My quick rating - 6.2/10. Immaculate is one of those horror flicks that walks a fine line between “that was surprisingly effective” and “who allowed that scene to make the final cut?” Thankfully, it lands more in the former category, especially thanks to a killer final act that actually had the guts to go there. Honestly, I was hovering in the mid-5 range for most of it, but those last few minutes sealed the deal and nudged it up to a 6.2. Bonus points for committing to an ending most studios would have chickened out of.
Sydney Sweeney stars as Cecilia, a devout American nun who relocates to a remote convent in the idyllic Italian countryside. You know, the type of place where horror movies always happen, but everyone still pretends it is peaceful. I’ll admit, I had a hard time buying Sweeney as a nun at first, especially after recently watching her in Madame Web. It’s not that she can’t act — quite the opposite — it’s just that my brain wasn’t ready to see her in full holy attire. But to her credit, she wears the role (and the habit) convincingly, and before long, I forgot the initial awkwardness and let her performance take the wheel. She nails the character with a sincerity that keeps the movie grounded, even when things get…well, biblically insane.
The film itself is an interesting cocktail of sharp direction and questionable choices. Director Michael Mohan (who clearly enjoyed working with Sweeney after The Voyeurs) shows a strong eye for atmosphere. The camera work is clean, deliberate, and often eerily beautiful. When the movie leans into blood and body horror, it delivers with gusto. But then there are moments that made me wonder if someone accidentally shuffled in deleted scenes from a lesser film. A few shots or reactions could’ve easily been left on the editing room floor, but alas, here they are, preserved for our collective head-shaking.
Plot-wise, if you haven’t already cracked the title, Cecilia is chosen by the convent for an “immaculate conception.” Naturally, because this is a horror movie, this is less “holy miracle” and more “waking nightmare,” and watching her grapple with that twisted responsibility is where the film shines. Rather than drowning itself in cheap jump scares, it keeps them to a minimum and lets the dread build through story and performance. It’s refreshing, honestly.
In the end, Immaculate is a surprisingly enjoyable blend of restraint and excess, measured in tone but unafraid to get nasty when it counts. It’s not flawless, but it is committed, and that counts for a lot in modern horror. Sydney Sweeney carries it harder than I expected, the direction holds tight, and that ending alone is worth the price of admission.
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