Say what you will about Sydney Sweeney’s horror hit Immaculate from director Michael Mohan, who’s also worked with the actress on projects including Prime Video’s super-erotic The Voyeurs. But whether you think the movie offered an overall weird take on cults, rushed its ending, or was largely fine, one thing that’s generally not in dispute is that Immaculate — which arrives on Hulu on Aug. 15 — is certainly the most ambitious and daring project Sweeney has undertaken in her career thus far.
In the movie, which brought in more than $28 million worldwide on a $9 million production budget, Sweeney plays an American nun who goes searching for peace and refuge at a remote convent in the beautiful Italian countryside.
Shortly after her arrival, though, she becomes pregnant. It’s an “immaculate” conception, reminiscent of the Virgin Mary’s, that soon turns the nun’s warm welcome into a horrific nightmare. It’s definitely quite a turn, in other words, for one of Hollywood’s reigning It Girls, who’s more known for things like frothy romantic comedy (Anyone But You) and her more provocative turn in HBO’s Euphoria.
As for Immaculate: Not only was the critical response to the movie fairly solid (it’s still got a 71% score on that front on Rotten Tomatoes). What’s more, speaking to Sweeney’s ambition, she was both the star of and an executive producer on the movie, illustrating how far she’s come as a Hollywood talent in a fairly short amount of time — in addition to being something of a counterweight to the way many fans likely see her primarily as mere eye candy.
Also for Immaculate, which added a creepy and blood-splattered horror project to her ever-expanding resume, Sweeney both brought on Mohan and also polished the script herself. ““Immaculate in conception if not always in execution, this religiously themed horror outing is saved by a divine performance from Sydney Sweeney,” reads the Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus.
One reviewer has even argued that the stomach-churning two-minute opening of the film might be Sweeney’s finest moment on screen to date.
It must also be noted that Sweeney isn’t slowing down anytime soon. In terms of her upcoming projects, for example, a ton of buzz is already surrounding director Ron Howard’s survival thriller Eden, coming in September and starring not only Sweeney but also Ana de Armas and Vanessa Kirby.
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