The First Omen is a sinful delight | review

Nell Tiger Free in The First Omen. Courtesy of 20th Century Studios.

Preceding the 1976 classic, The First Omen follows a young nun-to-be who discovers an insidious plot to bring about the antichrist

Unlike other recent “requels” that are simply retreads of their originals, The First Omen mostly stands on its own as an homage to the original — and the Giallo horrors of the 70s — while feeling fresh and modern. With devilishly delectable imagery as beautiful as it is horrifying, it trades cheap jumpscares for dread-filled tension that gets under your skin and delivers a diabolical thrill that lasts after the credits roll.

The First Omen is in theaters now.

Some horror movies bill themselves as cheap thrills. A fun ride that gives you a temporary rush that ends the second it’s over. Other movies are slower. They methodically sink into your skin. Biding their time so that when you realize how far they’ve sunken in it’s too late. That’s how The First Omen feels. A true blasphemous religious horror that may not feel immediately scary, but the way it presents its story of possession is so deeply disturbing that the walk home from the theater is just as terrifying as the movie itself. It’s the kind of horror that makes you feel dirty after watching it. Like you just saw something you shouldn’t. And that’s real horror.

It’s a surprise considering the recent spell of so-called horror “requels” — sequels or prequels to classic movies that are both a continuation and retread of the original — have felt like cheap gags or clear money grabs that rely on fan service ranging from great (Luca Guadagnino’s Supiria) to fine (David Gordon Green’s Halloween) to downright detestable (David Blue Garcia’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre). The First Omen manages to be an homage to the original — and the Giallo horrors of the 70s — while feeling fresh and modern. It stands without any knowledge of the original 1976 The Omen. In some ways, it weaponizes your knowledge of the original against you.

The movie also begins in Rome where Father Brennan (Ralph Ineson) presses Father Harris (Game of Thrones’s Charles Dance) on an ominous photo of a child with the name “Scianna” scrawled on the back. Harris is visibly disturbed by the question but says, “It was an unnatural birth.” Right then, in slow motion stained glass begins falling around the men. Cinematographer Aaron Morton’s naturalistic lighting and grainy compositions are as beautiful as it is eerie. While disaster seems to be averted, when Father Harris turns to leave Brennan realizes a chunk of his skull is missing.

It’s the kind of quiet visceral terror that sets The First Omen apart from most modern horror. It’s not the surprise of the scare. It’s the unholiness of the image.

American nun-to-be Margaret Daino (Nell Tiger Free) arrives at Vizzardeli Orphanage to take her vows. She’s bright-eyed and optimistic about her new future but quickly realizes that things might not be as idyllic as she originally thought. Especially when she realizes that one of the children Carlita (Nicole Sorace) is not only ostracized by the other children but feared and mistreated by the nuns who often lock her in the ominously named “bad room” for her erratic behavior like when she inexplicably licks Margaret’s face. Director Arkasha Stevenson maintains a dread-filled atmosphere rather than continually hitting us with unnecessary jump scares. Scenes like Margaret witnessing childbirth rely on what we don’t see as much as on what we see — blood, a dilated pupil, and… is that a demon hand coming out of her?!

In another sequence where Margaret’s roommate and fellow nun-to-be Luz (Maria Caballero) convinces her to go out for one last night of debauchery where she meets Paolo (Andrea Arcangeli). When she follows him onto the dance floor, the strobe lights begin to obscure the image alternating between light and dark. But in those split seconds that we can see small gestures like Paolo pulling her hair back or a hand reaching for flesh feel disturbing until it culminates with Margaret licking his face just as Carlita did to her. The horror is in the image and in the parallel even if it isn’t shocking.

Margaret’s journey will take her down a dark path that involves mutilations, freak accidents and, of course, a public suicide just like in the original. However, none of it feels cheap even when the story at times feels like it’s trying too hard to shock you. When it leans in on its dark atmosphere The First Omen fully pulls you in. Even as an atheist, my Catholic upbringing had me reeling at some of the imagery that felt nothing short of evil. The kind of thrill I chase in my horror.

The First Omen is one of the great horror movies of the year against all odds. Sit back and bask in the sinful delight.

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Hey! I’m Karl. You can find me on Twitter here. I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic.

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Karl Delossantos

Hey, I'm Karl, founder and film critic at Smash Cut. I started Smash Cut in 2014 to share my love of movies and give a perspective I haven't yet seen represented. I'm also an editor at The New York Times, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and a member of the Online Film Critics Society.