The First Omen

“In this psychological horror prequel to the classic Omen films, a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church. Soon, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her faith, and that reveals a terrifying conspiracy to bring about the birth of evil incarnate. The First Omen stars Nell Tiger Free (Servant), Tawfeek Barhom (Mary Magdalene), Sonia Braga (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Ralph Ineson (The Northman) and Bill Nighy (Living). The film is directed by Arkasha Stevenson based on characters created by David Seltzer (The Omen), with a story by Ben Jacoby (Bleed) and a screenplay by Tim Smith & Arkasha Stevenson and Keith Thomas (Firestarter).”

For me, religious horror can often be hit or miss. There are certain aspects about religion in general that lend themselves to the mysterious and unknown, making for an inherently interesting and genuinely suspenseful story if done right. Within the sub-genre of religious horror you can probably branch off hundreds of different ways: films such as The Last Exorcism with a crisis of faith, Midsommar with not as much supernaturally themed but ancient-cult-like story, and the good old fashioned Exorcist with demonic possession, head spinning, and projectile green-bile through and through.

As with any other specialized genre, filmmakers always run the risk of oversaturation with stories that don’t add anything new. Unfortunately for The First Omen, this type of story is all-too common, and it takes something spectacular to set it apart from what has come before. With four films before it, a remake, not to mention other Anti-Christ films like Rosemary’s Baby. The deck is stacked against it, but that being said, this film has some genuinely disturbing moments that I’ll never forget, and it did exactly what it needed to to set itself apart from the rest.

The First Omen is a prequel to the 1976 film, with a nice little connection at the end that I enjoyed. It follows an American woman named Margaret (Nell Tiger Free), an aspiring nun who has come to Rome to help serve at an orphanage, much like the one she grew up in. As she learns the ways and customs of Italy, as well as the children in her care, she learns of disturbing occurrences surrounding one particular young girl, and discovers a conspiracy amongst the Church with a sinister intent.

I found The First Omen to be a bit of a slow burn. The beginning of the film suffers from some pacing issues, as well as some all-around confusing moments. Nothing so much story-wise, but the characters just aren’t presented as unique enough to get a sense of who is who. In an orphanage full of nuns wearing similar clothing, this can present a bit of a problem when something sinister happens and you don’t know who exactly it’s happening to. This issue begins to resolve itself a bit when the story takes a turn and doesn’t take place entirely in the orphanage, which is around the time things start to get interesting. For those that are fans of the horror genre and like a bit of psychological trauma in your viewing will get a healthy dose in this film. There are moments that I just had to turn away, and I’m usually not one for being squeamish when it comes to the horror genre.

The First Omen does some interesting things with the story that introduces us to the original trilogy. It takes a bit of time to get there, but there are parts of the journey that are unforgettable.

We were given a digital code to review this film, which is currently available digitally to rent or purchase, and is also free to watch with those with subscriptions to Hulu.

This being a 20^th Century Studios (formerly Fox) release, it’s a pleasant surprise that the film is getting a physical release at the end of July. Watch it now, or wait until the physical release, you are presented with quite a few options in ways to see this film, but if you’re a fan of The Omen franchise, this is a deserving introduction to a cult series.