Valak donning the habit
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for the silver screen. According to the Warrens' son-in-law, the Warrens encountered a spectral nun
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while on a trip to the haunted Borley Church in southern England in the 1970s
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According to lore, the churchyard's ghost was a nun who had been buried alive in the brick walls of the convent centuries ago after having an affair with a monk
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Lorraine Warren allegedly met the ghost face to face at midnight one evening in the church graveyard, but was able to escape unharmed
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When Juan spoke to the real Lorraine Warren and learned of the churchyard ghost, he realized how to combine the two
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Because the demonic vision of Valak only haunts Lorraine Warren in the films
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Juan wanted the attack to feel specific and personal to her character. Juan realized that such an evil demon would attack Lorraine at her core
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And for Lorraine, nothing is more sacred than her faith. And what is one of the most iconic Catholic images that a demon might use to mock Lorraine's beliefs
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A nun, of course. While Valak was sent back to hell in The Conjuring 2
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the idea of being haunted by your own faith was so potent with Juan
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that Valak became a central character in the 2018's The Nun. On June 15, 2016, Warner Brothers Pictures and New Line Cinema announced The Nun
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a spinoff film of The Conjuring 2, which had opened five days earlier and was a massive hit
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the highest grossing horror film of the year. The initial script for The Nun was written by David Leslie Johnson
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On February 17, 2017, it was announced that Corinne Hardy had signed on to direct the film
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with a new screenplay from Juan and Gary Doberman. During the filming of Annabelle Creation, it was revealed that The Nun would chronologically
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come first in The Conjuring universe, making it a further prequel to The Conjuring series
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and Annabelle series. Peter Safran, producer of The Annabelle series and The Conjuring, said
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We have a board that we created that has what we hope will ultimately be our series of movies
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We have it in chronological order so we can keep track of where it all happens
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On April 5th, 2017, Damien Bichir was cast in the film as a priest investigating a nun's mysterious suicide
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Thaisa Farmiga was cast shortly after as a Roman Catholic nun in her novitiate
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Corinne Hardy later said that he initially did not want to cast Farmiga due to her being the sister of The Conjuring star, Vir Farmiga
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But changed his mind when he saw her auditions. I watched 100 auditions for this role, and she had some kind of presence outside of her own body
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that was evident, and she was phenomenal. Bonnie Aarons was then set to reprise her role as the
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demon nun character Valak from The Conjuring 2 Principal photography for the film began on May 3 2017 at Castle Film Studios in Bucharest Romania with Maxime Alexander serving as cinematographer Film director Corinne Hardy had a Roman Catholic priest bless the set prior to filming
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Scenes were filmed in the Palace of the Parliament building in June for a fee of €5,000 per hour
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Filming also took place at the Corvin Castle in Hunda Ara and Siza Ara, Transylvania
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While the only thing that seemed to haunt the production was the need for extensive reshoots
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Hardy did say that he saw a handprint in the dust while filming in Mogossoya, which he believed to be that of a ghost
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In August 2018, a short advertisement for the film was removed from YouTube
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due to an unskippable jump scare that violated the platform's shocking content policies
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The nun grossed $117.5 million in the United States and Canada and $248.1 million in other territories
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for a total worldwide gross of $365.6 million against a production budget of $22 million
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becoming the highest grossing film in the franchise. In April 2019, it was announced by Peter Safran
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that a sequel was in development. He stated that there was a really fun storyline planned
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for the film and commented that there was an inevitability to another The Nun movie
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Later that month, Akilah Cooper signed onto the production as screenwriter, while Safran and James Wan
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will serve as producers. Bonnie Ahrens will be reprising her role as Valak the Demon Nun
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To date, there have been no official updates to The Nun 2, but Ahrens was quoted teasing
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I light a candle every day. I would love to jump back in that habit. I love that film and that
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character and that whole crew. Can't wait for Valak in theaters? How about inviting him into
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your own home? Valak isn't quite how he appears in the movies. In fact, a grain of salt should be
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taken whenever learning about demons, whether it's on the internet or in films. After all
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demonology isn't a precise science. That said, whatever happens when summoning Valak
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happens at your own risk, possession, and all. The Pseudo-Monarchia Demenum is a grimoire from the 1500s
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that classifies, organizes, and outlines the summoning rituals for various demons. It names Valak as a great president of hell
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To summon him, the general evocation ritual of the Pseudo-Monarchia Demenum is used
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This requires fasting for three to four days until all pollutants are cleansed from the body
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Once properly cleared, the summoner makes a circle and calls out the spirit by name and rank
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while holding a ring in hand. Then the summoner recites their own name
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and a page-long prayer that can be found in the grimoire. If done correctly, Valak should appear within the circle
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to offer all kinds of hidden knowledge. The lesser key of Solomon grimoire reveals that
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to conjure Valak, one must wear his seal inscribed with a magic triangle unique to the book
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The magician must stand in a magic circle for protection while clothed in a complicated uniform which includes the likes of a girdle of lion skin In the protective circle the summoner recites various prayers and conjuration scripts all found within the first volume of the Lesser Key
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Next, the conjurer must frighten Valak with more special scripts and curses into performing their bidding
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It's a pretty intense method that requires quite a bit of research
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but it's also one of the oldest and most traditional when it comes to demonic evocations
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Many older grimoires rely on capturing demons in magic circles, but there are less aggressive methods to reach Valak
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Begin by preparing a space with candles and incense. The fancier the better
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He is a president after all. Copy or print out the demon's sigil from the lesser key of Solomon
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and spend time memorizing it so that it may be envisioned at will. Then picture the sigil while chanting Valak's name
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Scrying into a mirror or incense smoke will help ease any communication on his part
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though if done often enough, it's possible Valak will find a way to make his presence known more directly
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According to the Dictionnaire Infernal, a French grimoire printed in various editions throughout the 1800s
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those who wish to summon Valak should do so with caution. If the Conjurer is deemed worthy
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the Underworld President will help him find all manner of hidden treasure
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There's a strong chance he'll make good on his offer too, considering he has 30 legions of demons under his command
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Those demons aren't all friendly though, and if the Conjurer is deemed unworthy of Valak's presence
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they may converge to ruin the summoner's life. Unfortunately, the Dictionnaire doesn't specify how Valak measures worth
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It's probably smart to bring out the best incense, just in case. Most summoning rituals use a method called Evocation
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which tries to force a spirit into appearing in a space designated by the conjurer
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While this method is known for its stringent safety requirements, it does little towards creating a beneficial rapport with a spirit
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Invocation is a method that calls the spirit to the magician, politely inviting them to hang out
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Start by cleaning the space in which the demon would be invited. Demarcate a circle around the summoner
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calling elemental spirits into the four cardinal directions. Then call to Valak in the center
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inviting him to share the space and communicate freely, possibly with an offering or two for good measure
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When the ritual is done and things are winding to a close, bid Valak and the elemental spirits farewell in reverse order
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It's important to remember that not every demonic summoning ritual on the internet gives sound advice
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and a little common sense goes a long way in preventing risky situations
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That said, it's impossible to separate the image of a demonic summoning from sacrifice
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While it's true that demonology is based more on educated guesswork than cold hard facts
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most sources are pretty clear about Valak's appearance. In some situations, he may take the form of a dragon itself and that of a goshock
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a raptor popular with falconers in the Middle Ages. While there are in-universe explanations for Valak's appearance in The Nun
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It's far from a sure thing that he'll take that form when summoned
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He's also known for moving and flying incredibly fast, just so you know
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