Immaculate (2024) is a proper horror film. From its opening scenes in the secluded convent to its oppressive atmosphere and Sydney Sweeney’s anchored performance, the movie delivers genuine tension, body horror, and a sense of dread rarely seen in contemporary horror. For much of the runtime, it feels like a masterclass in suspense. Yet, despite these strengths, the film falters in ways that prevent it from reaching its full terrifying potential.
The Contradiction at the Heart of the Story
At the center of the film lies a glaring contradiction: Cecilia is impregnated using DNA allegedly taken from the nail Christ was nailed to the cross. On one hand, the story leans into religious horror, framing her pregnancy as a modern miracle; on the other, it turns into a twisted genetic experiment. The problem is obvious—if the goal was merely to create a child carrying Christ’s DNA, there was no need to convince everyone of an immaculate conception. Conversely, if the film wanted to emphasize a miracle, introducing DNA experiments is not needed.
Straightening the Story
The simplest solution to this contradiction is to remove the nail DNA storyline altogether. The horror would become more coherent, grounded, and human: the convent doesn’t need mystical DNA; its evil can exist in the manipulation and violation of its victims alone.
A More Sinister Plot
Once the supernatural gimmick is discarded, the story can embrace a darker and far more disturbing truth: Father Sal himself as the source. Imagine a plot where he impregnates women in their sleep, weaponizing faith and secrecy to achieve his twisted ends. This approach heightens the horror on multiple levels. The fear is both physical and psychological—the audience realizes that the true danger comes from someone who wields spiritual authority, and that authority is being perverted into a tool of control. It makes the villain frighteningly human, consistent, and psychotic, a man whose obsession with power and worship drives him to treat both women and faith as instruments for his own ends.
The Pitfall of Over-Exposition
Another weakness in the film is the mid-movie villain exposition. This scene undermines tension, renders Cecilia passive, and subtly shortchanges the audience, implying that viewers cannot connect the dots on their own. Horror thrives on what is left unsaid; ambiguity forces the audience to imagine, to infer, and to feel the creeping dread themselves. A stronger approach would have been to let Cecilia gradually uncover the truth—finding the tools for sedation and impregnation, piecing together clues, and ultimately realizing that Sal is behind it. By omitting full explanations, the horror becomes more immersive, sinister, and memorable.
Elevating the Antagonist
These changes would elevate Father Sal to an epic level of horror. He becomes a psycho whose obsession with power and worship is so extreme that he attempts to turn his offspring into a messiah, manipulating faith, trust, and innocence to satisfy his ego. To heighten the discomfort, he should not be conventionally attractive; the story works best if his presence is unsettling, someone utterly unfit for the women he targets, reinforcing the grotesque imbalance of desire and authority. This version would create a villain who is terrifying, human, and utterly believable—a man whose cruelty is amplified by the veneer of religious sanctity.
Immaculate already succeeds in many areas, but stripping away the pseudo-scientific gimmick, embracing a human source of horror, and letting dread unfold gradually would transform the story from compelling to unforgettable. It would make the villain not just a character, but an emblem of obsession, control, and the dark extremes of psychotic ambition.
Thanks,
Ira