Immaculate - Movie Review

Immaculate, directed by Michal Mohan, opened strong last weekend, raking in $5.3 million to break box office records for the independent studio NEON. Top-notch performances from Sydney Sweeney (Sister Cecilia), Dora Romano (Mother Superior), and Betty Pedrazzi (Sister Francesca) have launched the film into a praiseworthy account of religious horror.

Sister Cecilia arrives from the States to a small town in Italy to join a convent in opening scenes that are nearly shot for shot references of Suspiria (1977). Viewers quickly meet the main cast of characters and are thrust into life at the convent. What is narratively striking about the first half of the film is the ease with which these women live alongside each other, caring for the sick and elderly. Scenes of women sharing meals, chatting, and washing each other’s hair echo a girl’s boarding school—or a coven. In a few short scenes the tension builds and we reach the part we’ve all been waiting for: the young nun is pregnant.

Catholicism & Horror Film

Catholicism, for all its faults, has positive attributes as well. My personal favorite being that it is a ripe specimen for articulating the horror genre. Doused in ancient ritual, penance, sacrifice, and a lot of incense, it’s no wonder that this branch of Christianity is a perfect avenue for exploring the darker sides of our society. 

The Catholic Church is notoriously anti-choice which makes Mohan’s decision to use this particular institution as a backdrop for the advocacy of bodily autonomy razor sharp. Coupled with Sweeney’s performance as a woman in transition from maidenhood to motherhood to (arguably) cronehood, Immaculate becomes one of the most important horror films since June 2022.

Where to watch Immaculate:

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Audiences have thus far called Immaculate boring and dependent on one’s individual interpretation of the ending, which is to say that they have completely missed the point. Cinema, in its highest forms, is a stage that reflects back to us our current turmoil. This film advocates for a person’s right to decide their own fate—sexually, medically, or otherwise. Sweeney’s performance as Sister Cecilia is harrowing, realistic, and beautiful. As viewers speculate on the precise method and motive of how a pious nun became pregnant, Sweeney is on screen thrashing, screaming, bleeding, and fighting for her life. Because it does not matter how it came to be, it matters that she is safe, informed, consenting, and healthy.

It’s true that the film is not much for jump scares, but then again, few films of this caliber rely on such tactics. Some fans may have been expecting a more demonic take on the tried-and-true nunsploitation subgenre, and while I am always the first in line for a good demonic entity, I didn’t miss it here. Immaculate is brutal, just not in the ways that one might expect.

On the heels of yet another Ghostbusters release it is beyond refreshing to come to a story that is both new and relevant. It’s time that Hollywood gives audiences an accurate reflection of our current affairs rather than relying on nostalgia in hopes of feeding the machine that places restrictive laws in place. Immaculate is subversive in its ask; viewers grapple with institutional power while they must consider what possible fate can become of Sister Cecilia if she makes it out alive. Which begs the question: when all your choices are stripped from you, what can you endure?

Image via IMDB

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Article written by Theresa B

Theresa writes about the intersection of art & anthropology and gendered horror. She loves demonic possession, satan, and can be found on Letterboxd.

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