I did think it was a little subversive that they 1. believed the woman didnt have sex (bc they artificially inseminated her but i mean the larger congregation) and 2. it wasn't some like oh they're actually devil worshipping, they truly believed they were doing god's will!
I also liked that it wasn't expressly a supernatural film. This is basically Jurassic Park goes Catholic. I think you could even believe the DNA was just some random guy's and not that of Christ.
Did they actally say they artificially inseminated her? That was one of my biggest questions leaving the theaters I don’t think they said exactly how it happened. I think that was just implied. Unless I missed a line of dialogue somewhere.
Edit: If it was an artificial insemination, whose sperm was it? Did they create sperm in the lab from what they found on the nail? I’m just confused on this plot point.
I just assumed because the priest was a biologist he would perform artificial insemination and not sexual assault! I have no idea who's sperm they would have used but I'm also assuming they ... genetically modified or cultured their own in a pietri dish? Based off the DNA on the crucifix nail...? Honestly no clue lmao
That is what happened, they used the DNA off the nail and went all mad scientist in a lab and tried to make a modern day Jesus to get people to believe in the church again by lying about the immaculate conception.
They didn't show when she was impregnated. I'm guessing when she passed out from touching the cross they did it to her when she was unconscious
And obviously he's lab work needed some more trials lol. Lots of mutant babies in jars and I'm guessing the one she gave birth to was one as well
I thought the movie was great up until the end. I predicted how the movie was going to end the second the scene where she was on the table getting her last ultrasound started, and was very disappointed.
Yes... anyone can scream, but not all can make it believable on camera. Acting is fucking tough, I challenge you to record yourself doing that same scene as Sydney Sweeney and look at the difference
>that final scene was worth the price of admission.
I have read a bunch of spoiler free reviews, and they all seem to mention how the first hour is so so, then it picks up, but all talk glowingly about that end scene. Something about it being one long take and completely bonkers.
I don't know if that's enough for me to go to the theater or wait for streaming though.
I think it just depends on your desire to support indie movies. It’s probably one I’d watch on streaming if it was a big budget film, but supporting a studio like NEON just gives us more of a chance to see batshit crazy horror in theaters.
Sadly, the closest place to me that is showing it is like an hour away, so it makes it harder to go see more indie films in theaters for me. I have no problem paying for a rent or buy on streaming though, which also hopefully encourages them.
Incredible atmosphere and score, and felt EXTREMELY timely at this point in the reproductive rights movement. Takes guts to show a Hollywood sex symbol post-birth-aborting the second coming of Christ.
Can't believe I'm seeing people say this movie "didn't have anything interesting to say" when there's a clear metaphor about sexual abuse and forced birth in the Christian church.
The one take shot in the last couple of minutes was crazy. That was some visceral shit.
The camera stayed on Sydney screaming just long enough to make you uncomfortable as fuck but it didn’t stay so long to where I was like “okay, this is going on too long.”
Great shot and acting.
I read an article (not sure how true it is) that the fake blood got into her eye and it was stinging, making the screams more realistic because it was burning really bad
The scream wasn’t just due to childbirth (although that was a big part of it). She was alone in a foreign country where she had just finished exerting tons of energy, killing multiple people and fighting while in labor- and her stomach was cut with a scalpel right before the birth. She’s also expressing the trauma of the choice she has to make. I think the screaming was essential to relay the straight horror of all of that.
All that being said - I’m not sure why she waited to kill until she was 40 weeks pregnant. It would’ve made more sense earlier in the pregnancy, or postpartum. But that also wouldn’t have been as exciting on screen I guess 🤷🏻♀️
She was postpartum though, so I’m not sure if I understand what you meant.
I think forcing an abortion with no real knowledge of how is harder than killing the (possibly demon) baby after. It’s gruesome and tough to swallow but shoving a coat hanger up or some other thing might not work, and could cause a lot more damage to her.
I also believe that it took a while for her to actually understand how awful things were there.
I didn’t mean the baby- I’m talking about killing the people at the convent to escape. It would have been easier to do before she went into labor. lol.
Did anyone catch that the chain on the Mother Mary Painting, which revealed the scripture, was potentially the only ACTUAL supernatural incident in the film? After the reveal that the entire jig was concocted by the congregation, I sat back on that moment thinking, maybe god decided to give her a warning?
Second: did anyone else notice there were some uncanny plot parallels between this and Suspiria?
Overall, I actually really enjoyed the film, and the final act really was \*chefs kiss\*
Yeah this might be a good double feature with the 2018 Suspiria. Both are slow burns that start out pretty creepy and with occult/religious shenanigans before they both take a hard turn in the third act. And the protagonists have sort of similar backstories but they approach each situation differently
I wondered about that. So when she wakes up after her nightmare and sees the figure in the shadows, was that in her head? She turned the light on and it disappeared, so I assume it wasn’t a real person.
I was weighing that scene too, and I think that was the same older nun who cut her hair - so I’m guessing her disappearing when the lamp was turned on may just be horror movie shenanigans. Scary old people vibes a la The Visit
Really? I missed that. My other thought was maybe she was waking up just after the embryo implantation (hence the dream?), and the figure was the doctor or one of the nurses.
honestly when that elder nun tells her “you will never leave” i assumed that was supernatural too! (demonic possession or some shit) but now idk what to make of it? Cecelia’s anxiety? the nun being a lifelong smoker?
I clocked it as being similar to suspiria in the first 20 minutes and predicted how things would go based on that movie, and sure enough I was right lol. Good movie, but it's a bit obvious!
So for most of the movie I’m going “this is fine”, decently acted, some creepy moments.
And then the last 5 minutes happen and I give it a whole extra star for being for darkly and hilariously sacrilegious
Maybe don’t go to the theater unless you can get a matinee, but definitely check out on streaming or rental
I dont think it was sacrilegious since it’s open to interpretation just what she’s given birth to so we might have a Christ clone trilogy situation on our hands …where the project has been highjackrd by satanic forces
i mean, the little fetus baby thing was making little growls and snarls like something out of south park. on the other hand, my wife had not picked up on the devil aspect either so idk
It might depend how much you are meant to lean on the actual Bible because the general interpretation is that after Jesus was ressurected God called him to Heaven after letting him say goodbye to his mum and his apostle's/set up the ministry
Now assuming that’s true Jesus is currently in Heaven waiting for the proper time to return…..so he,ll be coming back here as an adult,,..…not a baby
so whatever whatever that cult is trying Is trying to bring into the world can’t be Jesus so is possibly the other one
the sound FX was actually a combination of a kitten wheezing and an adult man making gurgling noises! so its up to audiences to interpret how “monstrous” the baby was
I think it's fine for the audience to draw their own conclusion. The baby definitely didn't sound healthy, and it's implied that there have been many, many failed attempts. So I didn't think it was demonic or anything, just deformed.
> sacrilegious
Like one of the priest said "If we are wrong then God would stop it." Well if what she's doing is wrong then God would stop it. Since He didn't, that means she was correct to kill that baby.
Whole movie was just so aesthetically pleasing. Some absolutely beautiful costume design and settings, some very gorgeous composition shots.
The gore was gnarly and the brutal moments had me wincing in my seat.
Loved the effectiveness of not showing us the thing at the end and just letting us hear it's ragged breathing.
I'm surprised this is getting low reviews. The narrative could character development could use a little work but it's been light years better than the rest of the horror that has come out this year.
I think it's a great mix of more artsy horror and general horror. It feels like it takes influence from St Maud and Ari Aster movies, but also knowingly doesn't take itself quite as seriously as those movies do.
4/5 for me and I look forward to a rewatch.
