5 Terrifying Truths Behind 'The Nun': Is Valak Based On A Real Story? (Updated For 2025)

The chilling figure of Valak, the demonic Nun, has become one of the most iconic and terrifying antagonists in modern horror, anchoring an entire franchise within The Conjuring Universe. As of December 2025, the enduring question remains: is this terrifying entity based on a true story, or is it a masterful work of cinematic fiction? The definitive answer is complex, rooted in a blend of real-life paranormal investigations, ancient demonology, and a specific, haunting vision experienced by the late, great demonologist, Lorraine Warren.

The short answer is no—the events of the 2018 film The Nun and its 2023 sequel, The Nun II, are entirely fictional. However, the creative process behind the character Valak is deeply inspired by elements that are very much real, including documented encounters from the case files of Ed and Lorraine Warren and a centuries-old mythological figure from occult texts. This article dives into the five key truths that reveal the true, terrifying origin of the demonic nun.

The Fictional Story of Valak’s Origin: A Prequel to the Warrens’ Cases

While the broader Conjuring Universe is famously "based on a true story," the specific plot of The Nun is a fictional prequel designed to give Valak an origin story and a connection to the timeline.

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The film follows Sister Irene (played by Taissa Farmiga, the younger sister of Vera Farmiga who plays Lorraine Warren) and Father Burke as they investigate the mysterious suicide of a nun at the Cârța Monastery in Romania in 1952. Their mission is a desperate attempt to confront a powerful entity that eventually becomes the demonic Nun, Valak. This entire investigation, the characters, and the specific events at the remote Romanian abbey were created by screenwriters to establish the demon’s history.

The only "true" element in the narrative is its function as a bridge to the events of The Conjuring 2, where Valak first appeared, and its ultimate connection to the Warrens' work, particularly the case of the French-Canadian farmer, Maurice "Frenchie" Theriault, whose possession is briefly shown at the end of the film.

The Real-Life Inspiration: Lorraine Warren’s Vision of a Hooded Entity

The most direct and chilling inspiration for the visual of the demonic Nun comes straight from the personal experiences of Lorraine Warren.

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Director and producer James Wan, the mastermind behind the franchise, revealed that he needed an entity to terrorize Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring 2. He initially considered a horned figure, but Lorraine Warren herself spoke of a specific, ethereal entity that had haunted her for years.

• The Ethereal Figure: Lorraine described being tormented by a swirling vortex of blackness with a hooded, dark figure at its center.
• The Creative Leap: Wan made a creative decision to combine this figure with a religious symbol to create a powerful, blasphemous image. He explained that a demon would use the most sacred imagery to attack a person's faith, making the disguise of a Roman Catholic nun the perfect, terrifying choice for Lorraine.
• A Last-Minute Change: The Nun character was reportedly a very late addition to The Conjuring 2, replacing a different horned demon design during reshoots to better reflect Lorraine's documented experiences.

Therefore, while Valak does not appear as a nun in any historical record, the concept was born from a real-life vision that haunted a genuine paranormal investigator.

The Mythological Basis: Valak in Ancient Demonology Grimoires

While the Nun costume is Hollywood fiction, the name "Valak" (often spelled Valac, Ualac, or Valu) is a genuine entity found in several medieval occult texts, known as grimoires.

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Valak’s True Identity in the Goetia

The most famous source for the demon Valak is *The Lesser Key of Solomon*, a 17th-century grimoire that details 72 different demons. This text is a cornerstone of classical demonology.

• Rank and Appearance: In the *Goetia* (the first section of *The Lesser Key of Solomon*), Valak is listed as the 62nd spirit, a powerful President of Hell.
• A Child with Wings: Crucially, Valak is described as appearing "like a child with Angel's wings, riding on a Two-headed Dragon." This is a stark contrast to the terrifying figure played by actress Bonnie Aarons in the films.
• Powers and Purpose: The mythological Valak is said to command 30 legions of spirits. His primary power is to give true answers about hidden treasures and to reveal where serpents can be found, bringing them to the magician's service. The entity has absolutely no historical connection to nuns, monasteries, or the Roman Catholic Church.

Filmmakers like James Wan and Corin Hardy simply borrowed the name of a powerful, ancient demon to give their cinematic villain a sense of historical weight and topical authority, blending it with Lorraine Warren’s personal horror.

The Conjuring Universe Timeline: Valak’s Cinematic Journey

Understanding the truth behind *The Nun* requires placing it within the larger, interconnected *Conjuring Universe* timeline. This fictional chronology links the demon to the Warrens’ most famous cases.

The films establish a clear sequence for Valak's reign of terror:

1. 1952 (*The Nun*): Valak is unleashed at the Cârța Monastery and possesses Maurice "Frenchie" Theriault.
2. 1956 (*The Nun II*): Sister Irene confronts Valak again in a French boarding school, where the demon is seeking an ancient relic.
3. 1977 (*The Conjuring 2*): Valak, still possessing Frenchie (as revealed in a post-credits scene of *The Nun*), torments the Hodgson family during the famous Enfield Haunting in London. It is here that Lorraine Warren finally banishes the demon by learning its name.

This intricate timeline, while entirely fictional, is a key element in the franchise’s success, making the audience believe the events are part of a continuous, real-world narrative investigated by Ed and Lorraine Warren, whose cases—such as the Annabelle doll and the Perron Family haunting—were genuinely documented.

The Power of Blasphemous Imagery and Thematic Truth

Ultimately, the reason the question "is *The Nun* based on a true story" persists is due to the film’s powerful use of thematic truth and blasphemous imagery.

The horror of the demonic Nun lies in its symbolism: the corruption of the sacred. The image of a demon wearing the habit of a servant of God is profoundly disturbing to a religious audience, tapping into a deep-seated fear of faith being betrayed or inverted. This is a common trope in horror, but the *Conjuring* franchise executes it with conviction.

While the story is not factually true, the core elements it draws upon are:

• Real-Life Investigators: Ed and Lorraine Warren were real people who investigated thousands of paranormal cases.
• Real Demonology: The name Valak is a genuine entry in occult literature.
• Real Fear: The visual of the Nun is based on a real, terrifying entity that one of the world's most famous demonologists claimed to have encountered.

In the end, *The Nun* is a masterful piece of cinematic horror that successfully leverages the unsettling nature of real-life paranormal history and mythological entities to create a new, fictional legend.