Last updated: May 11, 2026· By Serdar

Halloween Costume Guide

The Nun Halloween Costume Guide

Black Habit  ·  Valak Mask  ·  Silver Cross

Black habit, pale face, silver cross. Valak is one of the more immediately readable horror costumes you can wear, and you don’t have to explain who you are to anyone.

The Nun Bonnie Aarons Demon Horror Mask Scary
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Quick Answer: The Nun Halloween costume centers on the habit and the mask.
  • Black nun habit with white wimple (essential)
  • Valak mask (essential)
  • Cross necklace
  • Black slip-on shoes

Valak is the demonic entity at the center of The Nun II (2023), the latest entry in the Conjuring universe, portrayed by Bonnie Aarons. The costume is a black-and-white nun’s habit paired with a ghastly pale face and sunken black eyes. Most people will recognize it without needing context from the films.

Items Total6 Items
DifficultyEasy
VibeDemonic Horror
Cost$40–$90

The Nun Costume Items

The Nun Halloween costume infographic from The Nun II 2023 showing all items needed: Valak mask, black nun habit, cross necklace, and black slip-on shoes

The Nun Costume Items

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The Nun Valak Conjuring Universe Horror Costume
  • 1 The Nun Scary Mask 2023The updated version based on The Nun II. The sunken black eyes and pale, cracked skin are what the whole costume hinges on. If the mask fits well and sits straight, people know exactly who you are before you open your mouth.
    See on Amazon
  • 2 The Nun Scary MaskThe standard Valak mask. Functionally the same read as the 2023 version for most people at a party. Pick one or the other, not both.
    See on Amazon
  • 3 Men Scary Nun CostumeA men’s cut habit with the black-and-white colorway. It should fall close to ankle length. The longer the hem, the more the silhouette reads like the character. A short habit looks more like a costume and less like the actual character.
    See on Amazon
  • 4 Cross NecklaceA silver cross worn over the habit. It’s a detail that signals the corrupted religious angle of the character rather than just “person in a nun outfit.” Worth wearing even if most people won’t consciously notice it.
    See on Amazon
  • 5 Women Scary Nun CostumeThe women’s version of the full habit. Same priority as the men’s cut: go for length over anything else. The all-black lower half blending into the shoes is what gives the costume its unsettling quality.
    See on Amazon
  • 6 Slip-On LoaferBlack, plain, and forgettable. That’s the goal. Any black shoe you already own probably works. I’d check your closet before ordering these.
    See on Amazon
Valak the demonic Nun from The Nun II 2023 in a black-and-white habit with pale sunken face alongside Sister Irene in a novice nun habit, showing both character costumes side by side

How to Style the Nun Halloween Costume

Put on the habit first and check the hem. It should reach close to the ankle. Then fit the mask. It needs to sit centered, not tilted, and stay there when you move your head. Check both in a mirror together before you leave. The mask-and-habit combination is doing all the recognition work, and if either is off, the whole thing reads as generic.

For character: Valak doesn’t perform. The horror comes from stillness, slow turns, and sustained eye contact. At a party, moving deliberately and saying very little lands better than any quote you could deliver. The costume already does the work. Let it.

Mask Fit Before You Leave

The mask is the entire costume. If it sits crooked or keeps slipping, you spend the night readjusting it. Check the fit at home, figure out where it wants to shift, and secure it with a couple of hair pins or a thin elastic adjustment before you walk out. Five minutes at home versus a full night of fixing.

Stillness is the Character

Valak’s whole presence is built on unnatural stillness and slow movement. At a loud party, standing motionless in a corner or turning very slowly toward someone who just noticed you does more character work than anything you could say. It also gives you a break from having to talk through a mask all night.

The Nun Group Halloween Costume Ideas

Conjuring Nightmares

The Nun and Annabelle

Two people, both from the same universe, both immediately recognizable. This is the easiest version of a Conjuring group and it works well because neither character needs explanation. Strong for a pair.

The Nun Annabelle

The Cursed Clergy

The Nun and The Priest

A Conjuring-meets-Hellraiser pairing that works if both people are comfortable with the niche overlap. Most people at a party will recognize The Nun. The Priest from Hellraiser is a harder read for anyone outside the fandom.

The Nun The Priest

The Aarons Portrayals — Same Actor

The Bum (Mulholland Drive) and Baroness Joy von Troken (The Princess Diaries)

This one is for people who want to do something genuinely strange. Both characters are played by Bonnie Aarons, who also plays Valak. The third person goes as The Nun and you have a single-actor tribute group. It will make sense to almost no one, but the people who do get it will appreciate it more than any straightforward horror group.

The Bum Baroness Joy von Troken

Pale Visages of Terror — Niche

The Nun and Lord Voldemort

Two pale, terrifying figures from very different franchises. The visual rhyme is there, but the concept is loose. It works as a photo, less so as a coherent group theme. Fine for two people who just want to wear what they like.

The Nun Lord Voldemort
Sister Irene holding a glowing oil lantern in a dark misty corridor wearing a white habit and wooden cross necklace, with Valak the demonic Nun looming in the background in a black-and-white habit

The Nun Halloween Costume DIY Tips

What Actually Matters

The habit and the mask. Everything else is secondary. If you already own black shoes, don’t order new ones. The cross necklace is a detail worth adding because it costs almost nothing and it’s character-specific. Skip anything else that isn’t on this list.

  • Habit: buy it, length matters more than fit
  • Valak mask: buy it, this isn’t a makeup-replicable look on a budget
  • Cross necklace: cheap and worth it
  • Shoes: check your closet first

If You Want to Skip the Mask

White face paint with dark hollowed-out eyes and dark veining around the cheekbones gets you close. It’s more comfortable for a long night and easier to eat and drink in. The trade-off is recognition: the mask is unambiguous, the makeup requires a few more seconds for people to place. Either works.

  • White face paint as the base
  • Black eyeshadow packed into the eye sockets
  • Dark grey or black veining across the cheeks and forehead
  • Skip the lip color entirely, pale or grey only

The Nun Halloween Costume: Frequently Asked Questions

Black habit with white wimple, a Valak mask, a silver cross necklace, and black shoes. That’s the full build. The mask carries most of the recognition. If you want to skip it, white face paint with dark hollowed eyes works as a substitute but takes longer to apply and read.

Valak doesn’t say much across the films. The most quoted line is: “Behold, the face of God… corrupted.” The character communicates mostly through presence and movement rather than dialogue, which is part of what makes the character work on screen and in costume.

Yes, though the peak was around the 2018 original. The Nun II kept the character current in 2023, and the habit-plus-pale-face silhouette is recognizable enough that most people will place it even without the film context. It’s not a niche pick.

Valak is a demonic entity from the Conjuring universe that takes the form of a corrupted nun. In The Nun II (2023), the demon pursues Sister Irene across 1950s Europe. The character is played by Bonnie Aarons and first appeared in The Conjuring 2 before getting its own film series.

Yes. White face paint with dark eye sockets and vein detailing is a workable substitute. It’s more comfortable for a long night and easier to eat and drink in. The habit and cross do a lot of the recognition work on their own. The mask just makes it unambiguous.

One is the standard Valak mask and the other is updated with detailing from The Nun II (2023). Most people at a party won’t tell them apart. If you want the more current film reference, go with the 2023 version. If one is cheaper or ships faster, that’s probably the deciding factor.

By Seckin Peker

Categories: The Nun, Female, Male
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