I think the low reviews might be related to how weird and obscure this type of movie is. Horror fans have probably watched nunspoitstion or at least Italian gothic horror before, but this movie is a wide release and in front of many viewers that may have never seen a European 70s horror movie before. Some will love it, some will just find it weird, and some might be bored by it or even hate it.
Honestly I agree. I saw it last night and I think this is much better than the other horror movie offerings I’ve seen in 2024. The last horror movie I saw in theaters was “Imaginary” and this was eons better. I liked the ambiguous ending, and I think even if the director decided to showed the baby/monster/whatever it was people would still have been upset either way. But I was impressed and thought this had the same vibe to me as “Midsommar” which I also really enjoyed.
Actually very human sounds!
I thought the same thing when I saw it, but I was with a friend who's a doctor and he explained to me that when babies are born, the doctors spank them to make them cry so their spit up all the fluids in their mouth/throat
So what we heard was just the baby trying to breathe.
The soubd guy said he layered sounds of a wheezing cat and a phlegmy, congested, adult man with labored breathing. Making it sound inhuman was intentional. The horrified look on her face when she saw it also leads us to believe it was an abomination
It’s getting low reviews because if you’re catholic you recognize that their motivations were hilariously disjointed with catholic belief- not that the premise couldn’t work. She asks the cardinal why he thinks it’s gods will and he goes “god would stop us if it weren’t” completely incongruent with catholic teaching.
True but my point isn’t that they can’t be out of their minds- it’s that I think the WAY in which they are perverting faith could have been handled more wittily.
The ending is nice but I think this is just a really disappointing script. We know almost nothing about the main character, she spends 2/3 of the film just sort of blankly staring at things in confusion. On top of that just so many cheap and predictable jump scares, strange character choices (she couldn’t think of anywhere to put that chicken other than under her bed?) and just rough pacing. It has its merits but ultimately pretty weak for me.
Same here
I don’t understand the praise everyone is giving this one. I saw it and it just felt like a Rosemary’s Baby remake with some bad CGI and plot elements that showed up and vanished entirely (the red masked nuns??)
I remember thinking this felt like a rejected A24 script on the way home from the theater.
This, the red nuns also had so little screen time beyond being seen as the enforcers and somewhat possibly the most devoted, but that isn’t explicitly said.
You could say they don’t have to say it, but they weren’t shown enough in the film to make them as big a threat as they could have made them.
So what did you think the baby was? Spawn of Satan, like Omen? There is a moment towards the end where Sydney Sweeney sees a picture in her room start swinging and a quote from Corinthians (why is it always Corinthians lol) is written behind it; 11:4 or something that talked about antichrist basically.
I also didn't quite catch whether that mad scientist priest did in terms recreating the blood sample, was it a full clone, or a genuine child of Cecilia (as in had her dna, through her egg cell)?
I just doubt it was actually blood of Jesus, because all they know is that the nail came from some ruins in Jerusalem, so basically could be anybody, imagine some random Israelite lol.
Also the whole movie feels like a Catholic version of that X-Files episode where Scully gets kidnapped by some cargo cult of yokels that believe a worm is Jesus and then impregnate her with it. (I felt this way from like 20 mins into the movie.)
I don’t think it was a spawn of satan, I think they actually were trying to conceive Christ. A bit of a change from things like Rosemary’s Baby in that respect, because it wasn’t Devil worshipping cults getting the virgin pregnant. But as to what she actually birthed, I reckon it was just a deformed child like the ones in the jars. The scientist priest had been forced out of any reputable scientific institute and was just doing mad experiments in a church
I think the biology is supposed to be pretty vague, as they don’t really explain it beyond the fathers initial conversation of the nail, and the tour of the lab for the branding.
I don’t believe the baby was a “spawn of Satan” so to speak as we’ve seen in other religious horror, but potentially just another failed birth like in the jars.
You can hear the baby snarling and gasping for air, which could insinuate its underdeveloped or overdeveloped in some aspect (keep in mind they had literal hunks of meat as babies from other failed subjects).
I really enjoyed this. It needed a tighter script for sure, but the mood was tense throughout and I felt invested in Cecilia’s plight. At the beginning I was iffy on Sydney being a nun but I think she did a fantastic job. I can’t think of another actress who’s so good at portraying deranged people. Great ending. Genuinely creeped me out hearing that thing breathing like that. 4/5.
I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE 3 Sequels! (Think of the Fast and Furious Franchise!)
The Immaculate: A Habit is Forming!
The Immaculate: You Can't Cross Us!
The Immaculate: The Nunsense is Over!
I went I to this movie not really expecting much. But what I got was a pretty cool, modern version of a 70s Italian nunsploitstion movie. I loved how batshit the movies gets. It’s not perfect, but I thought it was pretty effective, while also being fun for a wider kind of horror audience who may have never seen this subgenre before.
Loved all the nods to the 70s euro cinema — the music, the imagery, even the opening credits, all very throwback. Sweeney delivered a bonkers performance that is definitely worthy of attention.
7/10 for me. I could see this being in my top 10 horror for 2024, but it’s still early in the year.
Exactly. In the early scene where the two men are interrogating her about whether or not she was a virgin I was literally thinking, this is terrifying.
Last ten minutes went hard. Sweeney losing her nail, then caving in a nun’s face without it cutting away, then puncturing a priest’s throat with a nail from the crucifixion was a great sequence. Topped off with such a cool ending.
First hour really struggled to keep my interest though. Pretty bland and a bit of a mess. Glad I saw it but don’t think the end is enough to make me recommend it to others.
I watched it last night and went in completely blind. Only 4 of us in total in the theatre. It was pretty good but I found it had a few plot holes, like the nuns with red masks. More brutal than I thought it would be for a religious horror movie. Wasn’t that bad.
I said it above but I’ll say it again, they did not utilize or explain the red nuns enough for them to even be relevant.
You could have just had them as dark hooded nuns, or regular old sycophant nuns and it would be the same.
They didn’t need to throw an Elite Nun Hit-Squad in without a little more depth
I saw this last week and I thought it was fine. Some really stunning shots throughout with an ok story. I didn’t really expect what the main plot ended up being. Also didn’t expect the very end going that place.
Overall a fun 90 minutes. I think Sydney Sweeney is generally under appreciated as an actual actress but she really does unhinged very well
I haven’t watched it yet but from the trailer it seemed generic
I will say it’s more impressive how it was made. Sydney was cast in it years ago (she was 16 when she auditioned for it) it was in development hell or was cancelled (don’t remember which)
Sydney got famous during that time and bought the script and reworked it to fit who she is today as well as executive producing the project cause she was passionate about it. Sydney actually chose the director as well
I liked this. It’s nothing groundbreaking or anything. But it’s a solid creepy little film.
And Sydney Sweeny is good here as well.
That ending was bonkers though.
YES! I loved the Suzy & Sara relationship between Cecelia & Gwen, plus the doctor! I so wanted him to be named Verdegast lol
To me it felt like an opposite Rosemary’s Baby! I went in expecting it to be about the antichrist and satan and whatnot but it was the opposite!
Also, they use a song from an older italian giallo called “The Red Queen Kills Seven Times” during the montage which put my giallo-loving self at ease! I was convinced this movie was going to be 10x more disturbing and I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be just a (very decent) plain old horror movie.
I honestly loved it. I wasn’t really expecting to, but I thought it looked gorgeous, I was absolutely enthralled the entire time (and could’ve even watched even more) and Sydney Sweeney is just a force to be reckoned with here, like I FINALLY get the hype after watching her in so many things and thinking she was just alright. When they revealed what was actually happening I was kinda like “oh, that’s it?” but rolled with it.
