Immaculate Movie Review: Sydney Sweeney salvages this uninventive horror flick

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.