| Jack O’connell | Extras |
MOTHER SUPERIOR
IMMACULATE You can’t conceive of what happens in Sydney Sweeney’s biblical horror.
Sydney came to me and said, “Mike, I want to be covered in blood. I want to be covered in mucus.”’ Director Michael Mohan (The Voyeurs) is telling Teasers about Immaculate, his latest collaboration with newly crowned romcom queen Sydney Sweeney. ‘She can do Anyone But You and look glamorous, and I just love that she turns to me to make her weird, fucked-up movie.’
The second feature produced by Sweeney’s Fifty-Fifty Films, Immaculate has been on the rising star’s mind since she first auditioned for an unmade version of the film over a decade ago.
After amassing considerable clout in Hollywood, and forming her own production company, Sweeney optioned the script – and knew exactly who she wanted to direct.
‘The writing was so good. The scares were so original,’ Mohan says, recalling his reaction to reading the script for the first time. ‘The reveals that happened genuinely shocked me, which is a hard thing to do, especially for someone who writes movies that have crazy twists in them.’
Several changes were necessary. In the original draft, Sweeney’s character Cecilia was chaste. ‘I had to tell my good friend Sydney Sweeney that I didn’t think audiences would buy her as a high-school virgin,’ Mohan says with a chuckle. Instead, the character was changed to a devout nun who undergoes a terrifying ordeal at an Italian convent. ‘I liked the idea of taking this altruistic, innocent soul and bringing her to this point of utter devastation at the end.’
A touchstone was 70s giallo; filming took place at Villa Parisi in Italy, where Mario Bava’s A Bay of Blood was shot. But Mohan insists that the absence of any ‘supernatural’ threat separates Immaculate from the spate of recent nun horrors. ‘In our film, the terror is about something very real and deep and personal and raw,’ Mohan claims. ‘The last two minutes of this film – it is the most unhinged performance Sydney has ever given. It fully establishes her in the pantheon of scream queens. Like, no doubt.’
IMMACULATE OPENS IN CINEMAS ON 22 MARCH.
Q&A
Sydney Sweeney
Who is Cecilia?
Cecilia is a young girl who is looking for her purpose in life, just like many of us. We are trying to find: what is the reason we are here? She is searching for that reason, and it ends up being one of the scariest destinies you could ask for.
Does ‘Immaculate’ refer to the Immaculate Conception?
Well, you’re going to have to watch the movie to see exactly what’s been bestowed on her. She has an overwhelming feeling of dread, responsibility and horror. There’s a mix of emotions among the [other nuns]. Some people are very, very envious of the responsibility that Cecilia now has.
Were you happy about being put through the wringer for this film?
Oh, yes. I was put through such an insane, intense wringer by the amount of blood that was constantly covered all over me. It was freezing cold. I’m running and screaming 24/7. It’s a very high-intensity film.
What does it mean to get your own projects made?
I’m honestly so grateful to have such an empowering say in my own career. I could not imagine sitting back and waiting for someone to call me and make something happen. I wanted to get to a place where I could make it happen for myself. It’s a really amazing feeling.