By Jenna Rittman
Correspondent
The American psychological horror film “Immaculate” released earlier this month on March 22 and has received mixed reviews from critics. The film has received an average rating of 6.4/10, and the critics consensus reads “Immaculate in conception if not always in execution, this religiously themed horror outing is saved by a divine performance from Sydney Sweeney.”
This movie follows Cecilia, a young woman of devout faith, as she moves to Italy to reside at a covenant that tends to dying nuns. The covenant appears to look perfect from the outside, but once Cecilia starts to live there and interacts with some of the residents, she starts to discover the covenant’s terrifying secrets. She comes across some strange occurrences while residing there, such as finding scars on a nun’s feet in the shape of crosses and a nail taken from the cross where Jesus was crucified. After having a nightmare, Cecilia wakes up to discover that she is pregnant, even though she is a virgin. When the others in the covenant find out, they start to treat her as the next Virgin Mary, and are hopeful that her baby will save the world.
“Immaculate” features performances by actors and actresses such as Sydney Sweeney from the TV shows “Everything Sucks!,” “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Euphoria,” Álvaro Morte from the TV show “Money Heist” and Benedetta Porcaroli from the TV show “Baby.” While I think all the actors and actresses in this film did a great job, Sweeney definitely sold the show as her character Cecilia. I feel like she truly delved into her role as Cecilia.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sweeney had originally auditioned for “Immaculate” in 2014, but the project never fully developed. Eventually, after having a few more acting gigs under her belt, she acquired the rights to the movie and redeveloped it. She helped produce the movie alongside the director Michael Mohan.
It was quite refreshing to see Sweeney in a horror film. I feel like we haven't really gotten to see her act in a horror role before, and I have to say that she absolutely killed it, especially in the ending. She has that perfect scream that's just meant for horror films, and I hope to see her in more horror movies after this.
The first two acts of the film were filled with predictable jumpscares, but it was in the final act and the third trimester of Cecilia’s pregnancy where the movie truly started to shine. In this act, Cecilia is desperately trying to escape the covenant, and ends up in the catacombs underneath the building while running away from Father Sal Tedeschi. The tension throughout this act is very thick, especially with how dark the catacombs are.
Overall, I enjoyed this film even though some of the jumpscares were predictable. I found myself fascinated with Sweeney’s performance throughout the entirety of the film. The last act had me on the edge of my seat as I was watching. I would recommend this movie to anyone who is a fan of anything horror related.
“Immaculate” is currently playing in theaters.
