Director: Michael Mohan
Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Álvaro Morte, Benedetta Porcaroli, Dora Romano, Giorgio Colangeli, Simona Tabasco
Certificate: 18
Run Time: 89 mins

Immaculate is a religious psychological horror from director Michael Mohan centering on a young woman, Sister Cecilia, who is invited to reside at a picturesque Italian convent. Mohan reteams with his The Voyeurs lead Sydney Sweeney, who plays the troubled young nun, who has turned to religion after being convinced God saved her for a reason after she nearly drowned in a frozen lake and was declared dead for seven minutes. While the convent looks initially picture-perfect, Cecilia soon discovers more sinister forces are at play when she suddenly discovers she is pregnant, despite being a virgin.

Religious horror is a sub-genre that has struggled recently – The Nun was terrible, The Nun 2 a mild improvement and The Pope’s Exorcist was silly but very entertaining with Russell Crowe’s hammy lead performance.

Although Immaculate takes a little while to get going, once it shifts into gear, it’s a gonzo and gleefully blood-soaked ripride. The last forty-five minutes are particularly memorable, with a series of wild twists and turns, with more than a few influences from Dario Argento and Roman Polanski. Mohan knows how to build suspense and pile on the dread and the wince-inducing gore in its final act more than earns it its 18-certificate.

It’s a little ramshackle in construction – the script is a little creaky and aside from Cecilia’ backstory, we don’t really learn much about her. There are also some plot elements that don’t fully make sense by the film’s close.

Sydney Sweeney’s performance is interesting in that she appears unsettled and not fully convincing initially but once she’s tasked with the film’s more electrifying elements, her performance delivers. Álvaro Morte is the standout as Father Sal Tedeschi, who appears to be one of the only members of the convent who understands and empathises with Cecilia.

The film looks a lot more expensive than it is and it’s beautifully shot by DP Elisha Christian. I particularly appreciated a shot of a nun walking, while someone is visibly committing suicide in the background and the nun rushes over to examine the body once it splatters on the floor in the same shot. Will Bates’ score is effective too, with some memorable recurring themes, especially a scene in which Cecilia runs in a field.

Immaculate is ultimately much better than it has any right to be for a horror sub-genre that’s had its fair share of struggles. It’s not perfect but the mystery that Mohan weaves and the heightening tension and gore are more than enough to keep you invested and it’s a film that’s sure to leave you gasping in its closing moments.

⭐⭐⭐ (Good)