SXSW 2024: Sydney Sweeney is the Saving Grace in ‘Immaculate’

Religious horror is back in 2024 in a big way with not one but two films with shockingly similar premises (The First Omen opens April 4th) but first up the independently produced film from Neon and director Michael Mohan. 

The past few months have been the Sydney Sweeney show, with the romantic comedy that was the box office hit that could followed by the Marvel dud “Madame Web” and now we have Sweeny headlining and producing a religious horror period piece with Immaculate.

A remote Italian countryside with a fresh faced American nun (Sweeney) who quickly discovers not all is normal as she finds herself miraculously pregnant (Immaculate… conception?). A web of lies and deceit begin to swirl around her as she tries to make sense of the madness that is unfolding inside of her. 

The film has very few characters but these ones are at least fun with the stand out being Sister Gwen (Benedetta Porcaroli) who also has had enough of whatever the Church is up to. The menacing and somewhat playfully fun Father Sal (Alvaro Morte) who is not so obviously the villain from the first scene. 

I wish instead of having the two nuns peer through windows and doors and listen in on events they gave these two strong performers something more interesting to do that would elicit more conversation about the church and this immaculate conception.

Unfortunately for the filmmakers, the film assumes the audience is not five steps ahead of the characters but we are. A film filled with ideas from other religious horror films like Rosemary’s Baby and The Omen and flirts with some of the surreal Suspiria events but never decides to settle in on any of them and instead finds itself throwing a lot against the wall with very little sticking. The breakneck pace of the 90 minute running time offers us little chance at connecting with any of the characters and instead am fed a handful of jump scares, a lot of blood and creepy nuns being… creepy. 

Early on in the film there were moments where I anticipated this being a send up of religious horror and offered a zig-zagging satire but instead it follows the straight and narrow path believing that it is shocking when it’s often exhausting.

The saving grace? Sydney Sweeney is quite excellent even with the barebones screenplay she is game for all of the screaming, being doused in blood and wild ass ending of the film that it brings us hope that as she continues to develop as a talent that she will find her footing in the genre. 

It’s not the worst 90 minutes you’ll spend in a theatre but it might be the most frustrating and uninspired use of religious tropes. Come for Sweeney but stay for the last few moments which are sure to inspire some post film discussion.