Warning: This post contains major spoilers for Immaculate

Summary

• Sister Cecilia fakes her miscarriage and uncovers Father Tedeschi's plan to create a new Jesus in a disturbing turn of events.
• Viewers are left to wonder if Sister Cecilia killed her newborn after giving birth alone. The infant's breathing hints at something sinister.
• The nuns' red masks in Immaculate represent the blood of Christ, underscoring the ritualistic nature of Father Tedeschi's followers.

Immaculate, the new religious horror starring Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney, who also produced the film, becomes all the more disturbing by the end. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics, who mostly praised Sweeney’s turn as Sister Cecilia. At film’s end, Sister Cecilia spends the rest of her miracle pregnancy resentful of Father Tedeschi and fearful that she will die once the baby is born — namely because they’d probably discard her to focus on the child. Sister Cecilia witnesses the other nuns cutting out Gwen’s tongue after she spoke out against the convent and the secrets they’ve been keeping.

Before Sister Cecilia’s due date, she fakes a miscarriage using a dead chicken in a bid to be taken to a real hospital. Father Tedeschi finds out and catches Sister Cecilia before she can make an escape. He explained to her that he used his genetics background to create another Jesus using bits of DNA found on a piece of the crucifix. Sister Cecilia is horrified and burns down his lab. Her water breaks and she flees to the catacombs to escape, eventually killing a now burned Father Tedeschi. Sister Cecilia ultimately gives birth and moves to kill the infant.

Does Sister Cecilia Kill The Newborn In Immaculate's Ending?

Sister Cecilia gives birth alone after escaping the catacombs beneath the convent. After cutting the umbilical cord with her own teeth, Sister Cecilia grabs a big rock and brings it down on the newborn. However, Immaculate cuts to black, leaving the audience to wonder whether or not she killed the infant. Considering that Sister Cecilia became pregnant without her consent, and the horrors she went through while pregnant and not being allowed to leave, it’s highly likely she did drop the rock on the newborn, especially since it’s unclear what exactly she had given birth to.

With Father Tedeschi dead and his lab destroyed, Sister Cecilia could ensure that what happened to her would never happen to anyone else again. Killing the infant would doubly destroy any remaining evidence of what Father Tedeschi and the convent were up to. Sister Cecilia never wanted the child; she had been losing teeth during her pregnancy. And based on the newborn’s breathing, it may not have been a normal child at all. It makes sense that Sister Cecilia would go through with killing the newborn, especially if there was a chance it might’ve brought the end of the world.

What Sister Cecilia Actually Gives Birth To At The End Of Immaculate

While the question at the end of Immaculate might revolve around whether Sister Cecilia killed the newborn, the clues dropped throughout the horror film also suggest that there is something not right with the pregnancy or the infant at all. After the baby is born, the rugged breathing hints that it’s not a regular baby at all. The cries of a newborn are not heard, and its breathing sounds more like that of a creature than a human. Immaculate never shows what the newborn actually looks like, which leads to much speculation around the nature of the entire pregnancy.

Is the baby actually the second coming of Christ? It’s possible, but unlikely. Considering the genetic experimentation Father Tedeschi was doing for two decades, it’s possible this child was corrupted or mutated somehow long before it saw the light of day. After all, it wasn’t born under normal circumstances — it was forced into existence by Father Tedeschi. The second coming of Jesus Christ was not prophesied in such a way, with one man pulling the strings to bring it to fruition. And so Sister Cecilia had likely given birth to something potentially evil given the situation surrounding the pregnancy.

It’s highly likely she did drop the rock on the newborn, especially since it’s unclear what exactly she had given birth to.

Every Death In Immaculate's Ending Explained

The religious horror film had its fair share of deaths. While in labor, Sister Cecilia kills the Mother Superior with a crucifix after the latter attacks her. Cecilia later burns Father Tedeschi after setting his lab on fire, and then stabs him in the neck with a scalpel after he tries to cut her open. Gwen is killed by the nuns after they cut off her tongue, though her death happens offscreen and Sister Cecilia finds her body in the catacombs at the end of Immaculate.

And, of course, who could forget that Sister Cecilia also uses a rock to end the newborn’s life in the last seconds of Immaculate, ending the film with what is sure to be its most talked-about scene for years to come. Beyond the deaths that happen at the end, Immaculate includes the deaths of Sister Mary (played by White Lotus season 2’s Simona Tabasco), who is killed at the start of the film.

Gwen was silenced for her rebellious streak, but cutting off her tongue wasn't enough. Father Tedeschi had to make sure she wouldn't also help Sister Cecilia.

It seems Sister Mary becomes aware of what’s going on at the convent and attempts to run away to save herself before anything happens, but she’s caught and buried alive by some of the other nuns. Her death sets the tone of the film. There's also Sister Isabella, who jumps off the roof after trying to kill Sister Cecilia during her bath. Sister Isabella was angry because she believed she should’ve been the one who was pregnant in the nun-focused horror movie.

Why Father Tedeschi Wanted To Create A New Jesus

Father Tedeschi made it clear that he wanted to create a new Jesus Christ by using the remaining DNA from the nail found on a piece of the crucifix. While Immaculate doesn’t delve too deep into Father Tedeschi’s reasons, he felt it was his purpose in life to create a new Christ. Just as Sister Cecilia felt her life’s purpose was to become a nun after God saved her from being dead for seven minutes from a fall through ice, Father Tedeschi realized he could use his science background to create a new Jesus.

What The Nuns' Red Masks Mean In Immaculate

Throughout Immaculate, Sister Cecilia runs into nuns wearing red masks, one of which she finds lying at the altar of Christ. The reason for the red masks is never thoroughly explained, but it’s possible the red masks represent the blood of Christ. The nuns who wear the red masks are likely Father Tedeschi’s followers, adhering to certain rituals. They probably work alongside him to ensure the genetic experiments are as successful as possible, and that the other nuns don’t ask too many questions or try to escape.

The Real Meaning Of Immaculate's Ending

Immaculate’s ending sees Sister Cecilia taking matters into her own hands as she finally regains control over her own body and life. The horror film’s ending alludes to bodily autonomy and a woman’s reproductive rights. Sister Cecilia is treated as an afterthought until she becomes pregnant, in which Father Tedeschi and the other nuns only care for the wellbeing of the fetus and not at all for her. Issues of consent are also present, with the ending underscoring the horrors of pregnancy and Sister Cecilia’s ability to choose what she wants to do after being forced through an unwanted pregnancy.