While Sweeney has worked on a wide variety of films that range from thrillers, teen dramas, superhero movies, and rom-coms, one genre that she continually comes back to is horror. Of the 50+ credits to her name, seven of those are horror films, which makes it more than 10% of the projects she has appeared in. However, horror can be a genre with the widest gap between quality films and low-budget home movies, which means that some of these films are considerably better than others.
ZMD: Zombies Of Mass Destruction
2009
ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction was Sweeney’s film debut in 2009. The project was touted as a political zombie horror film that doesn’t take itself too seriously and relies on humor throughout. The film has been likened to movies like Shaun of the Dead, but while the sentiment may have some minor commonalities, the standard is clearly worlds apart. As an independent picture, this movie does what it can with the budget and some of the writing is genuinely funny, but for the most part, it struggles to compete with bigger projects. Sweeney appears in a minor role as Lisa.
Night Teeth
2021
Night Teeth suffers from a very different problem. As a movie being produced by Netflix, it had a significant budget and attracted some solid talent from the world of TV, but the movie fell flat in both its story and the delivery of the comedy elements. Rather than laughing at the jokes, audiences are likely to laugh at the poor attempts to be funny and comical, but it does end up crossing into the realm of so-bad-its-good in many ways.
Sweeney was cast as Eva, who, alongside Megan Fox’s Grace, is in charge of the vampiric underworld. The film does showcase Sweeney’s talent and suggests a spin-off focused on her and Fox could have been a much better project than what Night Teeth became. With Sweeney making a strong showing, this movie does come in above ZMD, but despite the major difference in production, the overall quality of both is close.
The Ward
2010
Sweeney’s second feature film was another horror flick, but this time by the legendary horror director John Carpenter. The Ward follows a woman, played by Amber Heard, who is imprisoned in an asylum and endures an intense haunting by a ghost. The movie has a great story and twists, but unfortunately suffers from being very predictable and by the numbers. Carpenter may be a legend in the horror space, but this film doesn’t accomplish anything new and may be judged more harshly for his involvement. However, Sydney does a great job as young Alice in the film.
Along Came The Devil
2018
In 2018, Sweeney appeared in another small production with Along Came the Devil, previously titled Tell Me Your Name. This was also the first horror movie where Sweeney took on a much more central role and got a chance to showcase both sides of her acting abilities for horror as both a scared young woman left traumatized by her difficult childhood and the monster. During the film, she ends up getting possessed by the devil, and it all feels somewhat reminiscent of The Exorcist.
As a genuine horror, rather than a weaker hybrid of horror comedy, the movie gives Sweeney a chance to show off her abilities, and she does the best she can with the tools she has been given. The effects are quite good, and the story has some highs, but the ending is abrupt and hollow. With a few minor tweaks, this could have been significantly better, but for what it was, it still has plenty worth praising.
Giant Killer Ants
2017
Back to the world of comedy horror, Giant Killer Ants is a worthy addition to horror movies with over-the-top, wacky plots like Sharknado that are fun and goofy, but certainly not intended to be the strongest or best of horror or comedy. As the title suggests, the protagonists are in for a wild adventure as they fight a terrifying army of oversized ants. Sweeney’s role is as a young groupie to a washed-up glam metal rock band, and she is largely sidelined during the movie. However, it is fun and has a decent cast for what it is.
Nocturne
2020
Nocturne is the first horror movie where Sweeney is properly placed front and center, with her character Juliet being incredibly jealous of her older sister. Vivian is a gifted musician who is accepted into Julliard, and Juliet has often lagged behind in her sister’s shadow. However, when tragedy strikes, a book comes into Juliet’s possession that seems to be the answer to all her problems. The movie is an Amazon original, and it’s a genuinely compelling and intense horror film that is leagues apart from the other entries on this list.
Immaculate
2024
Immaculate is Sweeney’s most recent horror film, capitalizing on her growing popularity from shows like Euphoria and movies like Anyone But You. Sweeney is a young nun who is offered a chance to work in the beautiful and idyllic Italian countryside in a convent that caters to elderly dying women of the cloth. However, she quickly discovers that not everything is as it may appear, and Sweeney is given special attention in the convent. The film is a tense religious horror, with a compelling, original story, and cranks up the tension with every passing minute.
The pacing does feel somewhat jarring with time jumps happening with little warning or explanation, but that doesn’t make the mystery any less intense. Like any great horror, Immaculate blurs the lines of morality, forcing Sweeney’s innocent and pure character into increasingly dark and twisted situations. The movie may not be a masterpiece that will be ranked alongside Halloween and Psycho, but it is a great watch for any fans of horror, and Sydney Sweeney’s best performance in a horror movie to date.
