Immaculate (2024 film)

Film by Michael Mohan

Immaculate

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Michael Mohan
Written by| Andrew Lobel
Produced by|

* David Bernad
* Sydney Sweeney
* Jonathan Davino
* Teddy Schwarzman
* Michael Heimler

Starring|

* Sydney Sweeney
* Álvaro Morte
* Benedetta Porcaroli
* Dora Romano
* Giorgio Colangeli
* Simona Tabasco

Cinematography| Elisha Christian
Edited by| Christian Masini
Music by| Will Bates

Production
companies

* Black Bear Pictures
* Fifty-Fifty Films
* Middle Child Pictures

Distributed by| Neon

Release dates

* March 12, 2024 (2024-03-12) (SXSW)
* March 22, 2024 (2024-03-22) (United States)

Running time

| 89 minutes[1]
Country| United States
Language| English
Budget| < $10 million[2]
Box office| $2 million[3]

Immaculate is a 2024 American psychological horror film directed by Michael Mohan from a screenplay by Andrew Lobel, and starring Sydney Sweeney, Álvaro Morte, Benedetta Porcaroli, Dora Romano, Giorgio Colangeli, and Simona Tabasco. The film focuses on a young woman of devout faith, who is invited to reside at a picture-perfect Italian convent, but slowly realizes that the convent harbors terrifying secrets.

Immaculate premiered at South by Southwest on March 12, 2024 and was released theatrically in North America by Neon on March 22, 2024.

## Plot[edit]

Sister Mary, a young nun, sneaks into a superior's bedroom at night and steals a bunch of keys to escape through the locked gates of the convent. Before she can squeeze through the gap, she is captured and knocked unconscious by three hooded figures. She later wakes up in a coffin and is buried alive.

Sister Cecilia turned to religion at a young age after she nearly drowned in a frozen lake and was declared dead for seven minutes, feeling that God saved her for a purpose. She receives an invitation from Father Sal Tedeschi to join an exclusive convent in Italy that tends to dying nuns in their last days.

As Cecilia spends time in the convent, she befriends Gwen, another nun, and is struck by certain oddities, such as an elder nun having scars on her feet in the shape of crosses, and a nail said to have been taken from the cross on which Jesus was crucified. After a nightmare, Cecilia is shocked to learn that she is pregnant, even though she is a virgin and has never had relations with a man. Following the discovery, the convent's inhabitants begin to treat her as the next Virgin Mary.

As the pregnancy progresses into its second trimester, another nun, Sister Isabella, tries to drown Cecilia, ranting that it "should have been her". During a period of morning sickness, Cecilia throws up one of her own teeth; as her condition worsens, her request to be taken to a proper hospital is denied. Isabella kills herself by jumping off the convent's roof. Shortly afterwards, Gwen publicly chastises the convent superiors before being bundled away by Father Tedeschi and Deacon Enzo.

Sneaking out at night, Cecilia is horrified to witness the hooded figures cutting out Gwen's tongue. She also discovers a strange laboratory in the basement, filled with jars containing monstrous-looking fetuses.

As she reaches her third trimester, Cecilia tries to escape the convent by faking a miscarriage using a dead chicken, but the deception is exposed. She attempts to run before being forcibly brought back by Tedeschi and Enzo. In his laboratory, Tedeschi explains that he was a geneticist before becoming a priest and used DNA samples taken from the crucifixion nail to create a new Jesus, though it took twenty years until he had his success with Cecilia.

Disturbed at the possibility that her child could save or end the world as written in Revelation,[4] Cecilia makes another attempt to escape, beating the mother superior to death with her crucifix. Her water then breaks. She manages to strangle the cardinal with her rosary before dousing Tedeschi's lab in ethanol. Tedeschi arrives and tries to stop her through physical force, but Cecilia narrowly lights the ethanol that was in one of the clear jars with a lighter.

