Immaculate - La prescelta

I had the chance to catch "Immaculate" before its release, hoping for a fresh horror experience set in a stunning Italian convent. Unfortunately, the movie felt like a letdown. The story follows Cecilia, who's supposed to uncover some dark secrets in her new, holy home, but it all ends up feeling too familiar.

The film tries to be edgy and dark but doesn't quite hit the mark, almost playing it safe like a PG-13 movie so any comparisons to "Saint Maud" almost feel like an insult. It teases us with brutality but pulls its punches, leaving us with a sense of "been there, seen that" rather than genuine chills or thrills.

Despite its beautiful setting and a premise that could have taken us on a deep, disturbing dive into faith and fear, "Immaculate" doesn't deliver. It ends up feeling like a collection of horror clichés without the bite, missing a chance to really stand out. For those looking for a horror movie that packs a punch, this might not be it.

I liked the mix of Italian and English. It worked really well, imagining how the main character would not be able to understand the majority of what they are saying.

However, the priest asks something on the lines of 'if it is not God's will, why does he not stop us?'.

The answer to that is that He gave us free will, which any priest worth his salt would most certainly know.

Apart from that, it was a good take on an already over explored theme, with some nice bits of gore and violence thrown in.

I'd definitely recommend giving it a watch if the massive hole in the priest's explanation of what they are doing is ignored. It starts out as you would expect from the genre, but has it's surprises as it progresses.

The echoes of Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby" are undeniable, from the secluded convent setting to the paranoia and isolation Cecilia experiences. But "Immaculate" carves out its own space in the genre with a surprising amount of bite.

"Immaculate," starring Sydney Sweeney as a young nun named Cecilia, delivers a captivating performance as a woman of quiet strength thrust into a horrifying situation. Where Mia Farrow's Rosemary Woodhouse in "Rosemary's Baby" was a naive outsider, Cecilia possesses a steely resolve. This subtle difference fuels the film's suspense. We see the cracks in Cecilia's faith as she grapples with the inexplicable, but she never loses her agency.

The film tackles themes of female subjugation and bodily autonomy within a religious framework. Cecilia's struggle for control over her own body becomes a potent allegory, particularly in today's social climate. It's a film that will stay with you long after the credits roll, leaving you questioning faith, free will, and the immaculate deception that can lurk behind holy walls.

In 2024's "Immaculate" we are introduced to the young nun named Cecilia who is portrayed by Sydney Sweeney. She is the main selling point for this movie with her remarkable rise in Hollywood right now. It's also interesting how this movie was made because Sweeney auditioned for this movie in 2014 but the project never materialized. Now that she is a big name in Hollywood, she reached out to the writer and went on to produce this movie with her in the leading role. I love that she is so dedicated to making a horror movie and a project she was certainly passionate about. And you could tell because her acting is really great and even though it was hard seeing her as a nun at first, she did the great job bringing her character to life. Although I find it a little weird that even in a movie about a nun, we somehow get to see her naked multiple times because she can't seem to leave her clothes on. Not a complaint but more of an observation.

The movie went in a different direction than I initially expected it to go which was a nice surprise. On the other hand it is really predictable and you immediately know where the threat lurks. There are some cheap jump scares in this but also some rather suspenseful moments that kept the tension high. The movie also looks pretty decent and overall entertains. But just like this review mainly focuses on Sydney Sweeney herself, the movie does too. Like I said she is the main selling point and the most memorable thing in an otherwise rather generic film that would be forgotten about easily. [5,7/10]

If it wasn't for Sydney, no one would have seen this movie. I honestly don't understand what the higher reviews were watching...

This movie lacked both depth and any sort of character development. The movie would've been better if captions were provided, yet we had to rely on translations from another character.

On numerous occasions, what appeared to be a major development of the movie was either not explained or followed up. Just left there and the director moved on.

I was very disappointed by the movie and felt that they could have done a much better job of developing a storyline. Instead they phoned this one in...

Don't go see it in theatre, wait until it's out to steam if you want to see it. It's certainly not worth the price of admission.