Sydney Sweeney wanted to “push the envelope” with her “extreme” new horror movie Immaculate.

In the new horror, the Anyone But You star plays Cecilia, an American nun who transfers to an Italian convent and discovers its dark secrets.

Director Michael Mohan revealed to Variety that Sweeney, who also produced the film, pushed for audiences to have “an extreme reaction” to the movie.

“I think this horror movie is a popcorn movie first and foremost,” Mohan said. “It’s a roller coaster ride, but the ending is f**king extreme. People are going to walk away having an extreme reaction to it, and that’s all her. She wants to push the envelope, but she wants to do it thoughtfully. I know she loves the movie, and I’m proud of us for not pulling our punches.”

Sweeney approached Mohan about directing Immaculate, their third collaboration after Everything Sucks! and The Voyeurs, and he agreed after being shocked by the twists in Andrew Lobel’s script.

He went on to praise the 26-year-old and her team of producers for pushing him to make a commercial horror rather than a niche one.

“We just wanted to have the jump scares that audiences have come to love,” he explained. “We wanted to balance out all that disturbing stuff with something that felt a little bit more like a popcorn movie, and she was so instrumental in helping me bridge the gap in terms of not compromising my voice visually or artistically.”

Immaculate premiered at SXSW festival in Austin, Texas on Tuesday. After the screening, the Euphoria actress shared what she hoped to achieve with the film.

“Yes, we wanted you guys all to jump in your seats and be hopefully horrified sh**less. But you still care about the story,” she said, according to Variety.

Immaculate will be released in cinemas on 22 March.

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