The First Omen has the grand misfortune of popping out scorching on the heels of Immaculate, a nun-centered horror film that bears greater than a glancing resemblance to this prequel to 1976’s The Omen.

Each plots revolve round a younger and exquisite American novitiate, new to an Italian convent, going through stern Catholic authority and penetrating forces of evil. Stylistically; nevertheless, they’re fairly totally different. Immaculate relishes within the attractive star energy of Sydney Sweeney in its delve into nunsploitation, however exhibits a contemporary squeamishness in the case of onscreen violence. The First Omen is a pastiche in Nineteen Seventies model and pacing, however pulls no punches in the case of gore.

In case you’re after a film a couple of tormented nun that actually goes for the gusto, The First Omen must be your decide.

What’s The First Omen about?

Invoice Nighy as Lawrence.
Credit score: Moris Puccio / twentieth Century Studios

Set in 1969 Rome, The First Omen begins with Margaret (Servant‘s Nell Tiger Free), a doe-eyed younger lady from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, who grew up as a ward of the Catholic church. Invited by Cardinal Lawrence (Invoice Nighy) to affix a convent, the place the sisters look after orphaned women and unwed moms, Margaret is raring to contribute and to take her vows. However shortly after her arrival, this fish out of water begins to suspect one thing is off within the spiritual sanctum, and it appears to revolve round an issue youngster named Carlita Scianna (Nicole Sorace). 

The place the opposite kids have vibrant smiles, rosy cheeks, and flowers of their hair, Carlita carries baggage below her darkish eyes and a perpetually grim expression. She attracts troubling pictures and is uncomfortably near a creepy nun (a requisite of this subgenre), whose high-pitched giggle is like nails on a chalkboard.

Whereas a fellow novitiate (a beguiling Maria Caballero) cajoles Margaret to concentrate on the optimistic and embrace her youth and physique earlier than signing herself over to the church for good, the harried heroine is stricken by darkish visions of vicious nuns and a horrid clawed hand reaching out for her. Are these hallucinations of an overactive creativeness? Or is Margaret getting omens of one thing horrible to come back? 

How does The First Omen tie to The Omen (1976)?

Ralph Ineson as Father Brennan in “The First Omen.”
Credit score: Moris Puccio / twentieth Century Studios

There are some connective characters in frequent with the unique, together with Father Brennan. The priest performed by the late Patrick Troughton within the 1976 model is portrayed by Sport of Thrones‘ Ralph Ineson. Right here, Brennan is an ally of Margaret’s who’s researching rumors a couple of conspiracy to convey concerning the antiChrist. Different cryptic connections and callbacks will probably be made, together with a grisly loss of life that evokes the chilling catchphrase, “It is all for you!” 

How else this prequel units up its predecessor can probably be guessed by The First Omen‘s very existence. The purpose of this movie will not be an excessive amount of the vacation spot however the journey. To the credit score of director and co-writer Arkasha Stevenson (Model New Cherry Taste), she imbues the movie with atmospheric dread that feels true to the unique. The rating programs with choral singing distorted to show the human voices into nightmarish squalls. The colour scheme is match for shadows, permitting creeping nuns to emerge as mighty and terrifyingly as Michael Myers in a suburban closet. 

At occasions, the scares are predictable, however in a well intentional manner. Stevenson is aware of a horror savvy audiences will probably be hip to the beats of such methods, and makes use of that to her benefit. As an example, as a personality fearfully retreats to cross a avenue — we’d rightly predict he’ll be hit by a automotive. This expectation pulls us to the sting of our seats in anxious anticipation. However after we’re confirmed proper, Stevenson would not allow us to off the hook with a bounce scare and a fast demise — as was typically the case in The Omen.

She lingers on the aftermath, the damage, the blood, the bodily agony and emotional anguish, not permitting us the aid a bounce scare typically gives. Nonetheless, the close-ups of such garish graphic violence can provide diminishing returns. Typically the extended publicity to such intense imagery is affecting, as if we’re caught in a nightmare from which we will’t look away. However different occasions Stevenson’s generosity in displaying such graphic violence sours to crazy, as some sensible results look higher in glimpses than lengthy gazes. (See the modifying of Jaws for a basic instance.) 

Nell Tiger Free provides her all in The First Omen. 

Nell Tiger Free as Margaret and María Caballero as Luz.
Credit score: Moris Puccio / twentieth Century Studios

Whereas this perturbing prequel delivers on graphic violence in a manner Immaculate willfully avoids, it falls prey to the identical pitfall of characterization.

Make no mistake, Free is devoted in her efficiency. Enjoying a heroine who’s put via the ringer, emotionally, bodily, and psychologically, — hell, even ideologically — Free is pushed to precise herself not solely via bulging eyes, panicked screams, and full-body shivers, but in addition bodily contortions that might veer into goofy in a lesser actor’s fingers. Nonetheless, her efforts are undermined by the screenplay, penned by Stevenson, Tim Smith, and Keith Thomas. 

Chockful of twists, turns, and Omen lore (new and previous), the movie has so many hoops to leap via in its runtime that what’s shortchanged is establishing Margaret. Like Immaculate, the nun heroine is launched upon her arrival to Italy, fresh-faced and desirous to serve Jesus. Positive, a tragic backstory is plopped down in dialogue to provide her some context. However Margaret is clumsily outlined as candy and harmless, and never a lot else.

These traits make her a suitably angelic archetype for the horror story that may observe, which delves into how spiritual authority dehumanizes girls, decreasing them to Madonna, whore, or vessel. However the lack of depth within the protagonist’s character deadens the affect of her ache. Margaret feels extra like a caricature than an individual, and so, whereas the metaphor works, the emotional observe via doesn’t.

Is The First Omen scary? 

Nell Tiger Free as Margaret and Nicole Sorace as Carlita.
Credit score: Moris Puccio / twentieth Century Studios

Reasonably.

Admittedly, rising up Catholic I’m a very arduous critic on horror films round Christian ideology. Any given Sunday a priest would possibly say one thing on the pulpit extra horrifying than the issues I’ve seen in dozens of those films. Nonetheless, I respect this Stevenson’s dedication to striving for the tone and the unique. Too typically in reboots and prequels and regardless of the Scream franchise has devolved into, the intention to attain the tone of the unique looks like winking set dressing meant as fan service. Right here, the temper brings us again to 1976 and the distinctive terror of Richard Donner’s basic movie, however with out feeling hole in its admiration.

By mimicking the pacing of the unique, Stevenson neatly folds within the basic and the up to date, bringing in a post-torture porn period thirst for blood that results in some genuinely alarming on display screen violence. Whereas general the movie left me a bit underwhelmed, Stevenson’s depiction of demons is undeniably nightmare gas and can guarantee The First Omen a spot of honor within the maternity horror canon for one snatching shot particularly. Nonetheless, Stevenson’s lust for carnage results in indulgence, and being skinny on character improvement makes the movie’s emotional terror extra frail than fraught. 

In the long run,The First Omen gives beneficiant splashes of gore, bounce scared, and dread. So if you happen to’re seeing one thing extra spooky than scary, or extra haunting than horrifying, this spiritual thriller will scratch that itch with an extended, putrid claw.

The First Omen opens in theaters April 5.