Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Immaculate Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf June 19, 2024

“Immaculate” is written by Andrew Lobel, and it’s his first effort in the world of feature-length filmmaking. He doesn’t have many fresh concepts for the picture, but he does have blood and various grotesqueries, also trying to have some fun in the world of “nunsploitation,” merging Catholic oppression with something macabre brewing over the run time. Director Michael Mohan (“Save the Date,” and the most screencapped movie of 2021, “The Voyeurs”) has the job to make a sinister premise come alive, but suspense and frights are basically uninvited to this genre party. Instead of a nail-biter with a palpable sense of evil, “Immaculate” is lethargic and unwilling to put in the work to really rile up viewers with its ideas on religious submission and perversion. Star Sydney Sweeney is little help, unable to bring the thunder in a role that requires a special level of panic she’s seemingly incapable of summoning.

Cecilia (Sydney Sweeney) has been invited to move from Detroit to a remote convent in Italy by Father Sal (Alvaro Morte), provided an opportunity to take her final vows and join the sisterhood. The convent is devoted to the care of aging nuns, with Cecilia exposed to medical issues while making friends with Sister Gwen (Benedetta Porcaroli), who offers the newcomer kindness and insight into the workings of the facility. While preparing to make her final commitment, Cecilia learns she’s pregnant, and Father Sal is greatly concerned about the situation, as the American is a virgin. Finding support from church leaders, Cecilia is urged to concentrate exclusively on the health of her unborn baby. However, curiosity can’t be denied, inspiring Cecilia to explore the building, making discoveries and witnessing horrors that add to her confusion, soon determined to find a way out of her situation.

That something wicked is happening inside the convent isn’t hidden from view in “Immaculate.” The script presents agony in its very first sequence, watching a young nun try to escape from the building as quietly as possible, only to be caught by her captors, offered a deeply unpleasant punishment for her insubordination. Cecilia is heading into danger, but her arc of obliviousness is put in motion with her arrival from Detroit, warmly greeted by Father Sal, who wants the new hire to be comfortable and ready for her commitment to God. “Immaculate” follows the character as she tours her surroundings, learning more about nun health care and her place in the convent. She also shares her story of faith, miraculously surviving a frozen lake accident when she was a child, which left her dead for seven minutes. The power of her faith was established after such trauma.

“Immaculate” doesn’t revisit horror for another hour, staying close to Cecilia as she grasps the ways of others. Exploratory sequences are included to add a level of mystery, with Cecilia spotting marks on patients she can’t explain, and she’s offered time with Father Sal and his devotion, protecting a nail he claims was used in the crucifixion of Jesus. Mohan hopes to lure viewers in with mood, but time around the convent isn’t riveting, hitting the same beats as other creepy Catholic facility movies. Lobel isn’t crafting a compelling story as well, doing little with limited surroundings and nondescript supporting characters. Cecilia’s pregnancy is meant to jolt the picture, tracking her astonishment as the impossible occurs, but the material doesn’t do enough with this development, unwilling to create scenes of shock for the American. She’s suddenly the center of a potential virgin birth, and it’s pretty much business as usual for her. This type of low-energy activity is all too common in “Immaculate,” with Mohan often going for style instead of tension.

Immaculate Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.00:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Immaculate" deals with the movie's softer moods, with darkness and candlelight a common sight in the feature. Compression has moments of struggle, resulting in some banding and mild posterization. Detail is acceptable, handling the gothic interiors of the church and textures in secret areas. Catacomb visits are decently dimensional, along with exteriors around the area. Skin particulars are acceptable, exploring weathered faces and youthful displays. Costuming, with heavy habits and wet bathing outfits, are passably fibrous. Colors work with the darker look of "Immaculate," preserving golden candlelit rooms and cooler living spaces. Greenery is distinct. Skin tones are natural. Delineation is adequate.

Immaculate Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix secures crisp dialogue exchanges, working with heavy accents at times. Emotional freakouts also remain balanced. Scoring cues are clear, with defined instrumentation as moods shift in the feature. Choral offerings are also sharp, pushing out into surrounds with other musical moments. Atmospherics detail room tones and group activity, also providing a sense of locations. Sound effects are appreciable, with the endeavor using a lot of aural events to conjure its fear factor. Low-end handles some weight with violent events.

Immaculate Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features director Michael Mohan.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included on this release.

Immaculate Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Immaculate" moseys around until the final act, where the feature has an opportunity to reach, well, biblical proportions as Cecilia finally understands what's happening to her. Instead, Mohan goes the B-movie route, adding lengthy chases to help pad the run time, including a panicky tour of the convent's catacombs that's reminiscent of many other horror films. The picture doesn't go big, though it does get bloody, which might be enough to please certain horror fans. And there's an issue with Sweeney's performance, as she never conveys a true sense of curiosity, danger, or despair, delivering hopelessly flat line readings and climatic acting that primarily involves screaming. Cecilia would probably be more interesting with someone else in the part, but real thespian might still has to deal with writing that's never adventurous, sticking with formula, while direction is lethargic, intending to unleash a case of the creeps, only to offer screen stillness instead.