Any horror film that is a part of a legacy franchise is bound to be met with some apprehensiveness given their track records. Most of those reboots and spinoffs aren’t nearly as fun or scary, nor do they extend the mythology or honor the originals. However, “The First Omen” isn’t one of those. With writer/director Arkasha Stevenson at the helm, we get something that’s nostalgic but also contemporary in its commentary through the female lens.
Set in 1971 and starring Nell Tiger Free (Game of Thrones) as American nun-to-be Margaret, who’s traveling to Rome to take the veil, “The First Omen” reveals the horrific events leading up to Damien’s inception. Using the original Omen as the foundation for telling an origins story, the prequel sets the stage for the forthcoming film by cleverly hiding Easter eggs and being more of a visually striking horror flick rather than the traditional blood bath and jump-scare-driven flick.
The actual film opens with Father Brennan (Ralph Ineson) confronting Father Harris (Charles Dance) about a dark occult conspiracy that would bring the birth of the anti-Christ. A shaken Harris knows Brennan is powerless to stop the inevitable, yet provides him a photograph with a name “Scianna” written on the back.
A young Margaret arrives in Rome, Italy at the height of leftists protesting against the low ages and the powerful influence the church has over the government. The young nun is excited to be working with old friends like Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy), a senior member of the Catholic church at a secluded orphanage. She will also be working closely with Father Gabriel (Tawfeek Barhom). Lawrence says Margaret has a huge role to play as she may be the one to change the course and bring back people to the church.
When she arrives, she is welcomed by Sister Silvia (Sona Braga), the Abbess of Vizzardeli Orphanage in Rome, and later on, her free-spirited roommate Luz Caballero (Maria Valez), who is determined to spend her last days as a hedonistic young woman before she takes up the evil.
Though it looks like the orphanage has nothing to hide, Margaret notices some unusual occurrences. The orphanage – which also doubles as a medical clinic concentrating on women who got pregnant out of wedlock – is massive. So, there are a lot of patients to tend to. But Margaret remains committed to the veil and the spread the good word. She then forges a connection with Carlita (Nicole Sorace) because she also had a challenging upbringing.
The orphanage says the troubled Carlita has been having bad visions and is often sent to the seclusive “bad room” for her bad behavior and acts of violence. Her drawings of a pregnant woman being restrained are especially concerning. However the orphanage doesn’t seem to be troubled by the disturbing imagery and isn’t phased by Sister Anjelica’s suicide.
Later on Brennan reaches out to Margaret to speak to her about the conspiracy the Catholic church is devising. He warns the young nun that Carlita is intended to be the mother of the Antichrist. At first, Margaret is skeptical. However, given the hallucinations Margaret has been experiencing and the clues that she has been uncovering, she is starting to believe that Brennan is on to something. And soon, the young nun finds herself going down deeper into the dark and sinister rabbit hole.
“The First Omen” is a pro-choice period piece set decades ago but is thematically contemporary because it deals with issues that many women face today when it comes to body autonomy. The film is one of the few, the other being “Immaculate,” to be so unabashed about addressing what happens to a woman’s body when men are making the decisions. Much of it is a reflection of the world that we live in today, and how mysognists perverts religion to justify their actions because they believe they are doing it for God.
So even though the film is part of an iconic horror ip, Stevenson honors it with the right amount of nostalgia and gives it new life by inserting contemporary themes about female autonomy. The film’s striking visuals and dynamic sonic horrors are searing and piercing. Mark Korven’s score is shivering, yet pays homage to the original, while Anton Morton’s disorienting camera work makes the viewer question if they can believe what they are seeing – which only adds to the psychological thrills. One scene, we see Margret in a maternity ward witnessing a distressed out of wedlock pregnant woman forced to give birth. Lingering shots of ice cold metal surgical tools mark how painful the procedural will be, and the way the unwilling patient goes from trying to break free from her restraints to limp but still can give a demonic smile is cringy and scary.
Credit also goes to editors Amy E. Duddleston and Bob Murawski, for keeping “The First Omen” moving smoothly while also having viewers question their sanity. Like Margaret, we never can quite understand what she saw. It doesn’t make her an unreliable guide but rather it helps us better connect with her because she is the only one we can trust. “The First Omen” isn’t afraid to expose the violations of stripping away a woman’s autonomy through the lens of female body horror. The graphic full-frontal birth serves as a metaphor for how painful taking away agency can be, while the gaslighting provides a warped sense of reality. And Free does an outstanding job of taking us by the hand and running for our lives.
If there are any qualms about “The First Omen,” it would have to be with how it is a prequel. Which is unfortunate for anyone who has watched the original and its sequels. Though knowing the subsequent events isn’t a determent to the viewing experience, most will know who will give birth to the AntiChrist despite its various attempts to throw audiences off course. Additionally, the knowledge of what’s to occur also contributes to the lulls and predictability.
Despite some of the creative missteps, “The First Omen” succeeds in being a terrifying body horror film that released during a post-Roe Vs. Wade era. By exploring the franchise’s origins through a female lens, we get a refreshing and timely story that afraid to expose the violations of stripping away a woman’s autonomy. The graphic full-frontal birth serves as a metaphor for how painful taking away agency can be, while the gaslighting provides a warped sense of reality. And with Free’s outstanding performance as Margaret, along with the supporting cast, “The First Omen” puts us front in center of witnessing a woman of the veil having her faith tested by those who she thought she could trust frightening possibility of living in a world where a woman’s right to choose is stripped away from her.
“The First Omen” is out on digital now and releases on Blu-ray and DVD on July 30, 2024.
Here’s the full list of bonus features that could be found on the Digital verison of “The First Omen:”
Bonus Features*
Featurette
• The Mystery of Margaret – Join director Arkasha Stevenson and stars Nell Tiger Free, Bill Nighy and Maria Caballero as they dive into the character of Margaret, her relationships with other characters, and how she’s manipulated while trying to solve the film’s horrifying mystery.
• The Director’s Vision – Director Arkasha Stevenson talks about her love of horror films, the opportunity to expand on The Omen legacy, and crafting The First Omen entirely through a female lens. She also describes shooting in Rome, and the cast recounts working with Arkasha.
• Signs of The First Omen – Join the director and talented artists as they reveal some of the symbolism within the set designs and the costumes. Learn how the use of practical effects blurs the line between what is real and what is not in The First Omen’s terrifying world.
