Michael Mohan’s new horror movie “Immaculate” is anything but. Despite starring Sydney Sweeney, which is arguably the only reason this movie is popular right now, this film is just another wannabe slasher that lacks character development, direction and good writing.
The first issue with this movie is that for a horror film, it’s not scary. It relies on easy-to-spot jumpscares and a little blood to make the audience cringe. I know I might be biased, as I am hard to scare, but no one around me in the theater jumped either.
I had high hopes when I heard a spooky piano riff halfway through the film, knowing that music plays a large part in suspense, but nothing happened that was necessarily climactic or nail-biting.
The script was also a factor in this, as it was nothing spectacular. Written by Andrew Lobel, whose list of other works is incredibly short, the dialogue was brief and uninteresting. Not to mention, the movie takes place in Italy, and not once does Sweeney say a full sentence in Italian.
Sweeney, who comes from the drama series “Euphoria” and the newest romcom “Anyone But You,” wasn’t terrible, which does earn this movie a star. Letterboxd user @CinemaJoe says it perfectly in his review: “I’m still not completely sold on Sweeney— in her moments of intensity she’s great, but it’s her quiet moments where I still feel she delivers lines like a robot.”
She did give some fantastic final-girl screams, but it was not enough for me to think she was great in this role. Someone like Mia Goth or Florence Pugh, however, would have absolutely crushed it. The script was probably a top contributor to the performance, though. I found myself not even rooting for the character towards the end of the film, as the audience learns so little about her or how she feels in the moment.
As for cinematography, credited to Elisha Christian who has done more camera work on video games like “Spider-Man 2” and “Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War,” it was not anything revolutionary but was not too bad either.
Certain shots were beautifully haunting, like one scene where Sweeney runs through the Italian hills, her white gown covered in blood, or when she is sworn in as a nun amongst other sisters. I can’t help but think that it could have done a better job in instilling fear, though.
The plot itself could have done a better job in that area as well. What could have been such an interesting and captivating concept felt so surface level. They packed so much into the film, yet half of what could have been truly scary moments were cut short or left unexplained.
The ending honestly left me shocked but not in a good way. Even after everything that happened in the film, I was certainly not expecting such a gruesome and graphic ending. It didn’t even make complete sense to me.
If you’re looking for nun movies that actually have worthy horror movie moments, I’d recommend “Prey for the Devil” or movies from “The Conjuring” universe. I would most certainly not recommend “Immaculate,” unless you want to waste $12 at the theater or an hour-and-a-half of your time.
1/5 stars
ajones11@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @sydney_sweeney, Instagram
