5 Terrifying Truths Behind 'Is The Nun A True Story?'—The Real Valak Lore And Warren's Secret
Despite the chilling claim that *The Conjuring* Universe is based on true events, the story of *The Nun* is largely a work of pure, terrifying fiction. Released in 2018 and followed by the 2023 sequel *The Nun II*, the films serve as prequels to the main series, detailing the origin of the demonic entity Valak, which tormented paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. However, the latest available information, as of late 2025, confirms that while the demon Valak is rooted in ancient mythology, and the cinematic inspiration comes from a real-life encounter of Lorraine Warren, the plot involving Sister Irene, the Cârța Monastery, and the specific events are entirely fictionalized for dramatic effect. The true story is far more complex and involves a mashup of genuine demonology, a famous real-life investigator's experience, and historical locations.
The enduring question, "Is *The Nun* a true story?" persists because the entire *Conjuring* franchise expertly blurs the lines between reality and fiction. Director James Wan and the creative team strategically pulled key elements from real-world demonology and the case files of the late Ed and Lorraine Warren to give the narrative a foundation of authenticity. This article breaks down the five core truths, separating the cinematic horror from the actual historical and mythological sources that inspired the blockbuster spin-off.
The True Lore of Valak: A Demonic Biography from Ancient Grimoires
The most compelling element of the films is the central antagonist, Valak. While the idea of a demon taking the form of a blasphemous nun is a cinematic invention, the name and entity of Valak are, in fact, drawn from real-world occult texts dating back centuries. This is the demon’s actual "biography," as recorded in demonology.
Valak’s Rank, Appearance, and Powers in the Goetia
The demon Valak (also spelled Ualac, Valac, or Volac) is prominently featured in the 17th-century grimoire known as *The Lesser Key of Solomon*, specifically within the section called the Goetia. This text is a foundational source for Western demonology, listing 72 spirits supposedly conjured and controlled by the biblical King Solomon.
- Rank in Hell: Valak holds the impressive rank of the 62nd Spirit and is described as a Great President of Hell.
- True Appearance: Contrary to the terrifying, habit-wearing figure in the film, the mythological Valak is described as a small, winged child. This child-like figure is said to ride a two-headed dragon.
- Powers: Valak's primary purpose, according to the grimoires, is not to possess or terrorize, but to find hidden treasures. It is also said to give true answers about serpents and where they may be found.
The cinematic Valak, as portrayed by actress Bonnie Aarons, is a terrifying perversion of this ancient lore, specifically designed to shock and attack the religious faith of the protagonists, Sister Irene and Father Burke. The demon's true, non-nun form—a child on a dragon—is a detail often overlooked by moviegoers but essential to understanding its mythological roots.
The Warrens' Real-Life Encounter That Inspired the Nun Form
If the demon Valak doesn't look like a nun, where did the film's iconic and terrifying image come from? The answer lies with the real-life paranormal investigator, Lorraine Warren (played in *The Conjuring* films by Vera Farmiga).
Director James Wan, who is the architect of *The Conjuring* Universe, created the visual of the demonic nun for *The Conjuring 2* (2016), where Valak first appeared. He needed a character that would personally challenge Lorraine Warren's Catholic faith and be a symbol of blasphemy.
Wan revealed that the inspiration came directly from one of Lorraine Warren's personal accounts. Lorraine had described a "spectral entity" that frequently haunted her. She saw this presence as a "swirling tornado vortex with this hooded figure." Wan's creative leap was to take this "hooded figure" and transform it into a nun's habit, weaponizing a symbol of holy purity against the devout Catholic investigator. There is no specific, recorded case file from the Warrens where they encountered a demon that appeared as a nun.
The Fictional Plot and Its Real-World Historical Anchors
While the demon and the nun form have "true story" connections, the entire plot of both *The Nun* and *The Nun II* is fictional. However, the films are meticulous in using real historical and geographical elements to ground the horror in a sense of reality.
The Cârța Monastery in Transylvania
The primary setting for *The Nun* (2018) is the remote Cârța Monastery in Romania, a place shrouded in mystery and history. The monastery is a real location, though the film was primarily shot on sound stages and in other Romanian castles, such as Corvin Castle.
The actual Cârța Monastery is a former Cistercian Abbey in Transylvania, founded around 1205. Like many ancient European religious sites, it has its own alleged haunted history and local legends, which the filmmakers leveraged to create a genuinely eerie atmosphere. The use of a real, ancient, and reportedly haunted location gives the fictional events a disturbing geographical anchor.
The Saint Lucy Connection in *The Nun II*
The sequel, *The Nun II* (2023), continues this trend of blending fiction with history by incorporating the legend of Saint Lucy (also known as Saint Lucia). The film's plot revolves around Valak's search for a powerful relic: the eyes of Saint Lucy, which are said to hold immense power.
Saint Lucy was a real Catholic saint, born in Syracuse in 283 AD, during the Roman Empire. She is the patron saint of the blind and those with eye ailments. While her story of martyrdom is a genuine part of Catholic history, the idea that her preserved eyes are a powerful relic that Valak is seeking is entirely a fictional plot device created for the movie.
Connecting the Dots: Valak's Link to the Warrens' Cases
The ultimate purpose of *The Nun* spin-offs is to connect the demon Valak to the main *Conjuring* timeline, justifying its appearance in the Warrens' lives. This connection is established through the character of Maurice "Frenchie" Theriault.
In the final moments of *The Nun*, Valak transfers itself into Frenchie, the young man who helped Sister Irene. Years later, in a scene from *The Conjuring* (2013), Ed and Lorraine Warren are seen presenting a lecture about a failed exorcism they performed on a man who was later revealed to be Frenchie. This is the moment where Lorraine is exposed to Valak, setting up the events of *The Conjuring 2*.
The Frenchie exorcism is loosely based on a real-life case investigated by the Warrens, though the demon's name was not Valak in the original files. This narrative thread is a prime example of how the franchise uses a small piece of the Warrens' history—a real failed exorcism—and retroactively inserts the fictionalized demon Valak into it, cementing the entire cinematic universe.
The Final Verdict: A Hybrid of Horror and History
To definitively answer the question, "Is *The Nun* a true story?": No, the plot is not true, but its key elements are based on real-world entities and experiences.
The films are a successful hybrid of history and horror, pulling from three distinct sources to create a terrifying experience:
- Ancient Demonology: The name and lore of the Great President Valak are real, documented in the 17th-century Goetia.
- Paranormal Investigator's Account: The terrifying visual of the nun was inspired by a "hooded figure" that Lorraine Warren genuinely claimed to have encountered.
- Historical Locations: The film uses the real, ancient, and reportedly haunted Cârța Monastery and the history of Saint Lucy to add depth and a sense of historical gravitas to the fictional events.
The enduring success of the films, and the reason audiences continue to ask about their authenticity, lies in this clever and unsettling fusion. By taking a real demon, a real investigator's vision, and real haunted sites, *The Nun* has created a fictional narrative that feels deeply, disturbingly true.
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