Valak, the unholy antagonist of The Conjuring Universe, has returned! This Friday, September 8, The Nun II will be hitting theaters. It’s been a couple of years since the last Conjuring movie hit screens, with the last film, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It hitting theaters in 2021.

Now the director behind that film, Michael Chaves, is back, taking over the directorial reins for The Nun II. To celebrate, we were given the opportunity to chat with Chaves about the terrifying return of the demon, Valak!

In the past 10 years, since The Conjuring made its debut in the summer of 2013, Chaves has been the only director to do three films within this horror franchise universe. In fact, him doing back-to-back films, with a fourth Conjuring movie in development without a director so far, does raise some questions about the future of the franchise. Does Chaves’ involvement with The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, and The Nun II indicate that something bigger is happening in The Conjuring Universe in the next few years to unite these films? We sat down with Chaves himself to uncover the truth and the horror behind The Nun II. Here’s what he had to say:

The Nun II hits theaters this Friday, September 8!

*This interview was conducted during the WGA and SAG/AFTRA strike. To support the strike, please donate to the Entertainment Community Fund.*