The Nun (2018) Ending Explained – Final Scene & Meaning

Valak appears to be defeated when Irene spits Christ's blood at the demon, forcing it back through the portal. However, the closing scene reveals that Valak has survived by possessing Maurice, the French-Canadian farmer who helped the characters earlier. This twist confirms the demon was not truly destroyed and is now free in the world.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, Maurice is shown wandering the grounds alone and appears strangely calm during the chaos, hinting at his possession.

• valak
• defeated
• banished
• demon
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The upside-down cross on Maurice's neck is the mark of Valak's possession. In Christian symbolism, an inverted cross represents Satanism or demonic influence. The film uses this visual to reveal that Valak has chosen Maurice as its new host after being banished from the convent.

Foreshadowing: The camera lingers on Maurice multiple times throughout the film, establishing him as significant despite his limited role.

• upside-down cross
• frenchie
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• valak

The film ends with a 1971 epilogue showing the Warrens presenting on demonic cases, linking directly to the first scene of The Conjuring where Maurice attacks the Warren family's son. This confirms Valak has been free since The Nun and was preparing to emerge in the original Conjuring timeline.

Foreshadowing: The character of Valak was first introduced in The Conjuring 2, establishing this demon as part of the same universe.

• the conjuring
• Warrens
• connection
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Valak does not die. While Irene's blood ritual banishes the demon from the convent and appears to destroy its physical form, Valak survives by transferring into Maurice before being fully expelled. The demon's essence persists and continues to exist in the mortal world.

Foreshadowing: Valak demonstrates the ability to possess multiple hosts throughout the film, switching between the nun and the young boy in the abbey.

• valak
• survive
• demon
• death
• possess

Sister Irene survives the final confrontation with Valak. Though she is severely burned and weakened from the blood ritual, she is alive when Father Burke finds her outside the abbey. She later helps bury the surviving nuns and continues her path toward becoming a full sister.

Foreshadowing: Irene's strong faith and connection to the Virgin Mary have protected her throughout the film, foreshadowing her survival against demonic forces.

• sister irene
• survived
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Valak is an ancient demonic entity from the Dark Ages, originally unleashed when a Romanian duke attempted to open a gateway to hell. The Catholic Church sealed the portal using the blood of Christ. The seal remained intact until World War II bombs damaged the abbey, allowing Valak to escape and possess the nuns.

Foreshadowing: The abbey's history and the mysterious deaths of nuns are connected to the broken seal, hinted at through flashbacks and discovered documents.

• valak
• origin
• demon
• Dark Ages
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Valak likely chose Maurice because he was physically present at the abbey during the demonic events and remained alive despite the chaos. The demon needed a new host to escape after being banished from the convent, and Maurice was the nearest available vessel with physical proximity to the portal.

Foreshadowing: Maurice shows unusual calm during the demon attacks and is never clearly accounted for during the climactic events inside the abbey.

• frenchie
• possessed
• host
• mauirce
• valak

The ending is bittersweet. Father Burke, Irene, and a few nuns survive and the immediate demonic threat is repelled, representing a partial victory. However, the revelation that Valak has possessed Frenchie and the connection to The Conjuring's opening suggest the horror is far from over, creating a victory with ominous undertones.

Foreshadowing: The tone remains dark and ominous throughout, with the film's score and lighting never fully shifting to triumphalism even during apparent victories.

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The Vatican provides Father Burke with a vial containing the blood of Christ, which was used to originally seal Valak in the Dark Ages. Irene uses this sacred blood to confront the demon directly, spitting it onto Valak's face during the final struggle. The holy blood overpowers the demon's form and forces it back through the hellgate, though not permanently.

Foreshadowing: The legend of the blood seal is introduced early through the abbey's history, establishing the ritual's importance to Valak's defeat.

• blood of Christ
• vatican
• ritual
• banish
• seal