Fans of Sydney Sweeney are “honoring thy mother” after releasing a video of the actress reading an odd Bible verse in advance of her upcoming horror film, Immaculate.
Horror films thrive on religious themes. For example, in Saint Maud, a young woman succumbs to sadomasochistic devotion while being tormented (and teased) by a malevolent force from above; in The Exorcist, a struggling priest is called upon to save a young girl from the demon that has taken hold of her; and in Carrie, a high school student lives in a home filled with ferocious terror under the watchful eye of her religious mother.
The newest film in the scary subgenre, Immaculate, stars Sweeney as Sister Cecilia, a young nun who, believing she has been called to a greater mission after a near-death experience, enters a strange covenant in Italy.
Prior to the film’s debut, the marketing for it has accelerated; in one recent clip, she reads an absurd Bible scripture.
A Bible passage is read by Sydney Sweeney in the most recent Immaculate commercial.
In “Vol. 1: Mass Murder,” Sweeney reads from the new international translation of 2 Kings 2:23–24. Elisha went up to Bethel from there. Some boys came out of the town and made fun of him as he was strolling along the road, the author writes.
“‘Baldy, get out of here!’ they exclaimed. “Baldy, get out of here!” In the name of the Lord, he turned around, looked at them, and cursed them. 42 of the lads were mauled by two bears that emerged from the woods.
This verse is rather strange, and some fans are unsure of what to make of it. “There must be blasphemy involved,” a user commented. Another person posted, “It’s crazy how the word is turning into a marketing scheme.” It’s amazing how the Bible is marketed. dread God, penned a third.
Conversely, a user made a joke, saying, “Thanks to you for recovering my faith in the almighty lord.”
Another said, “I’m not kidding, I’d pay $800 for an audiobook of her reading the Bible.” A third tweeted, saying, “Boy, Sydney is embracing the meme; this is a quickening; brave yourself for awakening.”