Sydney Sweeney is no doubt dominating the big screen with her movies; after Anyone But You and Madame Web, she’s now basking in the glory of her latest horror film, Immaculate. The movie was highly praised by actress and host Drew Barrymore on her show where Sweeney recently appeared.
Many have noticed the similarities between Immaculate and the heavily criticized film Rosemary’s Baby before the actress revealed taking some inspiration from it. For horror fans, it was easy to detect the parallels.
Sydney Sweeney On The Inspiration Behind Horror-Mystery Film Immaculate
During her guesting on The Drew Barrymore Show, actress Sydney Sweeney shared she got her passion for horror movies from her father. She also mentioned the inspiration for Immaculate.
“He introduced me to the horror genre because he was a fan of horror films, loved horror films. Like Halloween is his favourite holiday. Rosemary’s Baby was one of our biggest draws of inspiration for Immaculate.”
Interestingly, Rosemary’s Baby performed well at the box office and even gained the favor of critics despite the Catholic Church stamping a C-rating on it, meaning it was condemned.
The issue even got worse after it played in UK theaters and when the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) cut 15 seconds of a scene from the film. It was when Rosemary imagined she was being r*ped by Satan in front of several people.
Apart from the rating, it was also labeled as a cursed film due to the fact that people involved in the project met tragic deaths. Composer Krzysztof Komeda tumbled off a cliff and was in a coma for four months before he died. William Castle had a fatal illness involving his kidney. The producer ultimately recovered but lost his career.
One of the most tragic deaths attached to the movie was Sharon Tate, the wife of director Roman Polanski. She was almost cast for the lead role before Mia Farrow came in, though the actress remained part of the set. In fact, she had an uncredited scene. Unfortunately, she and her unborn child were murdered by the Manson family.
Sweeney’s horror film currently holds a 70% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Immaculate Reportedly Lacks The Hook In Horror Films
While many fans loved Immaculate, David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research shared via Variety his own criticism of the movie which he claimed was lacking in terms of the hook.
“The movie features the popular Sydney Sweeney, but horror movies are not cast-driven. They’re driven by the hook: the evil doll, the wicked smile, the invisible or silent presence, the found footage, the possessed child. That’s what terrifies the horror crowd. The hook is not completely clear here.”
The movie rolled out in theaters last March 22 so the audience had enough time to decide whether Sweeney’s latest project was worth the hype. In any case, the actress could easily become one of this generation’s new scream queens.
Immaculate is now showing in theaters worldwide.
