The First Omen is a confusing prequel to the original that tries to elevate the story but doesn’t stand out enough to justify its existence.
The film follows Sister Margaret, a young Nun who travels to Rome to take her vows. Whilst working in an orphanage, she discovers a secret plan to birth the anti-Christ.
Its got a good story but it’s not a story that needs to be connected to The Omen
“How do you control people who no longer believe”
Image credit: hollywoodreporter.com
The First Omen sits snug among many other modern horror films produced by big studios. It’s full of cheap scares and shallow acting. However, the film is elevated by its visceral gore and incredible cinematography and score.
The Omen as a franchise is one that is slightly outdated nowadays. The first is a slow burn ominous film that keeps you guessing throughout its runtime, and the sequels are an absolute mess.
Moving away from the traditional American setting, the audience is launched into the sun drenched city of Rome. It’s a stunning setting that is used to perfection.
As an audience you are moved from the claustrophobic halls of the orphanage, to the sleaze of an Italian nightclub. Each location more terrifying than the last.
The acting at times is spotty, many of the extras and side characters don’t stand out enough to make them very engaging. A standout would be many of the nuns, they act as set dressing rather than real characters.
However, lead actress Nell Tiger Free knocks it out the park as Margaret. She is a very complex character and Free is able to balance the manic side of her fantastically.
The cinematography is another huge highlight for this film. A particular shot involving a nun at the end of a hallway gave me chills. Cinematographer Aaron Morton provides so much life to the film in almost every shot.
The score is also another fantastic element in The First Omen, recreating many of the arrangements used in the original whilst adding different sounds.
Obliviously the horror is one of the most important aspects to the film, and the horror this time around is in your face. Every death and every injury look horrifying and are a little over the top. The re-creation hanging kill is over the top and is slightly laughable.
Scare wise, the film uses jump scares and more subtle means to scare the audience. Sadly, the jump scares aren’t very effective because of the other scares are very subtle.
“You create something to fear”
Image credit: plex.com
The First Omen isn’t able to reach the heights of the original, but stand slightly above many other horror films coming out nowadays.
I’m a big fan of The Omen, i think it’s slightly underrated in the modern horror landscape, so I was disappointing by this films lack of identity. Throwing in homages to the original to get a reaction from fans felt lazy.
It’s worth seeing if you are a fan of horror, just make sure you aren’t eating whilst watching this film. The graphic birthing scenes are pretty gruesome.
Featured image credit: Empire.com
Fourth year Film and Journalism student
Deputy editor
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