--- title: "Immaculate: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/immaculate/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/immaculate" critics_score: 66 critics_reviews: 21 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Immaculate (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 66 from 21 reviews: 11 positive, 7 mixed, 3 negative. Most critics agree on one thing: Sydney Sweeney. Nearly every review, favourable or not, singles out her committed lead performance as a novice nun, and several say she carries material that would not stand up without her. The other point of agreement is the ending. Even reviewers who find the first half slow, silly or derivative tend to praise the bloody final act, and a few call it the only reason to sit through the rest. Praise also clusters around the design and cinematography, and around a plain message about the church’s control of women’s bodies. The reservations are about the script: familiar plotting, jump scares in place of dread, thin characters. The spread is wide, from warm approval to outright dismissal. IndieWire calls it awful, Screen Daily finds it bland and predictable, and The Hollywood Reporter thinks not even Sweeney can save it. The harshest notices are mostly festival reviews; the later ones are kinder. ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 March 2024. The film goes further than typical convent horror by critiquing the church's exploitation of women, with a committed lead performance from Sydney Sweeney that elevates it. It builds to a gruelling and brutally effective climax. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/immaculate/) ## Los Angeles Times — Katie Walsh Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 March 2024. Mohan’s cheeky, freaky nunsploitation riff is lushly designed and takes the genre seriously with ironic wit, building to a feral climax where Sweeney embodies animal honesty. The swift film drenches every frame in color, light, and shadow while evolving into a taut survival thriller. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-03-20/immaculate-review-sydney-sweeney-michael-mohan-nun-horror) ## Slant Magazine — Derek Smith Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 14 March 2024. The film abandons elevated horror aspirations for brash exploitation in its final act, delivering some of the gnarliest violence in the subgenre. Sydney Sweeney's vibrant, impassioned performance grounds the insanity and transforms the story into one of self-empowerment. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/immaculate-review-sydney-sweeney-michael-mohan/) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 22 March 2024. The film is presented as a nasty nunsploitation thriller that reimagines Rosemary’s Baby as a giallo set in a convent. It singles out the sharp political message about female bodily autonomy and the church’s patriarchal control. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/immaculate-rosemarys-baby-reimagined-giallo-convent) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 20 March 2024. The critic finds the film a fun, nasty throwback to nunsploitation and gialli that comments on female bodily autonomy. Sweeney’s knowing star persona and expressive eyes are singled out for making the material work. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/mar/20/immaculate-sydney-sweeney-review) ## The AV Club — Matthew Jackson Rating B-. 22 March 2024. The film is uneven and sometimes predictable but works as Catholic horror thanks to its subgenre button-pushing. Sydney Sweeney is fantastic and committed, elevating the material with her fearless performance as the central nun. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/immaculate-movie-review-sydney-sweeney-1851352864) ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 22 March 2024. The film is tense and gruesome yet tasteful and elegant, functioning more as an art film than full-on nunsploitation or giallo. Sydney Sweeney delivers a spectacular central performance that engages on an elemental level. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-sydney-sweeneys-immaculate-is-an-art-film-at-heart.html) ## The i Paper — Geoffrey Macnab Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 22 March 2024. This gory nunsploitation horror is a scary and stomach-churning romp with effective shock tactics and strong sound design, but it lacks human empathy and character depth. Sweeney shines as a resilient heroine who knows how to scream. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/immaculate-review-sydney-sweeney-2965525) ## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong Rating 4/3/2. 22 March 2024. The review finds the film a slightly underwhelming take on the nunsploitation genre with a derivative plot. It singles out Sydney Sweeney’s committed performance and scream as the standout element. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/immaculate) ## Radio Times — Patrick Cremona Rating 3/5. This is described as a slight but mostly effective horror that reunites Sweeney with her previous director. It singles out the magnificently deranged climax as the moment that makes the whole film worthwhile despite derivative influences and an underbaked script. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ys5ve9/immaculate/) ## The Telegraph — Tim Robey Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 21 March 2024. The review notes the film’s slow pacing and silliness in the first half but praises the bloody, rage-filled climax and Sweeney’s performance in the finale. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2024/03/21/immaculate-review-sydney-sweeneys-pregnant-nun-horror-takes/) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 3/5. 22 March 2024. The film is called a workmanlike monastery horror that Sydney Sweeney turbocharges with her charismatic performance. It singles out her arc from innocent novice to blood-caked avenger as what makes the watch oddly habit-forming. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/immaculate-2024) ## Total Film — Kevin Harley Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 14 March 2024. Sydney Sweeney delivers an impressive lead performance in this choppy horror about a pregnant novitiate nun, but the film emphasises thudding shocks over atmospheric mood and stumbles in its payoff. The cast saves it from worse flaws. