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In 1973, William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist” caused moral and religious outrage for its sacrilegious violence involving priests and demons. Since then, Christian settings have given horror films new avenues to shock and provoke moviegoers.

Director Michael Mohan’s “Immaculate,” produced by and starring Sydney Sweeney, is the latest religious horror film to inspire moral outrage — with some claiming its violent content is “pure evil” and “grossly offensive.”

The reaction is warranted by the film’s gleefully transgressive gore and timely pro-choice allegory. But through the perspective of Sweeney’s character Sister Cecilia, “Immaculate” also provides a powerful meta-commentary on how Sweeney is portrayed online.

The film begins from the perspective of a young nun, stationed at a remote Italian convent. After praying the Hail Mary at night, she steals a set of keys from her superior and runs out to the front gate. When mysterious hooded figures march after her, we’re brought to the edge of our seats, and once the figures catch up to her, they crack her knee open and bury her alive.

Mohan’s introduction encapsulates the entire film: a standard horror premise executed with high suspense and artful visuals. But “Immaculate” is more than the typical jump-scare generator, with quick pacing and impressive acting elevating the high points.

We’re then introduced to Sister Cecilia, a young American nun who has just arrived in Italy. She turned to religion as a child after she nearly drowned in a frozen lake and was pronounced dead for several minutes. Believing God saved her, she sees this isolated convent as a perfect place to dedicate herself to her faith.

Cecilia begins to experience bizarre and violent dreams of figures in red hoods and apparitions staring at her in the nighttime. In these moments, the film enjoys a gradual build of suspense, with frequent fake-outs and jump scares keeping Cecilia and the audience from getting too comfortable.

After she feels sick for several days, Father Sal Tedeschi (Álvaro Morte), Cardinal Franco Merola (Giorgio Colangeli) and the convent’s doctor suddenly all examine Cecilia. She undergoes various uncomfortable procedures against her will which determine she is somehow pregnant. She is a virgin, however, and couldn’t have become pregnant “without sin.”

Here, the film and Sweeney’s performance shift in a more intriguing direction. As the convent members worship Cecilia, even comparing her to the Virgin Mary, the film unveils itself as a story of female agency.

Cecilia is forced into a role she doesn’t want while the leaders of the convent, particularly the men, use her “divine” pregnancy for their own sinister agendas. As Cecilia delves deeper into the convent’s mysteries, both she and Sweeney exert control over a narrative controlled by patriarchal religious structures.

Miranda Fournier | Design Editor

Sweeney gives her best film performance yet as Cecilia. It’s an interesting departure from her dramatic and comedic work on “Euphoria” and “Anyone But You.” She draws us in with her initially restrained demeanor before making bold, bloody decisions in the second half.

The way Cecilia is treated by the convent parallels the way Sweeney is objectified by the public.

“People feel connected and free to be able to speak about me in whatever way they want because they believe that I’ve signed my life away,” Sweeney said in a recent Variety interview. “That I’m not on a human level anymore, because I’m an actor.”

With comments on her body ranging from gross social media posts to politicized media columns, Sweeney’s role in “Immaculate” as a woman fighting back against what others make her out to be feels like a cathartic, personal response.

Cecilia’s arc also takes on a pro-choice dimension that is greatly effective within the religious setting of the film. Pregnant with a child she never asked for, yet forced by the fanatical men and women around her to have it, she must also reclaim her body from the restrictive institutions that regulate her way of life.

The uncomfortable, oppressive atmosphere of “Immaculate” is amplified by its visuals. Shot in a Roman religious building, the beautiful and gothic style of “Immaculate” complements its narrative of corrupted innocence. Mohan effectively uses first-person shots near the end of the film to make us share Cecilia’s perspective and creatively capture the convent’s array of rooms.

“Immaculate” isn’t the most original religious horror film storytelling-wise, but Sweeney’s performance and Mohan’s direction make it one of the more exciting ones in recent memory. The film strikes a great balance of skillful scare sequences and relevant, unapologetic social commentary. Whether audiences accuse it of satanism or praise its gory merits, “Immaculate” will get people talking after a frightful night at the movies.

Published on March 25, 2024 at 10:05 pm