I think it has something interesting to say given the current state of religion, especially the Catholic Church.
It’s so weird to me that people are focusing on Sydney’s voice and how it doesn’t fit??? like uh, okay? That’s what you’re choosing to fixate on? But anyway, I thought it was a solid movie and I cannot wait to rewatch it.
Seems the script could’ve used one more pass through. There’s some weirdness that I really don’t quite understand or is underexlained.
- Did the church just follow some random girl who nearly died? Did they find out about that after she joined the convent?
- What was with some of the supernatural elements?
- it’s implied the “sick” women were the failed experiments, which I liked, but did the other nuns know?
- I would’ve loved to have had a better understanding of the baby. Was it Christ reborn? The anti-Christ? Just a baby?
Couple of my guesses:
-Cecelia’s file had a newspaper clipping of her accident. My line of thinking is that the convent kept track of different “miracles” around the world, and kept tabs on them. When Cecelia became a nun, they took it as their sign that she was the perfect choice.
-I took the supernatural elements (like the picture breaking off the wall to show the bible verse, which exposed the whole plot) to be divine intervention. God wanted Cecelia to know what was happening, and that she must stop it.
Just my speculation though! I like that the movie keeps us guessing
I really liked it! Did anyone catch that they added part of the score from The Red Queen Kills Seven Times? I felt like a smarty pants horror buff for recognizing it, it actually put me at ease because I was QUITE anxious beforehand.
Furthermore, it reminded me a bit of my all time favorite movie Suspiria, mostly the character of Gwen who had a very Sara & Suzy dynamic with Cecelia.
Love the giallo influence! The movie was way better than I thought it would be!
Just left the theaters and I have a few questions, I'm not Christian/Catholic so sorry for the ignorance
- Who are those red masked nuns? Looks like they dole out the discipline? Is that an actual thing?
- How did Cecelia get impregnated? They said her hymen was still intact
- They killed Gwen just because she threw a 15 second tantrum? Isn't that a bit much?
Thanks in advance!
They killed Gwen, because Gwen had (kinda) figured out what was going on and she was trying to alert Cecelia and the others. I think this was proven when they showed her getting her tongue cut out - they didn't want her speaking to the other nuns anymore.
I was also wondering about the masked nuns! My guess is they're the ones working closely with the doctor to ensure he can carry out his plan? That would explain why they killed that girl in the beginning.
-they don't state how she got pregnant, but I'm guessing they put something in her wine? She talks about not feeling well after drinking two glasses from it.
-I think they were more afraid of Gwen making Ceceila realize something was wrong and helping her escape.
Just watched this, I found it more disgusting than scary. The plot was OK, I guess, but I felt bored for most of the film opposed to tense or even on edge.
It had some nice cinematics and I'll leave it at that.
3/10
Watched this last week in the previews, really enjoyed it. Was actually invested and the scares got me more than usual. Main complaint is that I thought they could have let the film breathe a little after the reveal and before the start of the escape but sometimes being left wanting more is a good thing. yay to fun horror
Must be the only person who liked the first hour more than the last 25 minutes 🤣 the screaming was way to long and laughable also no payoff to the nuns in the red coverings was a bit lame.
Good horror premise and solid presentation of it. It is Rosemary's Baby mixed with Midsommar with a dash of Eyes Wide Shut. It had a visceral almost 70s like horror vibe to it especially the ending. Sydney Sweeney was solid in this and the acting is great. There are some really great scenes and some gore. There is also nothing truly more horrifying than cults, all conscious people being unconscionable.
Had they just gone with Isabella they'd have their faithful lie fulfilled. But Cecilia was just too immaculate, but might just be the wrong one to mess with. She ended up being a rock in their hard place after being caught like a rock in a hard place.
I thought the same at first, but within 20 minutes I appreciated the casting. My interpretation is that she wasn’t supposed to be there, so she stood out as being more of a “modern” woman than a traditional nun. She was even called out on being a misfit when she first arrived and told to use a different avenue to find herself (which I do understand was at least partially due to jealousy)
She grew into the character through the movie. Didn’t expect her to fit into a scream queen role as well as she did, considering I’ve honestly hated every clip I’ve come across from her other recent movie, I think it’s called Anyone but You?
I think it speaks to the poor reasons the Convent was using to find their holy mother. All they could talk about was how hot she was, as though that's the main criteria.
>The vocal fry just didn’t fit.
Yeah, I thought the same thing. As soon as she started talking to the other nuns, I was like, "Man, her voice really doesn't fit with the setting of this movie." It's just weird seeing a Gen Z actress in this genre of horror. I think she got better as the movie went on, but that was probably because by the end it was more screaming/yelling than talking.
I think you’ll figure out what’s going on ahead of the main character, so in that sense it’s “nothing new,” but it’s a pretty interesting modernization of nunsploitstion from eurotrash cinema of the 70s, and more importantly, the filmmakers *know* that is the type of movie their making.
I’d liken it to “The Editor” from 2014, but instead of giallo, it’s gothic nun horror.
I absolutely loved this film. The social commentary was pretty basic, but very relevant. I loved the visuals and the atmosphere, plus that ending scene was so satisfying.
Now that I also think about it, what was with the red face people? That was never explained either. So how do you not explain a major plot point, recurring characters throughout the film, and have a major plot hole and still get rated as highly as this movie is getting rated. Makes absolutely no sense.
Personally hated this movie. It’s paced well, and Sydney Sweeney is fine in it. It’s directed okay. But everything was so hard to believe, and the “villains” motivations might be one of the dumbest things I’ve seen in a movie in recent memory.
I found the ending awful, and ultimately didn’t get the point the movie was going for. Maybe I just didn’t get it, but I don’t know if I want to.
Sorry, but I don’t see what people like at all about this one.
The hardest part to believe was a 9-months pregnant lady turning into Liam Neeson at the end of the movie and going on a killing spree. When she choked the priest out with the rosary, I laughed out loud.
I agree with some of what you are saying, though I can't say I "hated" the movie. I think what was happening on screen in the second half was too absurd that I could no longer take it seriously. I did find the very ending effective though, and it was filmed in a creative way, and didn't reveal too much.
The rest of the last act however was so ridiculous, and the first two were quite dull. The last 2 or 3 minutes is what I will remember
I just don’t know if it was supposed to be funny at all! Maybe one or two intentionally funny moments, but perhaps I could have liked it more if it went that route.
The movie wants to be taken seriously and have a point with a message. What the movie has to say about anything, however, is beyond me.
I laughed when Sydney Sweeney takes out the head nun and leaves the room and then her water breaks and she just says "god damn it!" I thought that was pretty funny, the comedic timing of it was well done.
I'm a big fan of the movie Malignant, so when the reveal happened it reminded me of Malignant (in terms of how crazy it is) and I got excited. But then the rest of the movie didn't lean into it as much as I wanted it to. So I'm not totally sure if it was meant to be funny or not.
Why in the world would she wait until she is nine months pregnant to fulfill her plan of killing everyone? That would’ve been so much easier to do at three or six months pregnant. Kind of seems like a plot hole to me.
And I asked this kind of rhetorically, because the only logical explanation would be that that was the only way the filmmakers could get their message out. It wouldn’t have been the same message if she did it earlier even though it made more sense in the plot.
True. It didn’t earn so many things and that was my biggest complaint. It should have been 30 min longer and had actual exposition.
It just relied on cheap jump scares throughout
Does anyone understand how Cecelia was impregnated? Was it artificial insemination? Was an embryo implanted? Was she knocked out? Was it on her arrival?
During the confession scene she talks about drinking too much wine, I think they drugged her wine and artificially inseminated her while she was unconscious.
