Is Immaculate based on a true story?

Sydney Sweeney’s new horror movie follows a young nun who finds herself trapped in a biblical nightmare — so, is Immaculate based on a true story?

Depending on your religious tendencies, you might view some of the greatest biblical movies ever as historical adaptations. Although horror movies haven’t been shy about tackling religion in the past, it does often result in the blending of true stories and complete fiction.

The newest religious horror on the block, Immaculate, stars Sydney Sweeney as Sister Cecilia, a young woman who travels to Italy to join an ancient convent of nuns. As time goes on, she finds herself trapped by unexpected news that poses as a miracle.

Is Immaculate based on a true story? Here’s what you need to know about the horror movie, without spoilers.

Is Immaculate based on a true story?

Immaculate is not based on a true story — it’s a screenplay made up from fiction, written by Andrew Lobel.

The story follows Sister Cecilia, a devout American girl who joins an Italian convent. While she’s there, she discovers that she’s become pregnant — an immaculate conception that will supposedly result in the birth of mankind’s savior. Immaculate conception is a topic explored in biblical tales, specifically regarding the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus.

A common misunderstanding is that ‘immaculate conception’ refers to Mary conceiving Jesus. But actually, it refers to the idea that God preserved Mary to be free from original sin from the moment she was conceived.

Immaculate, the 2024 horror movie, follows similar ideas, but being a body horror, nothing is quite what it seems. There’s been no recorded evidence of a similar event happening, ever. (If you choose to believe in the bible, then you could consider that as inspiration for the new movie if you prefer! …Though you may not like where it goes.)

For more, check out our full Immaculate review to see what we thought of the film. You can also see what the Immaculate age rating is, and take a look at our ranking of scream queens.