A Holy Calling With Hellish Consequences
Immaculate begins with solemn prayers and sunlit Italian hills. By the final act, it descends into a pit of religious manipulation, forced obedience, and bodily horror that will leave you breathless—and disturbed.
Sydney Sweeney stars as Cecilia, a devout young American nun who relocates to a secluded convent in rural Italy. After taking her vows, she’s embraced by the sisters and warmly welcomed by the Mother Superior. Everything seems serene… until Cecilia inexplicably becomes pregnant.
There’s no explanation. No signs of trauma. And no sin.
At first, it’s hailed as a miracle. But miracles, in horror, always come with a price.
Sydney Sweeney Like You’ve Never Seen Her Before
Known for her roles in Euphoria and The White Lotus, Sydney Sweeney takes a bold leap into horror—and she owns every second of it.
Her performance carries the film. She plays Cecilia as innocent but intelligent, trusting but not naïve. As the walls of the convent close in and the smiles of the clergy turn sinister, Sweeney transforms—physically and emotionally—into someone fighting not just for her life, but for her sanity.
This isn’t a scream-queen role. It’s a slow-burn performance of terror, anger, and existential horror.
More Than a Pregnancy Horror—It’s a Religious Nightmare
On the surface, Immaculate joins the ranks of films like Rosemary’s Baby and Saint Maud, using pregnancy as a metaphor for control and corruption. But the film dives deeper into religious institutions and how they weaponize faith, purity, and guilt.
The mystery of Cecilia’s virgin pregnancy becomes the film’s central question—but the answers are anything but divine.
Without giving away spoilers, the film slowly reveals that the convent isn’t a sanctuary. It’s a system—a breeding ground for something unspeakable.
The Visual Style: Sacred Meets Sickening
Director Michael Mohan fills Immaculate with religious iconography—rosaries, crosses, frescoes—but twists them until they become unsettling.
Wide shots of golden altars are interrupted by flashes of surgical tools. Candlelight turns cold. The convent, once peaceful, begins to resemble a prison.
And in the final act, the visuals turn full-blown grotesque. There are moments that will make you look away—not from gore, but from the sheer wrongness of what’s happening.
A Slow Burn That Erupts in the Final Minutes
Immaculate takes its time. The horror creeps in through small gestures: locked doors, suspicious whispers, a sister too afraid to speak.
But the film’s final 10 minutes flip everything upside down.
Without spoiling the twist, let’s just say this: it’s not the story you think you’re watching. And Sweeney’s final scene? It’s already being called one of the most unforgettable horror moments of the year.
Themes That Linger After the Credits
Beyond the scares, Immaculate asks hard questions about:
- Bodily autonomy in faith-based systems
- The burden of female purity
- Blind obedience to institutions
- What happens when belief is used to imprison, not liberate
It’s a film that masquerades as religious devotion—only to reveal institutional rot beneath the robes.
Final Thoughts
Immaculate tricks you with beauty, lures you in with peace, and then drops you into absolute despair. It’s slow, smart, and unafraid to make you deeply uncomfortable.
It’s not just horror—it’s heresy by design.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
A gorgeously terrifying film that builds from reverence to rage—anchored by a career-defining performance from Sydney Sweeney.