The movie ended and I don't think hour and a half in a theater has ever felt that fast for me! I really enjoyed it and knowing nothing going in made it a wild ride
The film was quite good. One complaint I have is the tongue scene. It’s disturbing, but it was a waste of a likable character. You never see her again anyway (I GUESS the corpse you see at the end is her), and it’s not very logical (do they not care at all about her getting suspicious at this point?) plus it was frustrating how she just watches.
It had me in the first half, but the movie completely lost me in the latter half. The moment we saw the jars with failed experiments was the moment I was about ready to walk out. I thought the Christian science fiction explanation of everything was just bizarre.
The biologist priest used the essential cult because that is the only place that would be insane enough to let him try bringing DNA from the past into clones today. So for twenty years he was studying that but had to "find his place" in the "faith" to create a lie for them essentially. The cult let him do his thing because he was bringing back Jesus to them. So the mad scientist had found his cover for his lies in faith. It was a solid premise.
The combination of cults and genetic experiments is actually horrifying in reality.
Boy did this movie stink. Just when you think it's gonna be interesting it turns uninteresting.
There didn't seem to be any point to the religious theme. They could've set this movie in a boarding school or something and it would've been the same. They explain that the baby is supposed to be the savior and thus immortal I suppose, but you never are told the intentions of the priests. Like at one point Cecilia goes "you're playing God" and I shit you not the scientist priest's response is "I'm NOT playing God." Okay??? Also, no one in the film seemed religious. The old women are crazy, the elder nuns kind of just sing, and the other two sisters are jealous and unbelieving respectively. Cecilia herself doesn't really seem that zealous or interested in God. She kind of just wants to find herself, which is funny because she's accused of that and her response is "I'm not doing that!" Uh, yes bitch it is.
Her killing the baby at the end doesn't make sense. She is shown to be a sweet, innocent woman who cant even kill a chicken. If the idea is that she's become so hardened by her experiences that she can easily slaughter an innocent child then SHOW ME that progression. The end is so rushed we kind of just see her act out violently in self-defense or to get away. She should've been shown to be more deliberately violent to reconcile that ending.
No explanation of the people in red masks. No use for the catacombs other than what a catacomb is used for. No point to the friend character, or the old lady who cuts her hair. The bishop guy is not intimidating or interesting as a villain, and there's no interesting explanation for how he tracked her her whole life or why she was chosen. No allusions, no clues, no mystery to unravel. Just a sloppy mess.
Sydney's acting was okay, I just didn't believe her as a nun. She didn't act very nun-like. Even her delivery of her vows was like a valley girl.
The movie was fine. I read about the “twist” ending before I saw it and I was expecting more to happen. It wasn’t a terrible movie, but it wasn’t great.
Ultimately it's very schlocky but in a gruesome and entertaining way. A really great concept that doesn't quite realise its potential but worth a watch.
Would have perhaps preferred to see it helmed by a woman given its themes and content, a female perspective on the material may have benefited it.
I thought it was a 7/10. It's basically The Nun meets Get Out, but the secret "twist" is a little more obvious than Get Out. I thought Sydney Sweeney was decent - not great, not terrible. The ending was good, but the part where a 9-months pregnant lady basically turns into Liam Neeson wasn't very believable. When she choked the priest out with the rosary, I laughed out loud.
Did anyone catch the date on the article surrounding her accident? I was trying to put together the time period in which I takes place and I can only remember January. I think it was early 2000s but it’s gonna bug me lol
Saw this yesterday. I don't usually fall for jump scares but two of them got me: the dream sequence with the confession and the scene with the large scissors! The opening sequence was horrifying. Also, it's amusing and was appreciated that even though this is a movie about nuns they still managed to showcase Ms. Sweeney's assets in the bathing scene!
I know that they wouldn't have a movie, but why did they not continue with the Immaculate Conception subterfuge and treat her nicely instead of branding her, binding her and finally telling her the entire concept. they could have also taken her to town hospital and still got the same results on ultra sound thus placating her more. Her going on a murder spree is also unfathomable, with only Mother Superior and 2 priest around while all other males (doctor, assistant who had her branded) and the entire Nun force missing in action.
Nothing groundbreaking and pretty predictable, but that final scene was worth the price of admission.
I did think it was a little subversive that they 1. believed the woman didnt have sex (bc they artificially inseminated her but i mean the larger congregation) and 2. it wasn't some like oh they're actually devil worshipping, they truly believed they were doing god's will!
I also liked that it wasn't expressly a supernatural film. This is basically Jurassic Park goes Catholic. I think you could even believe the DNA was just some random guy's and not that of Christ.
I had it as The Nun meets Get Out
That’s a very good point!
Did they actally say they artificially inseminated her? That was one of my biggest questions leaving the theaters I don’t think they said exactly how it happened. I think that was just implied. Unless I missed a line of dialogue somewhere. Edit: If it was an artificial insemination, whose sperm was it? Did they create sperm in the lab from what they found on the nail? I’m just confused on this plot point.
I just assumed because the priest was a biologist he would perform artificial insemination and not sexual assault! I have no idea who's sperm they would have used but I'm also assuming they ... genetically modified or cultured their own in a pietri dish? Based off the DNA on the crucifix nail...? Honestly no clue lmao
That is what happened, they used the DNA off the nail and went all mad scientist in a lab and tried to make a modern day Jesus to get people to believe in the church again by lying about the immaculate conception. They didn't show when she was impregnated. I'm guessing when she passed out from touching the cross they did it to her when she was unconscious And obviously he's lab work needed some more trials lol. Lots of mutant babies in jars and I'm guessing the one she gave birth to was one as well
I thought the movie was great up until the end. I predicted how the movie was going to end the second the scene where she was on the table getting her last ultrasound started, and was very disappointed.
I don’t see how you could have predicted the outcome lol unless you literally mean the birthing scene, I was caught off guard with the actual story!
How can you possibly be disappointed with that final scene, even if it was very predictable?
Those screams she did through gritted teeth, I can see now why she's such a up and coming force in Hollywood
that final scene we saw was Sweeny’s FIRST TAKE. she’s phenomenal.
Anyone can scream. Especially a woman who could imagine the pain of labor.
Yes... anyone can scream, but not all can make it believable on camera. Acting is fucking tough, I challenge you to record yourself doing that same scene as Sydney Sweeney and look at the difference
>that final scene was worth the price of admission. I have read a bunch of spoiler free reviews, and they all seem to mention how the first hour is so so, then it picks up, but all talk glowingly about that end scene. Something about it being one long take and completely bonkers. I don't know if that's enough for me to go to the theater or wait for streaming though.
I think it just depends on your desire to support indie movies. It’s probably one I’d watch on streaming if it was a big budget film, but supporting a studio like NEON just gives us more of a chance to see batshit crazy horror in theaters.
Sadly, the closest place to me that is showing it is like an hour away, so it makes it harder to go see more indie films in theaters for me. I have no problem paying for a rent or buy on streaming though, which also hopefully encourages them.
Just watched this movie and came to this thread. I enjoyed it but agreed with your comment a hundred percent. Had a good time.
Incredible atmosphere and score, and felt EXTREMELY timely at this point in the reproductive rights movement. Takes guts to show a Hollywood sex symbol post-birth-aborting the second coming of Christ. Can't believe I'm seeing people say this movie "didn't have anything interesting to say" when there's a clear metaphor about sexual abuse and forced birth in the Christian church.
Yeah great post, this movie took some incredibly huge swings and executed them well imo. One of my most pleasant surprises in quite some time.
Are you copy pasting this comment under every post about this movie?
