Resuscitating a 50-year-old horror franchise that never managed to replicate the success of the original movie sounds like a bad idea. Yet, The First Omen manages to breathe new life into a tired formula by trumping The Omen in ways we weren’t expecting.
In 1968, Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby became a critic and box office hit, leading Hollywood in a wild chase for the next Antichrist story they could profit from. 1976’s The Omen is one of the few movies released at this moment that endured the test of time. By shifting the focus away from the birth of Satan’s child to the spine-chilling vision of an innocent child ushering in the Apocalypse, The Omen offered something fresh for horror fiends to obsess about, which helps to explain the original movie’s cult following.
The Omen received three sequels and a remake — all failed to leave a lasting impression. One would think that the franchise had already scrapped the bottom of the barrel, and it may be best to let Damien rest. However, The First Omen finds a surprising new angle to explore the franchise.
Set in the weeks preceding the baby exchange that set the events of the original movie into motion, The First Omen explains exactly how Damien came into the world. That’s not a question anyone needed to answer, as the first movie’s wackiest elements tease a satanic plot beyond human comprehension. Fortunately, The First Omen is aware that the only way to make exploring the original movie’s loose threads worthwhile is to give the most insane possible answers. In doing so, the prequel changes the meaning of some of the original’s critical scenes without spoiling the cult classic’s experience.
The First Omen introduces a new character, Margarett (Nell Tiger Free), a young novice sent to work at an orphanage in Rome, where she hopes to give herself to Christ and become a nun. In Rome, Margarett creates an unlikely bond with the dark and mysterious teenager Carlita (Nicole Sorace). There’s something creepy happening at the orphanage, and Carlita seems to be at the center of it. So, while there’s a clear and direct connection to the original movie, the prequel also tries to tell its own story. The goal is to add to The Omen’s mythology without feeling derivative and even develop new plotlines that future movies can potentially explore.
Regarding scares, The First Omen strives to create an oppressive atmosphere where deception and secrecy contribute to making the audience uneasy. The prequel doesn’t always manage to do that, and the first arc, in particular, moves too slowly for its own sake. Nevertheless, The First Omen thrives in other horror staples, conjuring gruesome scenes that make you squirm. These scenes are more present in the movie’s final stretch when it perfectly balances what to show and hide to make you uncomfortable on a scale only a good horror movie can manage.
On that note, it’s essential to underline that The First Omen goes all in to make your skin crawl. Regardless of your mileage with horror movies, some scenes are incredibly unsettling, especially those dealing with heavy subjects such as obstetric violence. Still, it’s not just a matter of shock for shock’s sake, as The First Omen leans into the critical analysis of the orthodox Christian belief that women are created to serve and procreate, nothing else. As a result, women’s bodies are things to surveil, contain, and even desecrate to make sure they fulfill their supposedly God-given purpose. That perspective is what makes some moments of The First Omen utterly disgusting because, beyond the fake blood and exposed viscera, there is the very real pain of losing control of your own body due to archaic moral notions.
While the gore is not for everyone’s taste, the effort to use an established franchise to explore a new idea is commendable. The prequel shines the brightest when it questions the danger of giving a religious institution complete control over your life.
Margarett’s journey in The First Omen is one of self-discovery. Her devotion to God is tested, and she realizes she has a desiring body that should be hers to control. At times, the film will use this quest as an excuse to create titillating scenes, only to unveil the terrors that can emerge from the same sources. Unfortunately, that’s a fascinating thematic tapestry that doesn’t get the depth it deserves.
The biggest issue with The First Omen is how it’s trying to overlap two very distinct movies. On the one hand, it tells the story of Margarett, a woman who is suddenly confronted with a whole world of experiences that exist beyond the limits of Christianity. On the other hand, The First Omen is a prequel that is self-constrained by its reverence for the original. While there’s nothing wrong with the movie positioning itself as a faithful prequel, it can be tiresome to see it echo all the significant deaths of the 1976 classic. The situation is only sadder because The First Omen shows a lot of creativity when it allows itself to steer away from the original movie.
The First Omen is trying to bank on people’s love for The Omen. The prequel reuses soundtrack beats, and the image is covered with a yellow glow that mimics the heat printed in analog film in 1970s productions. But if we are being honest, The Omen is not so crucial that you cannot reinvent it and make it your own. That’s the mark of the best legacy sequels, such as 2021’s Candyman, 2018’s Halloween, and 2022’s Scream. So, while The First Omen is a good horror movie for old fans and newcomers alike, we feel it would be better if it embraced what’s unique and worried less about replicating the original film.
With all that said, The First Omen is all the more impressive when we consider this is the feature directorial debut of Arkasha Stevenson. It’s no easy feat to tackle a well-established franchise, and the pressure is even more significant when you are a newcomer to filmmaking. Still, Stevenson proves she is more than up for the task — we’ll be watching her horror career with great interest.