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/immaculate-review/) ## IndieWire — Rafael Motamayor Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 13 March 2024. Festival review. The nun horror movie is awful and fails to deliver on its premise. It is still somehow better than similar entries like The Nun. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/immaculate-review-sydney-sweeney-nun-horror-movie-1234964318/) ## RogerEbert.com — Brian Tallerico 14 March 2024. Festival review. The film attempts a throwback to Italian horror and commentary on bodily autonomy but lacks visual flair and thematic depth. Sydney Sweeney delivers a committed performance as the lead nun, particularly in the finale, but the surrounding execution feels underambitious and flat. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/immaculate-film-review-2024) ## Screen Daily 13 March 2024. Festival review. The review calls the film a bland, unoriginal horror that fails to distinguish itself from other religious horror entries. It singles out the dull, predictable affair built on inconsequential jump scares and a half-baked screenplay. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/immaculate-sxsw-review/5191527.article) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Lovia Gyarkye 13 March 2024. Festival review. The film is cartoonish and fussy, relying on jump scares and an illogical plot that fails to engage. It works better in its B-movie camp moments, but even Sydney Sweeney's performance cannot save the overall effort. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/immaculate-review-sydney-sweeney-1235851555/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Rating Critic's Pick. 21 March 2024. The slickly diverting horror-thriller features a plucky heroine and an irreverent twist, with Sydney Sweeney turning a potentially thin character into a compelling survivor through her sly, full-throttle performance. Director Michael Mohan delivers a scare-fest with enough narrative ambiguity to provoke discussion. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/21/movies/immaculate-review-sydney-sweeney.html) ## The Times — Tom Shone Rating ★★★☆☆. 24 March 2024. The critic sees the premise as promising but faults the director for ogling Sweeney and relying on predictable jump scares and hokey plotting. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-best-films-reviewed-this-week-immaculate-and-robot-dreams-vj90cs8xr) ## Variety — Stephen Saito 13 March 2024. Festival review. The reteaming of Mohan and Sweeney offers a lurid delight as an enjoyable if uneven horror film with a captivating star turn and a hell of an ending. It evolves into a taut survival thriller in the second half, highlighted by extraordinary long takes and a riveting finale. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/immaculate-review-sydney-sweeney-1235940458/) ## The Wrap — Chase Hutchinson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 13 March 2024. Festival review. The critic raves about Sydney Sweeney's performance as the standout, calling it her greatest yet, in a bold, brutal horror film with dynamic scares and strong direction and visuals. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/sydney-sweeney-immaculate-review/) ## Digital Spy — Ian Sandwell Rating 4/5. 22 March 2024. The critic highlights Sweeney's compelling, committed lead performance as the standout in this nunsploitation-tinged religious horror with a shocking final act. While it leans on familiar tropes and jump scares, the film smartly updates the genre with timely themes of bodily autonomy and packs a memorable punch. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a60187062/immaculate-review-sydney-sweeney/) ## Film Stories — Maria Lattila Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 March 2024. The critic hails it as the first great horror film of 2024, praising Sweeney's committed and believable performance especially in the bold ending, and the film's entertaining, fun direction with effective jumpscares and gore. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/immaculate-review-the-first-great-horror-film-of-2024/) ## Polygon — Austen Goslin Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 March 2024. The critic highlights the film's committed throwback nunsploitation style with graphic violence and sleaze, beautiful cinematography, and Sydney Sweeney's captivating, unshowy star turn as its strongest elements. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/24099874/immaculate-review-sydney-sweeney-nun-movie) ## Collider — Matthew Donato Rating 5/10. 13 March 2024. Festival review. The critic praises Sydney Sweeney's committed lead performance and the film's striking visuals and sound design but finds the storytelling haphazard and lacking depth or substance beyond its influences. [Read the review](https://collider.com/immaculate-review-sydney-sweeney/) ## Deadline — Valerie Complex Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 13 March 2024. Festival review. The critic finds the film struggles with overplayed tropes and lacks genuine horror despite good visuals and an unconventional ending. Praises the cinematography and the ending twist but criticizes narrative and character development. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2024/03/immaculate-review-michael-mohan-film-sydney-sweeney-overshadowed-overplayed-tropes-sxsw-1235857426/) ## /Film — Witney Seibold Rating 4/10. 19 March 2024. The critic finds the film dour and humorless, stuck in a frustrating middle ground between arthouse and grindhouse, with poor characterization and dialogue, though it ends strongly with some effective horror violence. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1543313/immaculate-review-sydney-sweeney/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 3 out of 5. 13 March 2024. The critic views the film as a pointed, unsubtle allegory about patriarchal control over women's bodies in a modern context, praising Sweeney's shift to a gonzo final-girl performance full of fury. Mohan’s direction is often lurid and reliant on jump scares, falling short of psychological depth but delivering a bloody, entertaining third act. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/immaculate-review-holy-hell-sydney-sweeney/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/immaculate.md