In THE FIRST OMEN, we get the prequel to the classic 1970s film THE OMEN that no one wanted but nonetheless turned out surprisingly good.
This movie might have slipped past my radar but for that killer trailer with a lot of creepy images playing backwards and set to the wonderfully moody “If I Had a Heart” by Fever Ray. Though I knew not to ever get my hopes up too high based on a trailer, the effect grabbed me and enticed me to watch as soon as it started streaming.
In the movie, Margaret, a young American notiviate (preparing to become a nun), travels to Rome to work at a Catholic orphanage, where she uncovers a conspiracy to produce the birth of the Antichrist.
So, did we need this? Not really, though the film isn’t a cash grab on familiarity but instead uses it as a launch pad to find its own creepy identity. Since this is a prequel, we know basically where everything is going, and while the result isn’t very surprising, it’s great to look at, and it keeps you invested by focusing on atmosphere, mood, and imagery instead of jump scares. A really interesting aspect of the creepiness itself is the self-effacing rituals of the Catholic Church itself, which contributed nicely to the mundane sense of general threat and eeriness. The movie also captured that ’70s horror aesthetic really well, respecting its source material and adding to it, and also presenting a few aesthetic nods to other punchy horror films of the era like THE EXORCIST and POSSESSION. Nell Tiger Free was a real surprise as Margaret, giving her heart and soul to the role and bringing a lot of layers to the character.
Overall, I liked THE FIRST OMEN a lot. It didn’t wow me and produce the same sense of wonder like THE OMEN did back in the day, but it’s a respectable companion to it, and a worthwhile horror movie even without the franchise.
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