Written by: Ryan Dailey
The Omen, directed by Richard Donner in 1976 is a bonafide horror must see. It is essentially required viewing for any fan of the genre, much like The Exorcist. The original film still holds up today and set a bar for horror cinema.
And The First Omen shocking lives up to its predecessor’s name. Something that the, as of this writing, Crow film should learn from.
In a stunning and welcome change, this prequel film can be watched and then immediately followed by a viewing of the original film and it is almost a seamless transition. The filmmakers succeeded in using a perfect 1970’s color palette and managed to insert scares reminiscent of the original in their symbolism and subtlety.
Arkasha Stevenson’s feature film directorial debut comes out swinging.
Margaret Daino (Nell Tiger Free) plays a transplant to Rome who takes a job at an orphanage prior to taking her vows. The young woman is enthralled with the new city, enjoying her life before she does commit to her vows of chastity and poverty.
One of Margeret’s peers, Luz, played by Maria Cabillario, convinces the young Margeret to dress provocatively and experience Italy at night. This is a choice that the young woman would come to regret, however, as Margeret wakes up the next morning, unable to recall what happened between her and a male club patron the night before. Margaret soon finds herself knee deep in a conspiracy that goes deeper than she could ever imagine.
2006 saw a reboot of the franchise and universally left a bad taste in the mouths of audiences and critics everywhere. The First Omen course corrects this abomination and delivers a film that not only is a worthy addition to the franchise, but also is a solid, stand alone film for casual fans of horror. This horror warrior is hoping that this is a positive trend coming to films in the future.
The First Omen opened in theaters on April 5, 2024 and is currently showing as of this writing.