When a badly burned Tedeschi breaks out of the lab, Cecilia is forced to flee into the catacombs under the convent, finding Gwen's mutilated corpse. Tedeschi almost cuts Cecilia's stomach open before she stabs him in the throat with the crucifixion nail. Emerging outside, Cecilia agonizingly gives birth, biting through the umbilical cord herself. Though unseen onscreen, Cecilia is clearly horrified by the sight of the baby, which makes strange, inhuman gurgling sounds. She grabs a nearby rock, preparing to smash it down on the baby. The film then cuts to black where a scream and a sickly thud ensue.

## Cast[edit]

* Sydney Sweeney as Cecilia
* Álvaro Morte as Father Sal Tedeschi
* Benedetta Porcaroli as Sister Gwen
* Dora Romano [it] as Mother Superior
* Giorgio Colangeli as Cardinal Franco Merola
* Simona Tabasco as Sister Mary

## Production[edit]

In October 2022, it was announced Sydney Sweeney had joined the cast of the film, with Michael Mohan directing from a screenplay by Andrew Lobel, with Sweeney serving as a producer under her Fifty-Fifty Films banner.[5] In February 2023, Álvaro Morte, Benedetta Porcaroli, Dora Romano, Giorgio Colangeli and Simona Tabasco joined the cast of the film.[6][7]

Principal photography took place in Rome,[6] and concluded by February 2023.[8]

## Release[edit]

In December 2023, Neon acquired US distribution rights to the film.[9] It had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 12, 2024.[10][11] It was released on March 22, 2024.[12]

## Reception[edit]

### Box office[edit]

In the United States and Canada, Immaculate was released alongside Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Late Night with the Devil, and is projected to gross around $5 million from 2,354 theaters in its opening weekend.[13] The film made $2 million on its first day.[2]

### Critical response[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 73% of 107 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "Immaculate in conception if not always in execution, this religiously themed horror outing is saved by a divine performance from Sydney Sweeney."[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 56 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[15] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave the film a 52% overall positive score, with 30% saying they would definitely recommend it.[2]

Tim Robey of The Telegraph awarded the film three stars out of five, saying that "Sydney Sweeney's pregnant-nun horror takes time to deliver… Only at the very end does Immaculate deliver, so to speak, on some of (its) hinted-at promise."[16]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Immaculate (18)". BBFC. March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
2. ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 23, 2024). "'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Still Looking To Bust Between $42M-$44M Opening – Saturday AM Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
3. ^ "Immaculate — Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
4. ^ "Revelation 12". wikisource.org. Bible (King James)/Revelation. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
5. ^ Grobar, Matt (October 28, 2022). "Sydney Sweeney Set For Black Bear Pictures' Psychological Horror 'Immaculate' From Director Michael Mohan". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
6. ^ a b MacCary, Julia (February 13, 2023). "Álvaro Morte, Benedetta Porcaroli and More Join Sydney Sweeney in Black Bear Pictures' 'Immaculate' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
7. ^ Cordero, Rosy (February 17, 2023). "Simona Tabasco Joins Sydney Sweeney In Psychological Horror Film 'Immaculate'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
8. ^ Sweeney, Sydney [@sydney_sweeney] (February 17, 2023). "I just wrapped the first film I've ever produced, Immaculate, with the most amazing cast and crew. I can't even begin to describe what an amazing experience it's been these past few months in Rome. I've learned so much and can't wait to share all the madness we created with you ♥️". Archived from the original on February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023 - via Instagram.
9. ^ Grobar, Matt (December 19, 2023). "Sydney Sweeney Horror 'Immaculate' Acquired By Neon". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
10. ^ "Immaculate". South by Southwest. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
11. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 7, 2024). "SXSW 2024 Second Wave Includes Pics With Sydney Sweeney, Nicolas Cage, Camila Mendes & 'Monkey Man'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
12. ^ Squires, John (January 24, 2024). "'Immaculate' – NEON Releasing Sydney Sweeney Horror Movie in March [Poster]". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
13. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (March 19, 2024). "Box Office Preview: 'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Aims for $45 Million Opening Weekend". Variety. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
14. ^ "Immaculate". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
15. ^ "Immaculate". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
16. ^ "Immaculate: Sydney Sweeney's pregnant-nun horror takes time to deliver". The Telegraph. March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.

## External links[edit]

* Immaculate at IMDb