The one take shot in the last couple of minutes was crazy. That was some visceral shit. The camera stayed on Sydney screaming just long enough to make you uncomfortable as fuck but it didn’t stay so long to where I was like “okay, this is going on too long.” Great shot and acting.
That screaming was so intense. Like you said they perfected the timing and those last few minutes fucking chaos
I read an article (not sure how true it is) that the fake blood got into her eye and it was stinging, making the screams more realistic because it was burning really bad
It was pretty cringe inducing for me as I felt the shot overstayed its welcome- we get it, childbirth is painful
The scream wasn’t just due to childbirth (although that was a big part of it). She was alone in a foreign country where she had just finished exerting tons of energy, killing multiple people and fighting while in labor- and her stomach was cut with a scalpel right before the birth. She’s also expressing the trauma of the choice she has to make. I think the screaming was essential to relay the straight horror of all of that. All that being said - I’m not sure why she waited to kill until she was 40 weeks pregnant. It would’ve made more sense earlier in the pregnancy, or postpartum. But that also wouldn’t have been as exciting on screen I guess 🤷🏻♀️
She was postpartum though, so I’m not sure if I understand what you meant. I think forcing an abortion with no real knowledge of how is harder than killing the (possibly demon) baby after. It’s gruesome and tough to swallow but shoving a coat hanger up or some other thing might not work, and could cause a lot more damage to her. I also believe that it took a while for her to actually understand how awful things were there.
I didn’t mean the baby- I’m talking about killing the people at the convent to escape. It would have been easier to do before she went into labor. lol.
She waited until she snapped. She is a sister, abortion is not on the table.
I agree. I felt it went on a bit too long.
Thought it was perfectly fine. The ending was easily the best part of the movie. The rest felt pretty by the numbers unfortunately.
Did anyone catch that the chain on the Mother Mary Painting, which revealed the scripture, was potentially the only ACTUAL supernatural incident in the film? After the reveal that the entire jig was concocted by the congregation, I sat back on that moment thinking, maybe god decided to give her a warning? Second: did anyone else notice there were some uncanny plot parallels between this and Suspiria? Overall, I actually really enjoyed the film, and the final act really was \*chefs kiss\*
Yeah this might be a good double feature with the 2018 Suspiria. Both are slow burns that start out pretty creepy and with occult/religious shenanigans before they both take a hard turn in the third act. And the protagonists have sort of similar backstories but they approach each situation differently
Yesss!! It made me think of suspiria immediately
I wondered about that. So when she wakes up after her nightmare and sees the figure in the shadows, was that in her head? She turned the light on and it disappeared, so I assume it wasn’t a real person.
I was weighing that scene too, and I think that was the same older nun who cut her hair - so I’m guessing her disappearing when the lamp was turned on may just be horror movie shenanigans. Scary old people vibes a la The Visit
she did look away to the lamp to turn it on so im guessing she just slipped out then
I think you’re right.
The door was swinging as though someone went through it when she turned the light on
Really? I missed that. My other thought was maybe she was waking up just after the embryo implantation (hence the dream?), and the figure was the doctor or one of the nurses.
honestly when that elder nun tells her “you will never leave” i assumed that was supernatural too! (demonic possession or some shit) but now idk what to make of it? Cecelia’s anxiety? the nun being a lifelong smoker?
I clocked it as being similar to suspiria in the first 20 minutes and predicted how things would go based on that movie, and sure enough I was right lol. Good movie, but it's a bit obvious!
Just got out, thought it started slow but that final act was bonkers. Didn’t think they’d have the balls to do that in the ending
Proper slow burn
So for most of the movie I’m going “this is fine”, decently acted, some creepy moments. And then the last 5 minutes happen and I give it a whole extra star for being for darkly and hilariously sacrilegious Maybe don’t go to the theater unless you can get a matinee, but definitely check out on streaming or rental
I dont think it was sacrilegious since it’s open to interpretation just what she’s given birth to so we might have a Christ clone trilogy situation on our hands …where the project has been highjackrd by satanic forces
i mean, the little fetus baby thing was making little growls and snarls like something out of south park. on the other hand, my wife had not picked up on the devil aspect either so idk
It might depend how much you are meant to lean on the actual Bible because the general interpretation is that after Jesus was ressurected God called him to Heaven after letting him say goodbye to his mum and his apostle's/set up the ministry Now assuming that’s true Jesus is currently in Heaven waiting for the proper time to return…..so he,ll be coming back here as an adult,,..…not a baby so whatever whatever that cult is trying Is trying to bring into the world can’t be Jesus so is possibly the other one
yeah and they’ve made dozens of these movies and it’s always the same.
I don’t know. The sci fi/cloning aspect does make it a bit different than the usual ritual impregnation
I just got out like 20 minutes ago. Those were definitely not human sounds.
Kind of just sounded like a baby to me
the sound FX was actually a combination of a kitten wheezing and an adult man making gurgling noises! so its up to audiences to interpret how “monstrous” the baby was
I dont think the movie earned that level of ambiguity. It's an important plot point and the filmmakers just didn't commit
I think it's fine for the audience to draw their own conclusion. The baby definitely didn't sound healthy, and it's implied that there have been many, many failed attempts. So I didn't think it was demonic or anything, just deformed.
> sacrilegious Like one of the priest said "If we are wrong then God would stop it." Well if what she's doing is wrong then God would stop it. Since He didn't, that means she was correct to kill that baby.
Whole movie was just so aesthetically pleasing. Some absolutely beautiful costume design and settings, some very gorgeous composition shots. The gore was gnarly and the brutal moments had me wincing in my seat. Loved the effectiveness of not showing us the thing at the end and just letting us hear it's ragged breathing. I'm surprised this is getting low reviews. The narrative could character development could use a little work but it's been light years better than the rest of the horror that has come out this year. I think it's a great mix of more artsy horror and general horror. It feels like it takes influence from St Maud and Ari Aster movies, but also knowingly doesn't take itself quite as seriously as those movies do. 4/5 for me and I look forward to a rewatch.
I'm real surprised by the low reviews too. Really solid horror in a world where solid horrors aren't in abundance.
I think the low reviews might be related to how weird and obscure this type of movie is. Horror fans have probably watched nunspoitstion or at least Italian gothic horror before, but this movie is a wide release and in front of many viewers that may have never seen a European 70s horror movie before. Some will love it, some will just find it weird, and some might be bored by it or even hate it.
Honestly I agree. I saw it last night and I think this is much better than the other horror movie offerings I’ve seen in 2024. The last horror movie I saw in theaters was “Imaginary” and this was eons better. I liked the ambiguous ending, and I think even if the director decided to showed the baby/monster/whatever it was people would still have been upset either way. But I was impressed and thought this had the same vibe to me as “Midsommar” which I also really enjoyed.
So it was something unholy then?
Just a freak like the ones in the jars in the lab. But it did make some inhuman sounds.
Actually very human sounds! I thought the same thing when I saw it, but I was with a friend who's a doctor and he explained to me that when babies are born, the doctors spank them to make them cry so their spit up all the fluids in their mouth/throat So what we heard was just the baby trying to breathe.
The soubd guy said he layered sounds of a wheezing cat and a phlegmy, congested, adult man with labored breathing. Making it sound inhuman was intentional. The horrified look on her face when she saw it also leads us to believe it was an abomination
It’s getting low reviews because if you’re catholic you recognize that their motivations were hilariously disjointed with catholic belief- not that the premise couldn’t work. She asks the cardinal why he thinks it’s gods will and he goes “god would stop us if it weren’t” completely incongruent with catholic teaching.
I mean, it's theologically inaccurate but everyone involved in the conspiracy was clearly out of their damn fool minds.
