It’s time to go back to the start – or at least before the beginning – in Arkasha Stevenson’s The First Omen. Set before the events of The Omen, the prequel follows American Margaret Daino (Nell Tiger Free), who heads to Rome to work at an orphanage and become a nun. While there, she uncovers a plot to birth the Antichrist and what it means for the fate of the world.
Exquisitely shot and boasting rich scenic locations, The First Omen delights the eye with a visually impressive film, but that’s where the excitement ends as it degenerates into typical Hollywood-produced horror fodder that can’t help but copy everyone else’s homework.
A Thorny story
Anyone who watched The Omen should know the inevitable outcome is the birth of Damien Thorn, and this film aims to fill in the missing pieces of the story, especially the how and why. After all, the motivation given in the 1976 movie is that he’s the Antichrist, and the end goal is for him to become the president. (Honestly speaking, the Antichrist might be less evil than some of the world leaders elected right now, so why doesn’t Damien run for a seat and spare everyone the pain already?). Yet, The First Omen twists itself into knots, trying to be too clever and surprising. There’s not a single narrative thread that hasn’t been explored in other (read: better) movies.
In terms of terror factor, The First Omen is stronger when it steps away from the you-see-them-coming-around-the-corner jump scares. It’s a brooding and ominous story that should be more uncomfortable than downright terrifying, and when it commits to those ideals, it largely works. Especially when it alludes to what’s off-screen rather than what’s there because that’s where it rattles the audience and gets under everyone’s skin. Of course, there’s one scene that everyone will be talking about after the movie. It’s not so much as scary as it is shocking to see, but it lands in a major “did I just see that?” way.
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Tropes, tropes, and more tropes
Nell Tiger Free puts in a committed performance as Margaret, especially in The First Omen‘s final act that’s rife with body horror galore. However, there’s only so much she can do with this one-dimensional character or predictable storyline. Every development in Margaret’s arc is telegraphed to the point that it’ll be surprising if a viewer doesn’t see the twist in the tale.
Unfortunately, other performances don’t stand out too much since they’re all riffs on popular horror archetypes. The creepy nun with something to hide? Check. The priest whom everyone believes is a liar, but he’s proven right in the end? Check. The weird, quiet girl who draws evil pictures? Double check. At times, it almost feels like a Scary Movie-inspired parody in terms of how on the nose these characters are written and how they add absolutely nothing new to the genre.
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Should you watch The First Omen?
While Aaron Morton’s cinematography proves to be expertly laden with deep symbolism and Arkasha Stevenson demonstrates incredible skill in her feature film directorial debut, The First Omen plays like a compilation of every horror movie trope and tired ideas. It looks great, but that’s it. While it might not be as disappointing as The Exorcist: Believer, it fails to reignite any interest in The Omen franchise. There are far better horror films that deserve everyone’s attention this year.
The First Omen |
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A young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, but encounters a darkness that causes her to question her faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate. |
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| Studio: Phantom Four |
| Running Time: 2h |
| Release Date: April 5, 2024 |
| Cast: Nell Tiger Free, Tawfeek Barhom, Sônia Braga, Ralph Ineson, Bill Nighy |
| Director: Arkasha Stevenson |
| Writers: Tim Smith, Arkasha Stevenson, Keith Thomas |
| Genre: Horror |
| Box Office: n/a |
The Review
The First Omen
The First Omen is a by-the-numbers horror that borrows too much and delivers too little.
