Immaculate Movie Review: Sydney Sweeney salvages this uninventive horror flick

Just when Michael Mohan's latest nunsploitation horror flick gives you a hangover of the earlier release The First Omen, Sydney Sweeney's immaculate performance makes it a watchable callback to the age-old Satanic horror films. Mohan's Immaculate begins with the horrific scene of a nun being buried alive in a rustic Italian monastery. Moments later, Cecilia joins the monastery, not knowing what lies in front of her. Even the audience knows little about her past except for her escape from an almost-fatal accident in a frozen lake. The film then gets on to the basic elements of storytelling to explain whether Cecilia will face a fate similar to the first nun's or be spared by divine providence. To its credit, the film goes about telling this tale without unnecessary exposition; however, it still struggles to find a balance between offering something profound and sticking to a simple narrative. Ennui sets in during scenes that revere a woman carrying Satan's child, an obligatory it's-for-you-Damian kind of ritual. This predictability makes watching the film a punishment drill.

Director: Michael Mohan

Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Alvaro Morte, Dora Romano, Benedetta Porcaroli, Simona Tabasco, Giorgio Colangeli, Giampiero Judica

Fortunately, Sydney Sweeney shines as Cecilia, who discovers a rebellious streak within herself. Applause to her for adding flesh to her skeletal character arc. Whenever Cecilia raises suspicion, she is constantly told the Biblical verse "The meek shall inherit the world" to keep her docile. Her transformation from an obedient and innocent nun-to-be to one who stands against ungodly practices looks fresh, providing the sole respite in this film that is essentially a quagmire of predictabilities.

The shallow character writing becomes especially gnawing after we start to lap up Cecilia's defiance. Horror classics centred around Satanic and Biblical themes are classics due to some duplicitous characters who initially come across as allies to the protagonists but end up backstabbing them. One example is Dr Abraham Sapirstein, a doctor who turns out to be a participant in the cult in Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby. As for Immaculate, one of its biggest flaws is the black-and-white portrayal of its characters. Sure, not every horror film can measure up to classics, but at least predictability is avoidable. In Immaculate, you know what a particular nun will do later, from a mile away. The heightening of excitement and thrill could have only come through such characters, as the narration mostly unfolds inside a monastery, thereby reducing any possibility of creating drama in the world outside.

Immaculate stands out from other films of this sub-genre with regards to the invincibility of the devil. But there is nothing to cheer about it, as it is a byproduct of a lazily written antagonist.

Part of the reason why Sydney Sweeney's Cecilia works is that the other characters are peripheral and operate in a mechanical manner. Alvaro Morte's Sal Tedeschi and Dora Romano's Mother Superior are hugely disappointing for their lack of depth.

The visceral gore scenes partly make up for the lack of certain obligatory horror elements in the film. The repulsion that such scenes evoke testifies to the sublime craft in play, even though director Mohan milks the genre beyond acceptability. The film offers great ideas to ponder, too. There are scenes where we are told women choose nunhood not out of free will but rather because of the ill treatment they suffer at the hands of men outside. Another captivating idea is the choice of weapons in the stunt sequences; Cecilia uses a crucifix and nail, believed to be from Jesus' crucifixion, to attack those who terrify people using faith and demand unquestioning submission.

Immaculate is a film with some moments that make you want to exceedingly adore it, but also others that border on trashy. Cecilia stands against her religion's leaders in deciding whether she wants to have a child or not, demanding noninterference of the state in a woman's bodily autonomy over pregnancy. Such exceptional writing is marred by other poor choices, forcing us to form a love-hate relationship with the film.