Rating: 5/10
“Immaculate” is the newest horror film produced by independent film company NEON and directed by Michael Mohan.
The movie opens with a strong cold open that effectively sets up the film’s threat while engaging viewers for what appears to be a thrilling ride.
However, the film takes a major pause over the next hour as we follow Sister Cecilia (Sydney Sweeney), who moves to a convent in Italy following an incident that she sees as God saving her and a call to serve the church. She soon learns the convent has more nefarious activities underneath the religious facade.
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Without going into spoilers, there is both a plot twist and development that reinvigorates the movie’s story and pacing.
With this development, the movie seemingly slips in a message about abortion out of nowhere. While this point could be important to bring up in modern times, it feels a little forced and unplanned on behalf of the movie’s writers.
Between the setup of both the setting and the story, “Immaculate” slowly burns its way to its more tense and upbeat moments.
However, by the time the film regains traction around the end of the second act, most of the movie’s runtime had already passed.
The movie does not know when to pick up the pace surrounding its storytelling, leaving you wondering if the means justify the ends.
The lack of real scares doesn’t help the film, since most of the horrifying moments mainly come from shock value and generic jumpscares.
If you’ve seen any horror film that takes place in a church or has religion-heavy themes such as “The Pope’s Exorcist,” “Prey for the Devil” or just about any movie with the word “exorcism” in its title, then you’ve already seen a lot of what “Immaculate” has to offer.
Despite these issues, there is one light at the end of the tunnel. The movie’s practical effects are not only well-made but are sure to make some horror newcomers a little squeamish.
Questionable lighting also plagues much of the movie, since most scenes that occur in the dark are extremely hard to see. It’s important to mention that this could have resulted from the movie theater that screened the movie, so your viewing experience may vary.
The setting of “Immaculate” is also a huge factor in the movie’s feel; in that department, the movie succeeds at establishing a convent that exudes beauty despite housing terrible secrets.
“Immaculate” brings a lot of fresh ideas to the table, along with some beautiful visuals and set design. But it doesn’t do much to keep its audiences engaged.
Sure, the last 20 minutes of the film slightly make up for the majority of the film, but does that make the movie any better than the rest of the church-themed schlock?
Spoiler alert — it doesn’t.
