New Religious Horror Makes for Immaculate (2024) Addition to the Cannon

Title: Immaculate

First Non-Festival Release: March 20, 2024 (Theatrical Release)

Director: Michael Mohan

Writer: Andrew Lobel

Runtime: 89 Minutes

Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Álvaro Morte, Dora Romano

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

Ever since a near-death experience altered her life as a young child, Sister Cecilia (Sydney Sweeney) has actualized her dream of joining a convent. Her transition into becoming a nun is not met without obstacles. Almost immediately upon arriving, Sister Cecilia has too much wine at a celebration event and experiences something horrifying, which she chalks up to a bad nightmare. Later in the week when she begins experiencing several concerning symptoms, she discovers that she is pregnant. Adamant that she has never had sex, the doctors confirm that conception is immaculate. This realization will soon sour when the realities surface.

Striking and provocative, Immaculate is religious horror with enough flair to convert even the most skeptical of genre fans.

What could have been a typical religious horror film that leaned into its tropes without taking a firmer stance on the horrors of faith, Immaculate boldly questions the role the Church plays in preying on vulnerable women. Sister Cecilia discovers that her peers fit a very particular bill of traumatic life experiences. Still, even when things feel off, there is this element of gratefulness embedded within Sister Cecilia that both Church and God are a safe haven in a life full of chaos. Immaculate shows how easy it is to manipulate good, naive people into sticky situations that they would otherwise avoid.

Themes of bodily autonomy are interwoven within the narrative, casting doubt on the intentions of Church officials who are so eager to help Sister Cecilia deliver a virgin birth. Throughout Immaculate, Sister Cecilia’s initial confusion and willing devotion turns to suspicion due to the increasingly bizarre happenings around the convent. Her initial questions of “why me” become more clear, leading Sister Cecilia to hatch an escape plan. The questions posed to the audience, however, are grounded more in realism. With women’s right to choose on the line in the United States, it’s no wonder that stories like Immaculate hit as hard as they do right now.

Despite its compelling themes and smart plot points, Immaculate does stumble, ever so slightly, in its execution of these ideas. Between its initial reveal of a pregnant Sister Cecilia post-vows to her final stand against the evil within the convent, Immaculate rushes through the nine months of pregnancy leading to some severe whiplash. Without giving the audience time to breathe, the characterization of Sister Cecilia feels stifled as the story reads like rough vignettes highlighting only the most important details of what’s needed to know before moving on to the grand finale. It’s disappointing but it ultimately makes sense given the limitations of the film’s objective and runtime.

It is impossible to deny the star power of Sydney Sweeney, who delivers an exemplary performance as the shy and unassuming Sister Cecilia. Conveying the necessary naivety and sweetness, Sweeney unfolds the layers to Sister Cecilia revealing a survivor with the brains, guts, and grit to escape her awful circumstances. While her performance is all-over well done, Sweeney particularly excels in her vocal performance and serves up what will likely be one of the most iconic and harrowing finales of the year through gnarled screams of pain.

Wearing its Italian horror influences on its sleeve, Immaculate provides a stunning look of life at its secluded nunnery. The Italian countryside, paired with the vast halls and endless backrooms and tunnels of the convent, captures a feeling of isolation that cements how screwed Sister Cecilia is in her ordeal. Bold colors, sweeping cinematography, and carefully crafted sets show just how serious the team is at leaning into its Italian roots. The twisty nature of the story combined with the rich aesthetic makes it ripe for exploring what Italian filmmakers did best in the 70s and 80s.

Immaculate is an excellent pregnancy religious horror film that does exactly what it sets out to do in an inventive and compelling manner. While its story is rushed and characterization is sometimes lacking, the film makes up for it truly through the power of Sydney Sweeney, whose brave performance cements her as a horror icon to watch. Excellent cinematography and marvelous set design allow Immaculate to prove it has as much style as substance in its bout to challenge religious conventions on choice. Criminally underseen, Immaculate is bound to garner a well-earned reputation as an important and well-done horror film for years to come.

Overall Score? 7/10