Dear Lord,Immaculateis good. Not off-the-charts awesome, but good, and high up there on the WTF meter, filled with several memorable heart-stoppers and genuine jaw-droppers amidst its unholy, blood-soaked folly. Why, judging by the creative tsunami its star, TV/cinema darlingSydney Sweeney(Anyone But You,Euphoria,The White Lotus), has been surfing lately, you may see how thispsychological horror filmabout a nun’s surprise pregnancy can become a big hit.
Written by Andrew Lobel (Dead or Alive, Artemis) and directed by Michael Mohan (The Voyeurs, Everything Sucks), you’d be forgiven for pre-judgingImmaculatebefore experiencing it. We’ve seen our fair share of promising horror films, after all, many of which ultimately leaned too heavily on familiar tropes or planned seat jumps that just fell flat. And while eerie pregnancy films are not a new thing —Rosemary’s Baby, Inside, Fertile Ground, Huesera: The Bone Woman,to note a few —Sweeney’s commanding, visceral, and heart-wrenching performance here is one for the books.
The actress plays Cecelia, a devoted albeit naïve American nun who moves to a monastery in the Italian countryside. Most of the nuns happily welcome her in. The few higher echelon males, cookie-cutter as they appear here, also greet her with warm affection. A snarky nun — fun! — and a dropout from the Rizzo school for Big Balls round out the mix, giving the film some sass early on, but, as we expect, something sinful lurks in the shadows. And boy, is it an eye-opener for sweet Cecelia.Fans ofslow-burner horrorflicks should enjoy this outing, which, at times, recalls the surreal edge of 2019’sMidsommar.Grab a rosary — or set it aside — and let’s unpack things further.
Mayhem at the Monastery
Immaculate
Sydney Sweeney, whoserecentSNLappearancewon raves, previously worked with director Michael Mohan and writer Andrew Lobel before on Prime Video’sThe Voyeurs,which also starred Justice Smith. The trio create and work well with each other. Sweeney’s Fifty Fifty Films, developed with producer David Bernad after their successful collaboration onThe White Lotus,is one of the film’s producers.
20 Scariest Horror Movies to Come Out in the Last 5 Years
Scares are not always required to make a great horror movie, but these 20 films know how to get under your skin and make you squirm.
Accepting Sweeney’s invitation to consider directing a horror film appears to have been a good move for Mohan. You can see how several of his reported personal influences — William Friedkin, Stanley Kubrick, and Roman Polanski — informed his filmmaking choices. Crescendos of celestial choral music are a nice touch during dramatic moments, offering just the right kind ofcreepy religious vibewe’ve come to appreciate from such tales.
There’s enough haunting imagery(such a ominous, red-masked nuns) to tease something far grittier within the monastery. Several “omens” like dead birds and haunting dreams act as dangling carrots in front of our noses. We follow along, patiently waiting, and then, thankfully, things become downright interesting in the film’s second half.
You see, somehow, Sister Cecelia has become pregnant. But how? She’s a virgin. Upon confirmation of the news — curious that there’s a sonogram in a monastery — Father Tedeschi’s (Álvaro Morte) creepy grin tells us he’s not to be trusted. Or, perhaps, he’s eagerly awaiting the Second Coming like many others at the monastery.
Mother Superior (Dora Romano), who’s already shown us how (literally) slap-happy she can be, and other nuns believe Cecelia’s pregnancy is a miracle birth (hence ‘immaculate’ conception). Cecelia’s friend, Gwen (Benedetta Porcaroli), who entered the monastery after leaving an abusive relationship, knows how to sniff out trouble. But if she speaks up about her suspicions, there could be trouble for her. Then again, perhaps Cecelia’s pregnancy really is thesecond coming of Christ. And what would that mean?
When All the Fun Starts Happening
The film’s third act — or, in this case, the third trimester — is where audiences experience the most jolts.Big twists abound.Brutalities take place. Secrets are revealed. You may have to look away at times. Yet it’s here where Sister Cecelia begins piecing together something far more sinister taking place behind these holy walls than she could ever have imagined.
What’s unique about these big reveals is that they spark more possibilities and raise questions, leaving the audience guessing what can happen. Let’s face it: moviegoers have seen it all at this point, so it’s a testament to the writing, which allows the viewer to consider all sorts of things, even what kind of baby Cecelia may be carrying. Effective fight and chase scenes in the third act work, for the most part, and while sequences that find characters moving through dark underground tunnelsrecall 2022’sBarbarian,they manage to land well.
Best Movies About the Horrors of Motherhood
Picture-perfect motherhood was often portrayed in movies in days gone by, but here are some of the best that encapsulate the bad side of things.
At the center of it all is Sydney Sweeney, turning in a harrowing tour du force performance of a young woman’s nightmare and the lengths she will go to save herself. We don’t know much about Sister Cecelia’s backstory other than a brief flashback. More detailed accounts of past friends and family members remain a mystery. But Sweeney fully embodies the character, making Cecelia all the more believable and, in turn, her situation probable.
On Sydney Sweeney’s Commanding Performance
On that note, there is something deeper to observe here and something that might be overlooked. True, this is a psychological horror film, but you get the sense that Sweeney and the filmmakers may also be commenting on, or perhaps pushing back, on the era in which we live. And, in fact, the thousands of years of female repression that came before it. Every blood-curdling scream for survival Sweeney extols here is a kick in the stomach. In the beginning, they’re screams filled with fear. When they turn into rage, it’s as if Cecelia — generation of women? — are saying: “Enough!” And, if we were to add: “Enough freakishly controlling middle-aged white men obsessed with a woman’s womb and dictating a greater patriarchal order.”
Immaculateisn’ta political filmby any means. However, shrewd moviegoers may pause and ponder some of these themes further. And if a movie can do that, there’s something worthwhile about it. Cinema is intended to provoke thought. Some folks may scoff at certain horror tropes employed here, but most horror films require them, and here, they never fully diminish the overall film or the unique and bonkers mess Cecelia finds herself in. It takes a while to warm up toImmaculate,butlike any pregnancy a woman chooses to carry, the result is worth the wait. And JESUS — that final shot. Blessed be!
Immaculate,from NEON Films, had its premiere at SXSW 2024. It hits theaters on Mar. 22.
