MOVIE REVIEW – The First Omen embarks on a daring venture: delving into the roots of The Omen series through a nunsploitation film to narrate the story of Damien’s birth, the devilish child from the first movie. Can this novel perspective and the classic genre, especially after the recently released “The Immaculate,” along with new characters, bring a fresh hue to the familiar, devilish tale, or does it simply add another chapter to the endless chronicle of horror movies? And of course, the most critical question for horror aficionados: can this new episode stand up to the high standards set by The Omen series?

 

 

It’s intriguing to consider The Omen saga as a unique film series upon closer inspection. It all began with Richard Donner’s 1976 film “The Omen,” featuring Hollywood legend Gregory Peck as an American patriarch who, unbeknownst to them, raises the antichrist, Damien. This story remains impressively effective decades later. “Damien: Omen II” arrived in 1978, boasting creative death scenes but falling slightly short of its predecessor. The original trilogy somewhat tiredly concluded in 1981 with “The Final Conflict,” which not even Sam Neill’s diabolical performance could save. The series seemingly rebooted with a lukewarmly received TV movie, “Omen IV: The Awakening,” in 1991, quickly fading into obscurity. Another reboot attempt came in 2006 with “The Omen,” stylish yet a jumbled mess content-wise, quickly forgotten despite its strong cast. Television series were also produced, in 1995 “The Omen” and in 2016 “Damien,” but neither stood out. Surprisingly, we’ve received many adaptations of this series. The idea of a prequel to the original film? Not bad at all. And the result? Surprisingly effective, though not without significant flaws.

 

 

The Devil’s Childhood: A Rethinking from the Beginning

 

The First Omen follows the adventures of an American woman, Margaret (played by Nell Tiger Free), who arrives in Rome to dedicate her life to the church. However, she soon confronts a demonic force that fundamentally shakes her faith. This journey is not just a personal test but part of a larger conspiracy filled with dark secrets leading to the deepest recesses of the human soul. Throughout the film, Margaret battles not only her own demons but also faces an evil whose goal is to ensure the incarnation of ultimate evil into the world.

The First Omen boasts an exciting cast, including Bill Nighy, Ralph Ineson, Sônia Braga, and Tawfeek Barhom, with Nicole Sorace in one of the key roles. The relationship between the two central women, Margaret and Carlita Skianna (played by Nicole Sorace), forms a powerful thread that illuminates the film’s dark atmosphere. Carlita becomes Margaret’s closest ally, harboring deep and dark secrets that eventually play a crucial role in unveiling the true nature of the mysterious events in the convent.

Directed by Arkasha Stevenson, making her debut in feature films, The First Omen was written by Stevenson alongside Tim Smith, Keith Thomas, and Ben Jacoby, with a haunting score by Mark Korven enhancing the film’s dark and mystical mood.

 

 

A Masterpiece of Art or a Diabolical Misfire?

 

The First Omen evokes mixed feelings. On one hand, expanding the backstory of the original “The Omen” film is a risky endeavor, and many new elements seem exaggerated, melodramatic, and inconsistent. Moreover, there are strong logical leaps both in terms of the franchise as a whole and the film’s own narrative. The story notably ignores the 2006 remake, which suggested Damien’s mother was not human but a half-human, half-jackal named Maria Avedici Santoya, whose jackal-headed skeleton was found in the 2006 “The Omen.”

On the other hand, the cast is simply stunning, especially Nell Tiger Free, who is utterly mesmerizing in the lead role (she was the best in AppleTV+’s excellent series “Servant“). When compared to Sydney Sweeney, who also played a lead role in “The Immaculate,” Tiger Free would easily outperform Sweeney on screen if they were in a film together. Tiger Free masterfully reveals multiple facets of her character: innocent, curious, confused, yet incredibly determined, sensual and seductive in some scenes, and utterly fierce and “demonic” when required by the scene. There’s a scene so intense that reportedly some crew members couldn’t bear to watch it and left the set, later finding it difficult to look the actress in the eye during filming. Tiger Free, in many ways, carries her character from “Servant” into this film, a realization she reportedly came to only during filming.

The rest of the cast also shines. Bill Nighy brings his best, and Ralph Ineson’s grim character heightens the story’s ominous tone – even if his voice is sometimes indecipherably husky in the original English version (we watched the film dubbed).

The film’s real strength lies in Arkasha Stevenson’s impressive, gothic direction, making her debut as a feature film director. Her “Grand Guignol” art, filled with grotesque horror elements, creates an atmosphere that offers even deeper chills than the Suspiria remake, with nightmarish music and breathtaking, eerie visuals.

 

 

The Devil is in the Details

 

Unfortunately, the film’s middle section is painfully slow, and the forced, groan-inducing finale seems to lay the groundwork for a new Omen trilogy, cynically building for the future. Nonetheless, the direction is visually stunning, the performances are of high caliber, and the entire work is occasionally deeply moving. While The First Omen doesn’t fit perfectly before the 1976 “The Omen,” it certainly brings more ambition and freshness than anything since “Damien: Omen II” in 1978. If you’re craving a bloody, grim satanic tale and aren’t yet sick of the nunsploitation films like the recent “The Nun II,” Netflix’s “Sister of Death,” and “The Immaculate,” then The First Omen might just be the occult classic you’re looking for.

-Gergely Herpai (BadSector)-