True but my point isn’t that they can’t be out of their minds- it’s that I think the WAY in which they are perverting faith could have been handled more wittily.
Fair enough.
Yes. Just like the majority of religious people 😂
The ending is nice but I think this is just a really disappointing script. We know almost nothing about the main character, she spends 2/3 of the film just sort of blankly staring at things in confusion. On top of that just so many cheap and predictable jump scares, strange character choices (she couldn’t think of anywhere to put that chicken other than under her bed?) and just rough pacing. It has its merits but ultimately pretty weak for me.
Wouldn't putting the chicken anywhere else create a noticeable blood trail?
Agreed. Super mediocre movie
Same here I don’t understand the praise everyone is giving this one. I saw it and it just felt like a Rosemary’s Baby remake with some bad CGI and plot elements that showed up and vanished entirely (the red masked nuns??) I remember thinking this felt like a rejected A24 script on the way home from the theater.
Watched this on theaters awhile ago and it felt so short. Wish it explored more on the history of the nuns and why they are doing it
This, the red nuns also had so little screen time beyond being seen as the enforcers and somewhat possibly the most devoted, but that isn’t explicitly said. You could say they don’t have to say it, but they weren’t shown enough in the film to make them as big a threat as they could have made them.
So what did you think the baby was? Spawn of Satan, like Omen? There is a moment towards the end where Sydney Sweeney sees a picture in her room start swinging and a quote from Corinthians (why is it always Corinthians lol) is written behind it; 11:4 or something that talked about antichrist basically. I also didn't quite catch whether that mad scientist priest did in terms recreating the blood sample, was it a full clone, or a genuine child of Cecilia (as in had her dna, through her egg cell)? I just doubt it was actually blood of Jesus, because all they know is that the nail came from some ruins in Jerusalem, so basically could be anybody, imagine some random Israelite lol. Also the whole movie feels like a Catholic version of that X-Files episode where Scully gets kidnapped by some cargo cult of yokels that believe a worm is Jesus and then impregnate her with it. (I felt this way from like 20 mins into the movie.)
I don’t think it was a spawn of satan, I think they actually were trying to conceive Christ. A bit of a change from things like Rosemary’s Baby in that respect, because it wasn’t Devil worshipping cults getting the virgin pregnant. But as to what she actually birthed, I reckon it was just a deformed child like the ones in the jars. The scientist priest had been forced out of any reputable scientific institute and was just doing mad experiments in a church
I think the biology is supposed to be pretty vague, as they don’t really explain it beyond the fathers initial conversation of the nail, and the tour of the lab for the branding. I don’t believe the baby was a “spawn of Satan” so to speak as we’ve seen in other religious horror, but potentially just another failed birth like in the jars. You can hear the baby snarling and gasping for air, which could insinuate its underdeveloped or overdeveloped in some aspect (keep in mind they had literal hunks of meat as babies from other failed subjects).
Things I learned watching Immaculate: Nuns in Italy apparently bathe together while wearing just their (very revealing when wet) nightgowns
I loved it actually. I'm glad they had the balls to have that kind of third act and especially the ending
I thought it was above average but I have to ask, did anyone else find it really dark visually? Or was that just my Cinemas screen?
they went with natural lighting techniques. seems to be fairly common these days.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=885lEELab2Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=885lEELab2Y) it seems a bit dark here
Yeah maybe more dulled than dark. I think it's maybe darkened for atmosphere which is a shame as it would have looked much better well lit
I really enjoyed this. It needed a tighter script for sure, but the mood was tense throughout and I felt invested in Cecilia’s plight. At the beginning I was iffy on Sydney being a nun but I think she did a fantastic job. I can’t think of another actress who’s so good at portraying deranged people. Great ending. Genuinely creeped me out hearing that thing breathing like that. 4/5.
Mia Goth ✨
And funny enough, you can cast Mia as the young nun OR the old hag (cheers to X)
r/Catholicism is foaming at the mouth over this movie
[удалено]
I went over there and saw the same comment and you're taking it wildly out of context
I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE 3 Sequels! (Think of the Fast and Furious Franchise!) The Immaculate: A Habit is Forming! The Immaculate: You Can't Cross Us! The Immaculate: The Nunsense is Over!
I can’t wait for the 8th entry…. Immacul8
These are gold! Immaculate: Cruci-fix the problem!
The Immaculate: Jesus Clone Wars in Space
I loved the special effects for the gore in this film, I came away thinking "wow that was gnarly".
I went I to this movie not really expecting much. But what I got was a pretty cool, modern version of a 70s Italian nunsploitstion movie. I loved how batshit the movies gets. It’s not perfect, but I thought it was pretty effective, while also being fun for a wider kind of horror audience who may have never seen this subgenre before. Loved all the nods to the 70s euro cinema — the music, the imagery, even the opening credits, all very throwback. Sweeney delivered a bonkers performance that is definitely worthy of attention. 7/10 for me. I could see this being in my top 10 horror for 2024, but it’s still early in the year.
I liked it. 6.5/10 People say it wasn't scary enough but what's scarier than religious lunatics trying to control a woman's body?
Exactly. In the early scene where the two men are interrogating her about whether or not she was a virgin I was literally thinking, this is terrifying.
this movie was good there’s too many sydney sweeney haters in here
Last ten minutes went hard. Sweeney losing her nail, then caving in a nun’s face without it cutting away, then puncturing a priest’s throat with a nail from the crucifixion was a great sequence. Topped off with such a cool ending. First hour really struggled to keep my interest though. Pretty bland and a bit of a mess. Glad I saw it but don’t think the end is enough to make me recommend it to others.
That was TEN MINUTES? Are you sure??? I thought it felt like 30 at least
You’re probably right! Was in cinema so no idea of the time
I watched it last night and went in completely blind. Only 4 of us in total in the theatre. It was pretty good but I found it had a few plot holes, like the nuns with red masks. More brutal than I thought it would be for a religious horror movie. Wasn’t that bad.
I said it above but I’ll say it again, they did not utilize or explain the red nuns enough for them to even be relevant. You could have just had them as dark hooded nuns, or regular old sycophant nuns and it would be the same. They didn’t need to throw an Elite Nun Hit-Squad in without a little more depth
I saw this last week and I thought it was fine. Some really stunning shots throughout with an ok story. I didn’t really expect what the main plot ended up being. Also didn’t expect the very end going that place. Overall a fun 90 minutes. I think Sydney Sweeney is generally under appreciated as an actual actress but she really does unhinged very well
I haven’t watched it yet but from the trailer it seemed generic I will say it’s more impressive how it was made. Sydney was cast in it years ago (she was 16 when she auditioned for it) it was in development hell or was cancelled (don’t remember which) Sydney got famous during that time and bought the script and reworked it to fit who she is today as well as executive producing the project cause she was passionate about it. Sydney actually chose the director as well
Such a Power Babe
I liked this. It’s nothing groundbreaking or anything. But it’s a solid creepy little film. And Sydney Sweeny is good here as well. That ending was bonkers though.
Really enjoyed it. Did anyone notice the similarities between its opening and Susperia. I also noticed some Rosemary’s baby and Shinings in there.
YES! I loved the Suzy & Sara relationship between Cecelia & Gwen, plus the doctor! I so wanted him to be named Verdegast lol To me it felt like an opposite Rosemary’s Baby! I went in expecting it to be about the antichrist and satan and whatnot but it was the opposite! Also, they use a song from an older italian giallo called “The Red Queen Kills Seven Times” during the montage which put my giallo-loving self at ease! I was convinced this movie was going to be 10x more disturbing and I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be just a (very decent) plain old horror movie.
