“Immaculate” Film Review
Immaculate (2024) dir. Michael Mohan
Where religious horror is concerned; we’ve seen it all. Possession, exorcisms, the devil, there’s always one individual who thinks they’re untouchable then ends up condemning the world to end but, Immaculate arrived with a completely different formula. Breathing fresh life into an overused trope, creating an atmosphere of trickery and surprising a lot of viewers with its incredible guts. Mirroring Rosemary’s Baby, Suspiria and The Omen, Immaculate challenges their wicked conspiracies, delivering a much more grounded plot to bring forth the second coming. Immaculate is prepared to go a lot further than your average haunted piece, elevated by a committed and dedicated leading performance.
Immaculate starts with an ambiguous opening sequence. A young woman is scrambling to escape a convent she currently resides in, quietly grabbing some keys so she can then run to freedom. Ultimately, she doesn’t get very far as a huge, padlocked pitch-black gate stops her in her tracks. A group of tall, masked, ominous people stalk towards her and break her leg as punishment. We are then shown her buried alive, pleading for forgiveness only for the screen to switch to darkness and her bloodcurdling screams continuing to echo on. After such a harrowing entry, the movie switches to introduce to Cecilia, played by (Sidney Sweeney). A young woman of devout faith, she decides to embark on a new journey at a remote convent in the secluded Italian countryside. Although her welcome is not as warm as she’d hoped Cecilia still takes her vows and begins her path alongside God, in the hopes of discovering her purpose and why she was given a second chance in life.
Those beginning minutes elicit palpable dread, watching one woman meet an unfortunate fate for it to be repeated so soon after. There is nothing we can do as the viewer but wait to see what becomes of the story. The unknown is a very fun element to play with, specially when a film such an Immaculate try to outdo tropes and put their own name on it. For example, The Exorcist and Rosemary’s baby all introduced the devil in some way, for Immaculate, it plants the idea it’s the devils work when in fact we’re fed a more horrifying concept; a man of the cloth tries to take creation into his own hands and replicate God through science. Testing young, troubled, innocent girls no one will miss and using them as incubators to carry a newborn they believe will save the world.
Breathtaking cinematography and a threatening ambiance captures your attention. There is a colossal number of colourful scenes as well as some that have the life drained from them, this interprets life draining from Cecilia as she brings a new one into existence. Immaculate has a thunderous score that leaves you on edge and you know something is looming and that presence never leaves the atmosphere.
Immaculate is complimented by its characters, with Sister Gwen performed by (Bernadetta Porcaroli) immediately standing out. As a woman outside of the convent she was abused and mistreated but instead of going to prison or worse she was taken in and for a time was glad of it. However, Sister Gwen wasn’t dumb or compliant, making her not so susceptible to the unspoken secrets hiding in the dark. Although, when the façade started to come undone, questions began to form and a confrontation with authority resulted in her life being sentenced to the catacombs. As for Cecilia, her life was almost taken from her during a freak accident, her presence at the convent also happening due to an unsettling life altercation. Both events confirm an alarming motive was behind every person they encountered, every decision made, every outcome, adding even more shock to the movies concluding final act.
The message Immaculate tried to formulate is going to stay with a lot of women. Circulating the grievance of having your body willed for something you weren’t aware of, taken advantage of, being changed and altered forever, losing your innocence without having a say and furthermore, everyone around you acting as if it’s a grand spectacle. Immaculate didn’t target this with grace or sensitivity but instead with an intense, raw emotional response. One of the lines reading “Life is so cruel, only a man could be responsible.” That alone speaks volumes for this movie.
Sidney Sweeney auditioned for this movie around 10 years ago only for it to be shelved, fast forward to now, with her own efforts, resources and courage she brings it to the big screen. The Euphoria and Anyone but You star transitions into a character you would find hard to believe if not seen. Her pop culture presence is long forgotten and standing in her place is a woman breaking the illusion. Carrying herself modestly, bringing a blood smeared stare, unleashing a remarkable soul scratching scream and proves to have what it takes to be an impressive horror girl.
