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| Images courtesy of NEON |
A much refined and understated Sydney Sweeney stars in the religious horror film Immaculate, a breath of fresh air in a genre that for a time has relied too heavily on CGI blood and gore along with franchised brand name sequels that never bear creative fruit.
Setting aside her more mainstream efforts and characters that have repeatedly typecast her in sexually charged roles, Sweeney carries this entire film with emotive grace, further proving her worth as a dramatic lead that doesn’t shy away from unrelenting work that requires amazing skills and prowess. Her performance here is absolutely chilling. There is nothing safe about Immaculate or her performance. There is nothing clean or easy. This is a grimy, slow burning spin on the nun sub-genre that doesn't linger on sexploitation, but instead spends its short run time carefully weaving a tale about unknown conception and a false belief in miracles.
Sweeney grits her teeth and bears the burden of an an entire film that takes major stabs at organized religion and its major shortcomings, misgivings and flaws. But, it also pays tribute to the peace and tranquility that belief can bring to one’s soul. Unfortunately, none of these characters will know serenity for long as their divine retreat gives birth to a new kind of malevolence.
When American sister Cecilia arrives at a countryside Italian convent she finds herself at peace with her religion and her choice to live a life of purity. The horrors that await her are undeniably inhumane and absolutely vile. Within weeks she conceives a child despite her claims of chastity. The members of her congregation celebrate the conception and believe that a miracle has happened. Little do they understand that evil is at work in the halls of the church and their congregation will suffer for their sins.
Immaculate is a whirlwind effort at less than ninety minutes that is both engrossing and gore infused. The story is tightly wound with no time for subplots or excessive character development. Director Michael Mohan carefully weaves a throwback nun horror story that’s both modern and sharp while featuring some great looking practical effects that are absolutely brutal. And the way the story unravels is not an expected path. Unlike films like The Nun, Immaculate is an actual genre film that has apparent influences and some great technique behind it. The lighting and sets don’t feel cheap or familiar. The scares have meaning. And the overall tone of the film is repressive with major bursts of flesh mashing gore thrown in for good measure.
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