[Interview] ‘IMMACULATE’ composer creates a score soundtrack fit for the halls of hell

Surely, you’ve heard about Immaculate by now – the Sydney Sweeney-starring horror movie that delivers one of the most talked-about endings in some time. Even the film’s distributor, NEON, has capitalized on this by sharing footage of a blood-splatter Sweeney letting out a scream that out-decibels The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Sally Hardesty, a far cry from portraying Cassie on Euphoria.

Directed by Michael Mohan (The Voyeurs), Immaculate centers itself on an unholy pregnancy. Sweeney stars as a devout woman offered a role at an illustrious Italian convent. However, what horror movie would this be if the idyllic countryside wasn’t harboring dark secrets? Those dark secrets may lead to Sweeney’s nun character becoming pregnant by forces unknown. 

Cut from a cloth similar to Rosemary’s Baby and Suspiria, Immaculate works best as a mood piece and a showcase for Sweeney’s impressive commitment. Not many would be able to reach the levels Sweeney does in the film’s final frames. 

A good fraction of what turns this into memorable material is composer Will Bates’ unnerving and wondrous music. Bates (I Origins, Dumb Money) plays both sides of the coin to shape a sound that can be occasionally pleasant but just around the corner creeps in an instrument that feels plucked from hell. That’s the film in a nutshell: Just when you think you’re comfortable, something is shown or heard to send shivers down your spine. 

Fresh Fiction sat down with Bates to discuss shaking off previously composed sonic evils to craft something new and wicked. Watch the full conversation below, and catch Immaculate in theaters today!