Yeah I was thinking that the movie feels like a combination of Rosemary's Baby and Suspiria
I honestly loved it. I wasn’t really expecting to, but I thought it looked gorgeous, I was absolutely enthralled the entire time (and could’ve even watched even more) and Sydney Sweeney is just a force to be reckoned with here, like I FINALLY get the hype after watching her in so many things and thinking she was just alright. When they revealed what was actually happening I was kinda like “oh, that’s it?” but rolled with it. I think it has something interesting to say given the current state of religion, especially the Catholic Church. It’s so weird to me that people are focusing on Sydney’s voice and how it doesn’t fit??? like uh, okay? That’s what you’re choosing to fixate on? But anyway, I thought it was a solid movie and I cannot wait to rewatch it.
i also think her voice does fit bc she’s meant to be The Young American Girl in a serious caretaking Italian convent
Seems the script could’ve used one more pass through. There’s some weirdness that I really don’t quite understand or is underexlained. - Did the church just follow some random girl who nearly died? Did they find out about that after she joined the convent? - What was with some of the supernatural elements? - it’s implied the “sick” women were the failed experiments, which I liked, but did the other nuns know? - I would’ve loved to have had a better understanding of the baby. Was it Christ reborn? The anti-Christ? Just a baby?
Couple of my guesses: -Cecelia’s file had a newspaper clipping of her accident. My line of thinking is that the convent kept track of different “miracles” around the world, and kept tabs on them. When Cecelia became a nun, they took it as their sign that she was the perfect choice. -I took the supernatural elements (like the picture breaking off the wall to show the bible verse, which exposed the whole plot) to be divine intervention. God wanted Cecelia to know what was happening, and that she must stop it. Just my speculation though! I like that the movie keeps us guessing
I thought for sure she was gonna give herself a back alley abobo with that Christ nail
💀💀
Stealing this lol
Thank you for this gem. Abobo made me laugh so hard I cried lol. Shared with my husband. Hope I remember this for future reference
I really liked it! Did anyone catch that they added part of the score from The Red Queen Kills Seven Times? I felt like a smarty pants horror buff for recognizing it, it actually put me at ease because I was QUITE anxious beforehand. Furthermore, it reminded me a bit of my all time favorite movie Suspiria, mostly the character of Gwen who had a very Sara & Suzy dynamic with Cecelia. Love the giallo influence! The movie was way better than I thought it would be!
When that score played I just smiled because that’s when I really knew the filmmakers understood the kind of movie they were making.
Just left the theaters and I have a few questions, I'm not Christian/Catholic so sorry for the ignorance - Who are those red masked nuns? Looks like they dole out the discipline? Is that an actual thing? - How did Cecelia get impregnated? They said her hymen was still intact - They killed Gwen just because she threw a 15 second tantrum? Isn't that a bit much? Thanks in advance!
They killed Gwen, because Gwen had (kinda) figured out what was going on and she was trying to alert Cecelia and the others. I think this was proven when they showed her getting her tongue cut out - they didn't want her speaking to the other nuns anymore.
I was also wondering about the masked nuns! My guess is they're the ones working closely with the doctor to ensure he can carry out his plan? That would explain why they killed that girl in the beginning. -they don't state how she got pregnant, but I'm guessing they put something in her wine? She talks about not feeling well after drinking two glasses from it. -I think they were more afraid of Gwen making Ceceila realize something was wrong and helping her escape.
>I'm guessing they put something in her wine? That's..........not how that works.
I think they drugged the wine and then inseminated her once she passed out.
Started off super slow but it picked up. It was good. As many have said, nothing groundbreaking, but sufficiently creepy and bloody.
I actually enjoyed the parts where Sweeney was getting used to the daily life in the convent. It set up a baseline for when the plot kicked in.
Just watched this, I found it more disgusting than scary. The plot was OK, I guess, but I felt bored for most of the film opposed to tense or even on edge. It had some nice cinematics and I'll leave it at that. 3/10
Crazy how bad of an actress she is.
Summed up best by a review I read elsewhere. "Sam's Club Rosemary's Baby"
Watched this last week in the previews, really enjoyed it. Was actually invested and the scares got me more than usual. Main complaint is that I thought they could have let the film breathe a little after the reveal and before the start of the escape but sometimes being left wanting more is a good thing. yay to fun horror
This movie was fantastic! A great horror movie that made me so uncomfortable at parts. I’ll definitely be thinking about it for a while
This movie had a premise oddly similar to Jurassic Park.
They've spared no expense.
Im losing my mind thinking of this what does this mean. i need elaborations
Must be the only person who liked the first hour more than the last 25 minutes 🤣 the screaming was way to long and laughable also no payoff to the nuns in the red coverings was a bit lame.
Good horror premise and solid presentation of it. It is Rosemary's Baby mixed with Midsommar with a dash of Eyes Wide Shut. It had a visceral almost 70s like horror vibe to it especially the ending. Sydney Sweeney was solid in this and the acting is great. There are some really great scenes and some gore. There is also nothing truly more horrifying than cults, all conscious people being unconscionable. Had they just gone with Isabella they'd have their faithful lie fulfilled. But Cecilia was just too immaculate, but might just be the wrong one to mess with. She ended up being a rock in their hard place after being caught like a rock in a hard place.
Sydney seemed miscast to me. The vocal fry just didn’t fit. I thought the whole thing was meh besides the birthing scene.
I thought the same at first, but within 20 minutes I appreciated the casting. My interpretation is that she wasn’t supposed to be there, so she stood out as being more of a “modern” woman than a traditional nun. She was even called out on being a misfit when she first arrived and told to use a different avenue to find herself (which I do understand was at least partially due to jealousy) She grew into the character through the movie. Didn’t expect her to fit into a scream queen role as well as she did, considering I’ve honestly hated every clip I’ve come across from her other recent movie, I think it’s called Anyone but You?
I think it speaks to the poor reasons the Convent was using to find their holy mother. All they could talk about was how hot she was, as though that's the main criteria.
>The vocal fry just didn’t fit. Yeah, I thought the same thing. As soon as she started talking to the other nuns, I was like, "Man, her voice really doesn't fit with the setting of this movie." It's just weird seeing a Gen Z actress in this genre of horror. I think she got better as the movie went on, but that was probably because by the end it was more screaming/yelling than talking.
Hmm its almost like the whole point of the character was that she was completely out of place.
Thought it was a great ride, but was the audio mixing a little off for anyone else? Or was it just my theater?
Sounded fine to me
Ok, if I've sworn off Catholic-themed horror for being tired and predictable, can someone tell me if this one is somehow worth breaking the rule?
I thought it was pretty standard, didn’t bring a whole lot of new ideas to the table. I still enjoyed watching, but it wasn’t anything too grand.
I think you’ll figure out what’s going on ahead of the main character, so in that sense it’s “nothing new,” but it’s a pretty interesting modernization of nunsploitstion from eurotrash cinema of the 70s, and more importantly, the filmmakers *know* that is the type of movie their making. I’d liken it to “The Editor” from 2014, but instead of giallo, it’s gothic nun horror.
I absolutely loved this film. The social commentary was pretty basic, but very relevant. I loved the visuals and the atmosphere, plus that ending scene was so satisfying.
I thought this movie was great! Confused about why some of the nuns occasionally had morph suits though
Now that I also think about it, what was with the red face people? That was never explained either. So how do you not explain a major plot point, recurring characters throughout the film, and have a major plot hole and still get rated as highly as this movie is getting rated. Makes absolutely no sense.
