When I first learned about The First Omen (2024) trailer which came out earlier this year and which is a prequel to the well known 1976 horror film The Omen, I was quite skeptical. The original movie directed by Richard Donner is among the most essential films of the horror genre, while its sequels and a remake have left a sour taste in the audience, now the concept of a prequel look a bit more greedy, another attempt at profiting off of a franchise that had been dead for years, when I was watching The First Omen, I did not feel like I was watching a lame or dull movie, as to be honest I was expecting, pulling off horror movie is not an easy thing and most people think its just blood and a few spook here and there.
The movie is based in 1971 and it describes the life of Margaret Daino, role played by Nell Tiger Free, who is a novice who is sent to Rome to fulfill her vow and serve God, invited by Cardinal Lawrence role played by Bill Nighy, Margaret is transferred to Vizzardeli Orphanage where she finds a friend and confidant in a young girl named Carlita Scianna skillfully played by Nicole Sorace, with the help of Father Brennan played by Ralph Ineson, Margaret discovers that there is a lot more than meets the eye at the orphanage a plan that could result in the coming of the Antichrist.
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18177528/ - Platform: Amazon - Release: May 28, 2024
A Fresh Perspective on Religious Horror
Setting the Scene
The beginning scene of the film provides a background of two priests, the main character, Father Harris, played by Charles Dance, and another priest, Father Brennan played by Ralph Ineson who are engaged in a discussion about a cursed child, you might think OK here comes The Omen right away but this is what makes the movie special, its not just about The Omen and not as simple as bring him to Earth, but off course this is the atmosphere that dominates the rest of the film that is filled with genre references to religious iconography and gloomy motifs, the use of the historical period setting of 1971 Rome as the backdrop for the supernatural events gives the story a more believable air.
Character Development
As a first impression for me one of the most significant aspects is the development of the characters, Margaret Daino is an interesting protagonist of a story who is trapped between faith and the horrors that she discovers, who had to abandon part of her childhood believes like accepting those who take care of here had their own agenda. Nell Tiger Free shines in her portrayal of the film’s protagonist Margaret, and her gradual transformation from a carefree girl into a panicking one, this last part kept evolving same as her bond with Carlita is one of the main driving forces of the story, what actually make her take the first steps into going against the other sisters and their ways.
Building Tension
There is no rush in any scene as director Arkasha Stevenson patiently waits for the tension to rise, this is another important part of the film, how they balance the horror with mystery so the audience is not constantly scare to death. This pacing proves effective as the tension steadily rises with every scene, crafting the path to the end. Stevenson takes his time with the film’s events and each scene is tuned to create and maintain suspense on top of how production uses lighting and cinematography is good to create a creepy mood and it seems that every scene is filled with danger, always made me look at Margaret back, waiting for something or someone to jump her.
The Supernatural Elements
Unpacking the Horror & Religion
Given that the movie is a prequel to The Omen (1976) it is not surprising that there is a big focus on supernatural horror, but instead of depending on simple scares or even over the top gimmicky special effects, Stevenson brought something different that I could understand some might feel the movie failed to represent evil itself but once you watch the movie you will understand it was not about The Omen itself, it was more about the path, how everything happen to get there, this gives the horror a sense of realism and therefore increases the effect of drama and mystery rather than just scary evil.
The all mighty presence of the church is also embedded in Margaret’s daily routine at the orphanage as well as the emotional twister she has to go through due to religious beliefs and I think this brings another level of conflict to the story, as Margaret loses faith in Church, but as Father Brennan explains her, the Church who wants control and this transition corresponds to her fall into disbelieve, towards the end I felt she care more about the human side rather than any of the church or believes, considering how she remain together with Carlita and her daughter in the mountains asking only to leave them alone, in peace, together.
Visual and Thematic Elements
Cinematography and Visual Style
This is one of the most noticeable aspects of the movie, its look and feel with Aaron Morton the man behind the camera and he did a great job in portraying the beauty and the danger of Rome especially when he utilized light and shadows to augment the mystery of Rome. The orphanage itself in the film had a touch of gothic in structure and coupled with low illumination inside the compound adds to the general theme of oppression that drastically increase when Margaret enter the secret room where all file where kept.
Themes of Autonomy and Control
The way how the cult / church kept Margaret and Carlita against their will and force her into this evil procedure is a breaking point in the story, therefore evident that the church has a profound impact on their lives from the physical to the emotional to the psychological, as the sinister conspiracy serves to remind the viewer of the cost of unchecked authority and abuse of control.
The First Omen is a horror film inspired by such movies as the first part of The Omen (1976) and Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby (1968), from what I could find online this is not commonly use as reference to the movie but mention a couple of times by others review, this two movies which provide the link between this film and the other with similar theme in a indirect way, this makes me believe its the reason why Stevenson herself gives the film a touch of horror films from the seventies that underline the mood and suspense rather than graphic violence.
The First Omen is an excellent film which should be included to the Omen movie series as it brings a new vision of an old material, despite the film’s belonging to the horror genre, confident direction by Arkasha Stevenson and exceptionally believable acting by Nell Tiger Free allowed the project to raise the bar way higher for similar productions in the future turning the horror franchise’s formula of gradual building up of tension at the same time elevated by the emphasis placed on character and mood, creates an satisfying experience blend of horror and mystery.
I have to confes that the plot at as any other Omen movie felt predictable and I think is a burden but the ending may not quite be what some people are looking or expecting, it could even make the audience felt that the movie is not completed but for others more positive make them excited because now there is an open door for a sequel.
If you are one of the fans of the Omen movies, you would probably like to know how one of the most evil villains in horror movies started and that is exactly what the First Omen gives us. At the same time I think the movie has a friendly format as between events the story of how everything started is explain in details, this work great for new viewers as it can be watched as a movie on its own without any knowledge of the series it belongs to.
The First Omen (2024) is one of those movies that make me felt satisfied in every single aspect, the most important that it kept me wondering and wanting more from the story, never felt rush or scary to the point that made me felt like skipping scenes, nothing felt excessively gross, bloody or scary, a movie so very well balance that I could even recommend to someone who does not like this type of evil ish movies.
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