It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of horror. I’ve been fascinated by all things spooky ever since I was a little girl, but over time, it became harder and harder to find anything that actually scared me. In fact, I haven’t left the theaters scared for years. Until now.
Immaculate was released in theaters on March 22nd, but it largely flew under my radar until now. The movie was received well by critics, garnering itself a 72% on Rotten Tomatoes and 59% audience score. At first glance, it seemed like just another movie with a creepy nun, something that I’ve long grown bored of, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. After going to see it blind on a whim, I discovered something so incredibly horrific that I immediately regretted taking its R rating lightly.
Immaculate tells the story of a young nun, sister Cecilia, who just transferred to a new convent in Italy and, in classic horror movie fashion, something terrifying lurks just beneath the surface. While working there, it’s discovered that she’s become pregnant and the baby, who’s believed to be the savior, is labeled as a miracle. However, she soon finds that all may not be quite what it seems and she’s trapped in the convent until the baby is born. It has a remarkably simple premise and it’s rather straightforward while still being surprising and suspenseful the entire way through.
While the movie’s plot couldn’t be described as revolutionary or groundbreaking, the same can’t be said for its cinematography. Every shot was executed perfectly to set the tone for every scene, never letting the audience get too comfortable by framing it in such a way that you had the sense that something was always lurking right out of sight.
While many horror movies nowadays rely on jump-scares and gore to frighten the audience, Immaculate primarily used its atmosphere and tone to unsettle people. Its sparing use of jump-scares and gore made every instance of it that much more effective to create something that was genuinely scary.
With most horror movies, I’m on the edge of my seat, leaning forward, anxiously awaiting whatever will happen next. With Immaculate, I found myself pushing back into my chair, trying to lean as far away from the screen as possible. My friend, who I watched the movie with, described it best, saying “Never before have I been so viscerally uncomfortable in a movie.” What this movie does that I feel like we don’t see enough lately is it makes the viewer genuinely uncomfortable and nervous in a way I haven’t been at the movies in a very long time.
Immaculate’s use of horror throughout its runtime is, for a lack of better words, immaculate. After watching it, I feel as though it captures the true essence of horror in a way that left me disturbed even after I left the theater. While not for the faint of heart, I would recommend this movie to anyone who’s looking for a genuinely horrifying experience, as long as they’re prepared to stomach it.
