Horror and pregnancy have always been subjects that horror filmmakers fit together like a glove, but 2024 has been a particularly active year for the subgenre. Earlier this year, The first omen provided a shockingly terrifying revamp of a classic series, but it’s Alien: Romulus And Spotlessthe latter of which is now on Hulu, which are closely linked and together form one of the best and most bizarre double features of the year.
(Editorial note: This story contains mild spoilers for both Alien: Romulus And Spotless.)
Spotlessthe fantastic low-budget horror film from earlier this year, starring Sydney Sweeney as a nun who joins a strange and exclusive convent in Italy. Shortly after her arrival, strange things start to happen and she suddenly becomes pregnant — a verifiable miracle according to the male clergy around her.
The film is beautifully shot, with dark, menacing shadows hanging over the corridors of the convent and sinister figures lurking at the edge of every frame. It’s full of all the grim and seedy things you’d expect from a horror film about nuns that’s a little bit exploitative, but on the surface it still feels like it’s something very Rosemary’s baby. You can almost feel the devil creeping through the hallways in the film’s delightfully creepy night scenes. So when Spotless‘s big twist arrives, and it turns out to be more science fiction than Satan. The film turns all our expectations on their head, just in time for the most shocking finale scene of the year.
But apart from drawing a brutal, shocking conclusion, SpotlessThe twist also makes it relevant to this week’s number one film in theaters: Alien: Romulus. While Romulus may be a little hit and miss with some of its jump scares, but one of the most undeniably effective sequences comes via an equally mysterious sci-fi pregnancy, leading to a finale that’s no less bloody, brutal, or disturbing than Spotless‘s end.
This major common thread makes these films a perfect pair: two incredibly fucked up films about the horrors of being an expectant mother. So if you’re planning on Alien: Romulus soon, throw Spotless in the first place, so you can shout even louder.