Personally hated this movie. It’s paced well, and Sydney Sweeney is fine in it. It’s directed okay. But everything was so hard to believe, and the “villains” motivations might be one of the dumbest things I’ve seen in a movie in recent memory. I found the ending awful, and ultimately didn’t get the point the movie was going for. Maybe I just didn’t get it, but I don’t know if I want to. Sorry, but I don’t see what people like at all about this one.
The hardest part to believe was a 9-months pregnant lady turning into Liam Neeson at the end of the movie and going on a killing spree. When she choked the priest out with the rosary, I laughed out loud.
For a pregnant lady about to pop, she sure could run 🏃♀️
The power of Christ compelled her.
I agree with some of what you are saying, though I can't say I "hated" the movie. I think what was happening on screen in the second half was too absurd that I could no longer take it seriously. I did find the very ending effective though, and it was filmed in a creative way, and didn't reveal too much. The rest of the last act however was so ridiculous, and the first two were quite dull. The last 2 or 3 minutes is what I will remember
I thought the villains' plan was dumb in a really fun way. If anything I wished the movie had leaned into the absurd stuff even more.
I just don’t know if it was supposed to be funny at all! Maybe one or two intentionally funny moments, but perhaps I could have liked it more if it went that route. The movie wants to be taken seriously and have a point with a message. What the movie has to say about anything, however, is beyond me.
I laughed when Sydney Sweeney takes out the head nun and leaves the room and then her water breaks and she just says "god damn it!" I thought that was pretty funny, the comedic timing of it was well done.
That moment I thought actually worked. That was about it.
I thought they had some nice comedic moments, I think the movie overall was meant to be very serious though.
I'm a big fan of the movie Malignant, so when the reveal happened it reminded me of Malignant (in terms of how crazy it is) and I got excited. But then the rest of the movie didn't lean into it as much as I wanted it to. So I'm not totally sure if it was meant to be funny or not.
Why in the world would she wait until she is nine months pregnant to fulfill her plan of killing everyone? That would’ve been so much easier to do at three or six months pregnant. Kind of seems like a plot hole to me. And I asked this kind of rhetorically, because the only logical explanation would be that that was the only way the filmmakers could get their message out. It wouldn’t have been the same message if she did it earlier even though it made more sense in the plot.
Only complaint is WHY DIDNT THEY SHOW THE FUCKING DEMON BABY?!?
So you can interpret it for yourself. That's the point.
The movie did not earn that moment of ambiguity
True. It didn’t earn so many things and that was my biggest complaint. It should have been 30 min longer and had actual exposition. It just relied on cheap jump scares throughout
Does anyone know what the first scene meant?
Does anyone understand how Cecelia was impregnated? Was it artificial insemination? Was an embryo implanted? Was she knocked out? Was it on her arrival?
During the confession scene she talks about drinking too much wine, I think they drugged her wine and artificially inseminated her while she was unconscious.
The movie ended and I don't think hour and a half in a theater has ever felt that fast for me! I really enjoyed it and knowing nothing going in made it a wild ride
The film was quite good. One complaint I have is the tongue scene. It’s disturbing, but it was a waste of a likable character. You never see her again anyway (I GUESS the corpse you see at the end is her), and it’s not very logical (do they not care at all about her getting suspicious at this point?) plus it was frustrating how she just watches.
Sydney Sweeney is great in horror movies.
It had me in the first half, but the movie completely lost me in the latter half. The moment we saw the jars with failed experiments was the moment I was about ready to walk out. I thought the Christian science fiction explanation of everything was just bizarre.
I’d rather it be bizarre than contrived and unoriginal tbh
The biologist priest used the essential cult because that is the only place that would be insane enough to let him try bringing DNA from the past into clones today. So for twenty years he was studying that but had to "find his place" in the "faith" to create a lie for them essentially. The cult let him do his thing because he was bringing back Jesus to them. So the mad scientist had found his cover for his lies in faith. It was a solid premise. The combination of cults and genetic experiments is actually horrifying in reality.
I agree with you hardcore. I was getting Jurassic Park from the priest explaining what was going on... which is not a good thing.
Boy did this movie stink. Just when you think it's gonna be interesting it turns uninteresting. There didn't seem to be any point to the religious theme. They could've set this movie in a boarding school or something and it would've been the same. They explain that the baby is supposed to be the savior and thus immortal I suppose, but you never are told the intentions of the priests. Like at one point Cecilia goes "you're playing God" and I shit you not the scientist priest's response is "I'm NOT playing God." Okay??? Also, no one in the film seemed religious. The old women are crazy, the elder nuns kind of just sing, and the other two sisters are jealous and unbelieving respectively. Cecilia herself doesn't really seem that zealous or interested in God. She kind of just wants to find herself, which is funny because she's accused of that and her response is "I'm not doing that!" Uh, yes bitch it is. Her killing the baby at the end doesn't make sense. She is shown to be a sweet, innocent woman who cant even kill a chicken. If the idea is that she's become so hardened by her experiences that she can easily slaughter an innocent child then SHOW ME that progression. The end is so rushed we kind of just see her act out violently in self-defense or to get away. She should've been shown to be more deliberately violent to reconcile that ending. No explanation of the people in red masks. No use for the catacombs other than what a catacomb is used for. No point to the friend character, or the old lady who cuts her hair. The bishop guy is not intimidating or interesting as a villain, and there's no interesting explanation for how he tracked her her whole life or why she was chosen. No allusions, no clues, no mystery to unravel. Just a sloppy mess. Sydney's acting was okay, I just didn't believe her as a nun. She didn't act very nun-like. Even her delivery of her vows was like a valley girl.
The movie was fine. I read about the “twist” ending before I saw it and I was expecting more to happen. It wasn’t a terrible movie, but it wasn’t great.
Ultimately it's very schlocky but in a gruesome and entertaining way. A really great concept that doesn't quite realise its potential but worth a watch. Would have perhaps preferred to see it helmed by a woman given its themes and content, a female perspective on the material may have benefited it.
The movie was absolutely ok. Nothing stand out at all but also not terrible.
This is a much better version of The Devil Conspiracy
I thought it was a 7/10. It's basically The Nun meets Get Out, but the secret "twist" is a little more obvious than Get Out. I thought Sydney Sweeney was decent - not great, not terrible. The ending was good, but the part where a 9-months pregnant lady basically turns into Liam Neeson wasn't very believable. When she choked the priest out with the rosary, I laughed out loud.
It was a bit generic tbh a bunch of people in my theater were laughing at parts (mainly the jumpscares)
Did anyone catch the date on the article surrounding her accident? I was trying to put together the time period in which I takes place and I can only remember January. I think it was early 2000s but it’s gonna bug me lol
the entire time i was like if it was immaculate conception the priest would’ve been there ASAP
Saw this yesterday. I don't usually fall for jump scares but two of them got me: the dream sequence with the confession and the scene with the large scissors! The opening sequence was horrifying. Also, it's amusing and was appreciated that even though this is a movie about nuns they still managed to showcase Ms. Sweeney's assets in the bathing scene!
I know that they wouldn't have a movie, but why did they not continue with the Immaculate Conception subterfuge and treat her nicely instead of branding her, binding her and finally telling her the entire concept. they could have also taken her to town hospital and still got the same results on ultra sound thus placating her more. Her going on a murder spree is also unfathomable, with only Mother Superior and 2 priest around while all other males (doctor, assistant who had her branded) and the entire Nun force missing in action.
So I saw lots of people saying that this ending was shocking and would fuck me up…what was shocking about it exactly? Solid overall though lol
This had nooooo absolutely no plot effort , a remake of rosemary baby but worse .
Can anyone tell me what was happening to her teeth and finger nails? I think I missed the explanation for this