Hulu just got one of the year’s most controversial movies — here's why it's a must-watch

Sydney Sweeney as Sister Cecilia in Immaculate

(Image credit: Collection Christophel / Alamy Stock Photo / Black Bear Pictures / Neon)

In my experience with horror movies, a little bit of controversy isn’t necessarily a bad thing. So when the religious-themed “Immaculate” starring Syndey Sweeney hit theaters back in March under a cloud of outrage, my interest was only piqued further.

After seeing “Immaculate” for myself, I came away seriously impressed with the movie’s sinister atmosphere, strong leading performance and its bats**t climax. However, the Michael Mohan-directed flick was also the victim of poor release timing. Just a couple of weeks later “The First Omen” landed in cinemas, with a spookily similar plot.

Thanks to the strength of “The Omen” brand, “Immaculate” fell by the wayside, and didn’t get to enjoy its moment in the spotlight quite as long as it perhaps could have done. This was a real shame, as it’s the superior movie, in my opinion. Fortunately, it’s just landed on Hulu, giving this chilling and twist-filled horror movie a second chance to delight genre fanatics.

So, if you’re looking for a gripping horror to enjoy over the weekend, here’s why you should stream “Immaculate”, but don’t say I didn’t warn you about its more controversial aspects.

What is 'Immaculate' about?

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In “Immaculate”, Sydney Sweeney plays Cecilia, a young American woman who turned to Christianity following a childhood near-death experience. Traveling to Italy to take her vows to become a nun and devote her life to her, Cecilia joins a remote convent in the picturesque Italian countryside.

Settling into her new life, Cecilia is initially welcomed and believes she has found the place where she truly belongs. But this sense of peace doesn't last long. Soon Cecilia begins to notice strange oddities around the convent, such as many of the older nuns having cross-shaped scars on the soles of their feet, and then the terrifying nightmares start ....

To reveal any more would be a huge spoiler, so I won’t delve any deeper into the twisted web of horror that comprises much of “Immaculate”, but let’s just say things get seriously dark, and the final few moments might just turn your stomach.

Why is 'Immaculate' so controversial?

It’s not particularly hard to understand why “Immaculate” courted controversy upon its release. The horror movie has overt religious themes and twists certain elements of Christianity to tell a pulpy horror tale full of jump scares and blood-curdling screams.

As you’d probably expect, there was lots of outrage among Christian and conservative groups, with the ending (which I will not spoil here) drawing particular ire. Publications like The Hollywood Reporter rather cheekily referred to the movie as a “nun-sploitation” flick.

Rather than issue an apology for the offense caused, distributor Neon very much steered into the skid by releasing a series of posters containing quotes from disgruntled viewers, including one that declared the movie “spits in the face of all that is holy”. A social media video featuring Sydney Sweeny reading an excerpt from the Bible was also released, alongside a YouTube video that sees real pastors watch clips from “Immaculate” in a Church setting.

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Should you stream 'Immaculate' on Hulu?

“Immaculate” is a total thrill ride, and a must-watch for genre fans. Some of the scares are predictable, and its similarity to “The First Omen” might put some viewers off, but Sydney Sweeney is fantastic in the leading role, and the movie fully commits to its dark concept.

If you’re looking for a zippy horror movie — it runs a very lean 89 minutes — that will have you on the edge of your throughout, “Immaculate” is certainly worth your time. Just make sure you can handle the movie’s more controversial elements before adding it to your Hulu watchlist.

“Immaculate” is now streaming on Hulu, but if you’re not sure this horror is to your taste, we’ve also got a guide to all the best movies on Hulu for some alternatives.

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Rory is a Senior Entertainment Editor at Tom’s Guide based in the UK. He covers a wide range of topics but with a particular focus on gaming and streaming. When he’s not reviewing the latest games, searching for hidden gems on Netflix, or writing hot takes on new gaming hardware, TV shows and movies, he can be found attending music festivals and getting far too emotionally invested in his favorite football team.