‘Immaculate’ Blu-Ray Review – Throwback Horror Feature Thrives With A Fearless Sydney Sweeney

An American nun embarks on a new journey when she joins a remote convent in the Italian countryside. However, her warm welcome quickly turns into a living nightmare when she discovers her new home harbours a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors.

For in-depth thoughts on Immaculate, please see my colleague Gaius Bolling’s review from its original theatrical release here. 

Video Quality

Decal Releasing brings Immaculate to Blu-Ray with a decent 1080p video presentation, but this is a film crying out for a 4K UHD Blu-Ray release. The film is consistently dark even when it is not nighttime thanks to the old, shadowy sanctuary that serves as the primary setting for the film. While the black levels may not be naturally intended to be inky black, they do run toward a milky shade that swallows up a lot of detail. This leads to some banding in the climax when characters are traversing dark tunnels by firelight. Some other minor digital quirks keep the transfer from being a home run. 

Otherwise, the image is crisp and clean with textures present in the environments such as the brick walls. Flesh tones are natural with a splendid amount of detail such as facial hair and pores present in close-ups. Some gnarly makeup effects look wonderfully grotesque in HD. The presentation allows for a notable amount of depth in some scenes, especially one in an expansive field. The clothing provides clear textural details. This release holds up better than streaming versions of the film, but we would gladly buy an improved 4K UHD Blu-Ray if it ever materialized. 

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with an effective DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that captures this terrifying narrative without a misstep. Environmental sounds are key to establishing the eerie nature of the story, and various unsettling sounds effectively permeate the surround speakers. Ambient sounds are keenly placed in the rear channels for a fully three-dimensional experience. Dialogue comes through clearly without being lost to any competing sounds. The score flows through the speakers with crisp fidelity. Pivotal moments add texture to the low end making things extra visceral. The audio track delivers on all fronts. Optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles are provided. 

Special Features

• Audio Commentary: Director Michael Mohan provides a decent commentary track recorded before the SXSW premiere in which he discusses how Sydney Sweeney shepherded this project, what drew him to the material, complications during the production, scenes that were nearly cut from the film, the background of various performers, and much more. 

Final Thoughts

Immaculate is an ode to throwback horror films that effectively plays within the genre even if it is not always completely original. The key to the film’s success is the unflinching performance from Sydney Sweeney, who proves she is not afraid to tackle difficult material. Every moment of terror on her face is believable, and it culminates into something unforgettable in the finale. We appreciate that the film has enough gumption to follow through with its more extreme moments, and the fact that it does not overstay its welcome is a blessing. This is one of the better horror outings of the year thus far. Decal Releasing has released a Blu-Ray featuring a fine A/V presentation and an entertaining commentary track. Recommended 

Immaculate is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Decal Releasing has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.