"Immaculate" follows Cecilia, an American nun (Sydney Sweeney) who is relocated to a remote Italian convent after her Michigan parish closes its doors. She is met with skepticism by some of her sisters in Christ, and acceptance from others, but her divisive ingratiation into the convent is deepened when it is discovered she has apparently conceived a child through immaculate conception.
This Catholic horror offering gets a number of things right, mainly in terms of atmosphere and visuals. The convent locale is lush and hauntingly beautiful, showcased via some impressive cinematography. Despite a plot that in all truth has the comportment of a B-movie, the visual flair here rises above the film's pulpier nunsploitation elements. The performances also help elevate the material, with Sweeney making for a likable lead, and the supporting cast of actors portraying her fellow nuns and clergy giving respectable performances.
The plotting of the film is deliberate and the pace quite swift, perhaps at times too much so for its own good. What the film is lacking is a strong connective tissue, particularly in terms of fleshing out the background of the lead character and several key characters in the convent. There is some background lightly eked out in dialogue, but it at times feels stilted; furthermore, the somewhat abrupt transitions between the trimesters of Cecilia's pregnancy left something to be desired.
These issues aside, "Immaculate" succeeds greatly at keeping the audience guessing, and there are a number of effective scares incorporated. The film smartly toes the line between a supernatural horror flick and a straight-up thriller, and succeeds in not revealing its cards too soon. When the plot eventually fully shows itself for what it is in the final act, the pacing goes into a bloody fever pitch that really demands attention.
Overall, "Immaculate" is a formidable if not imperfect entry into the canon of Catholic horror and nunsploitation films. While it may not be as diabolical as something like "Alucarda" or as extravagant as "The Devils", it is no less a reasonably smart and effective horror film that has enough surprises to warrant viewing from the most hardened nunsploitation devotees. 7/10.
This Catholic horror offering gets a number of things right, mainly in terms of atmosphere and visuals. The convent locale is lush and hauntingly beautiful, showcased via some impressive cinematography. Despite a plot that in all truth has the comportment of a B-movie, the visual flair here rises above the film's pulpier nunsploitation elements. The performances also help elevate the material, with Sweeney making for a likable lead, and the supporting cast of actors portraying her fellow nuns and clergy giving respectable performances.
The plotting of the film is deliberate and the pace quite swift, perhaps at times too much so for its own good. What the film is lacking is a strong connective tissue, particularly in terms of fleshing out the background of the lead character and several key characters in the convent. There is some background lightly eked out in dialogue, but it at times feels stilted; furthermore, the somewhat abrupt transitions between the trimesters of Cecilia's pregnancy left something to be desired.
These issues aside, "Immaculate" succeeds greatly at keeping the audience guessing, and there are a number of effective scares incorporated. The film smartly toes the line between a supernatural horror flick and a straight-up thriller, and succeeds in not revealing its cards too soon. When the plot eventually fully shows itself for what it is in the final act, the pacing goes into a bloody fever pitch that really demands attention.
Overall, "Immaculate" is a formidable if not imperfect entry into the canon of Catholic horror and nunsploitation films. While it may not be as diabolical as something like "Alucarda" or as extravagant as "The Devils", it is no less a reasonably smart and effective horror film that has enough surprises to warrant viewing from the most hardened nunsploitation devotees. 7/10.