People often underestimate Sydney Sweeney as an actress as she’s someone that can not only act her heart out, but she can also carry a film. “Immaculate” from Michael Mohan excels in every way possible, including Sweeney’s performance. She doesn’t just play a damsel in distress, but also depicts someone that is doing everything she can to fight her way out of extraordinary circumstances. Bound to be compared to “Rosemary’s Baby,” I likened “Immaculate” more to Ti West’s “House of the Devil” where a young girl is thrust in to a situation we, as the audience, are never quite sure what is unfolding, even when we’re explained what the sinister forces have in store for our protagonist.
Tag Archives: Nuns
Five Great Nun Movies
What with the release of the Sydney Sweeney starring horror film “Immaculate” I thought it’d be a great occasion to list five great nun-centric movies you could watch before or after “Immaculate” this weekend. While the library of movies centering on nuns is vast and diverse, these are five that I particularly enjoy.
The Nun (2018) [Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital]
The only studio that’s managed to build an interesting cinematic universe beside Marvel is Warner who’s “The Conjuring” cinematic universe has been a long stretch of movies varying in quality. The interconnected movie verse takes Valak the horrific nun from “The Conjuring 2” and gives her own film. What should have been an easy scare fest lending a spotlight to one of the most memorable monsters in “The Conjuring 2” ends up as yet another miss like “Annabelle.” I don’t know why it’s so tough for the producers of the “Conjuring” cinematic universe to produce spin offs for their series’ monsters.
The Nun (2018)
“The Conjuring” cinematic universe kind of snuck up on the horror community over the years, prompting a series of movies that have been hit or miss. While I think “The Conjuring” cinematic universe has a ton of potential to be fantastic, at its current state, there’s still a lot for the studios to learn from the previous films. On its own, “The Nun” is a perfectly fine bit of gothic horror that’s sadly mostly half baked, and under developed. It’s saved by the small cast’s strong turns, and the dazzling imagery that successfully channels the old Hammer films. “The Nun” sets out to build a different energy from the rest of the movies in “The Conjuring” franchise, and for better and for worse, it accomplishes that.
Luciferina (2018) [Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival 2018]
A trainee nun, Natalia, goes home after an accident kills her mother and leaves her father dying. Once home, she discovers family secrets and goes on a self-discovery trip with friends. There she learns even more and puts her own soul at stake.
Writer/director Gonzalo Calzada takes the concepts of good versus bad, god versus evil, Catholic versus pagan, family, legacy, and destiny and plays with them in a dark realm tinged by demonic forces and curiosity. The story here is done in a way that works for its characters, letting them get exposed and built before throwing in the evil/demonic elements. Most of everything here works and goes towards creating a cohesive story and world. Some of the timeline and exposure may feel a bit off as it foes, but it all makes sense by the end. Calzada has a story here that he knows how to tell and he gets it out here on the screen in a way the viewer can easily watch, connect with, and be entertained by.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5 – The Dream Child (1989)
“Dream Child” is admittedly one of my favorite of the Nightmare sequels. While it doesn’t do much to further the lore like “Dream Master,” either, it does strike me as something of an entertaining installment in the series. Even years after watching it on network television time and time again, it still holds up very well to scrutiny. The premise is actually very creative this time around. Though it’s still a cheap excuse to keep the series moving, it’s quite innovative. Freddy has been revived once again and this is through the dreams of Alice. He revives his mother who gives birth to Freddy yet again, and Freddy is able to take on his true form as an adult. He knows something Alice doesn’t.