-Written by Kyle Bain.
Immaculate is a horror film that follows newly-vowed nun Sister Cecila (Sydney Sweeney) as she navigates this challenging, life-altering transition. While Cecilia believed this decision to be challenging, she never expected to become pregnant or to have her every move watched by the dark figures of the convent. Her life is in danger, and only she can save herself.
Sweeney has expressed how passionate she is about Immaculate, being a film that she poured her heart and soul into for years at this point. What she ultimately helps to bring to life doesn’t seem worth that aforementioned time and effort, however.
Let’s get this next part out of the way: Immaculate is incredibly anti-Christian (possibly anti-religion as a whole). This will make the viewing experience incredibly difficult for many movie-goers. As Immaculate challenges the very fibers of religion, viewers will struggle to appreciate other aspects of the narrative as the film plays out. This doesn’t ruin the film for me. I’m open minded enough not to let the views of others affect my way of thinking–but they lay this on pretty heavily, and I can certainly understand why others might find the film frustrating as a result.
With that said, I’m actually most impressed by the narrative. Immaculate follows a relatively cohesive story, one that does a pretty decent job of following its own footsteps and ensuring that all that plays out does, in fact, make sense. I believe the film flows nicely and (despite the fact that I nodded off in the theater) I feel that the story has enough umph to appeal to horror fans. The issue with the horror, however, is the fact that Immaculate is steeped in rudimentary horror techniques. Jump scares and a conclusion riddled by blood and gore, Immaculate will appeal to the avid horror fan, but it doesn’t do enough to extend itself beyond the expected parameters of the genre. It's basic in this regard—almost boring. I shouldn’t be able to nod off in the theater if the intensity has been effectively developed. But I did, because it wasn’t.
I honestly went out to the theater to see Immaculate for one reason and one reason only: Sweeney. Sure, she’s good looking, and that’s an attractive aspect of the film (especially because the film dabbles in nudity)–but what I really wanted to see was a performance of Sweeney’s that wasn’t average. I wanted to see her shine for the first time, and she honestly steps up her game. She’s one of the biggest names in Hollywood right now, and I want that to be for a reason, not just for how she looks. Through her dialogue she still struggles. She has difficulty finding the right tone, using the right inflections, or simply providing any level of emotion when she speaks. This is on par with her other performances; however, she finds ways to shine outside of these moments. Her facial expressions, the array of sounds that pour from her throughout, and just about every other aspect of her acting outside of what is spoken is done tremendously well. She projects well in her spine-tingling screams, she develops tears from out of nowhere, and she finds a plethora of ways to appeal to viewers throughout the course of Immaculate. Sweeney shines as brightly as the rest of the film will allow her, and that’s a massive step in the right direction for her.
Immaculate truly struggles to impress, with Sweeney’s better-than-usual performance and an acceptable narrative the only things that pull the film toward the positive. The film doesn’t warrant the press that it’s received, nor did it need as much time as Sweeney was willing to put into it. Sure, her performance is a step in the right direction, but the film as a whole is rudimentary, familiar, and altogether uninteresting. It’s not that I really expected more from the horror film, but Immaculate still manages to disappoint.
Directed by Michael Mohan.
Written by Andrew Lobel.
Starring Sydney Sweeney, Álvaro Morte, Simona Tabasco, Benedetta Porcaroli, Giorgio Colangeli, Dora Romano, etc.
3.5/10 = WORTH THE RISK, BUT YOU’VE BEEN WARNED
