The First Omen – REVIEW

It’s funny enough to see that two conspiracy thriller/horror movies involving nuns (or nunsploitation, if you want a term) hit theaters only two weeks apart. One is a star-driven project released by an independent studio that ended up being a moderate box office hit, and the other is the prequel to a 1970s horror movie that’s considered by many to be a classic in horror. I’m reviewing the latter, The First Omen, right now, but I do have to at least share my two cents on the former, Immaculate, which ended up starring Sydney Sweeney, along with being a producer on the project. While I do think that Immaculate has its moments, it’s shrunk on me the more I’ve thought about it. Even Sweeney’s pretty great performance and a killer ending haven’t entirely stuck with me in the under-a-month it’s been since I’ve seen it.

The First Omen, though, really does feel like a total shock to the system. Think about this phrase on its own: A prequel to a beloved horror movie that probably had too many sequels and a reboot of its own in the first place. So many things could go wrong with a general description like that, and miraculously, it doesn’t only avoid those pitfalls but it skyrockets over them. Nell Tiger Free, who you might have seen killing it in M. Night Shyamalan’s Servant on Apple TV+, plays Margaret, a young American woman who goes to Rome to devote her life to the Church. When she arrives, she uncovers a dark and terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring the birth of the Antichrist.

Since I mentioned Free, let’s just get her and the other actors out of the way. It’s clear to me that there’s a less-than-zero chance of this happening, but if I had my way in the Academy Awards, I’d at least consider Free to be in the running for Best Actress right now. It feels similar to when nearly everyone that saw Pearl wanted Mia Goth to be recognized in awards circuits, especially the Oscars, but they’re so strange with horror that this probably won’t happen. Either way, Free’s performance is hypnotizing to watch, especially during a fantastic moment that pays homage to Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession.

It’s also nice to see Ralph Ineson, someone who I’ve enjoyed in nearly everything I’ve seen him in, take more of a leading man role. In the framework of a religious conspiracy movie, Ineson’s role drives the story forward quite a bit and, like Free, ends up being a wonder to watch. Nicole Sorace ends up being another addition into the “damn good creepy kid” canon with most likely the most important of the supporting roles. I enjoyed the supporting roles from Sônia Braga, Maria Caballero, Tawfeek Barhom, and Bill Nighy, who all play members of the Church. Charles Dance also has a very brief but stomach-churning role that sets the tone of Omen perfectly.

It was an unplanned transition when writing it, but let’s talk about the tone, which is a bit of an anomaly to me. I didn’t mention above that 20th Century Studios (under Disney) is behind The First Omen, which admittedly did make me skeptical. I don’t really have any evidence to back it up, but with how they were marketing it, it felt like this would be a more contemporary (or generic) horror movie filled with cheap jumpscares. For the most part, that actually isn’t the case, especially when the second half of the movie kicks into gear. It’s all built on atmospheric tension, with a specific scene involving a person covered with burns still burnt into my mind (no pun intended) with just how hair-raising it is. Like another scene involving a pregnancy, it blows my mind that a major studio film could even show something along those lines and earn an R-rating.

All that being considered, I think this really shows that writer-director Arkasha Stevenson (in her feature film debut) is truly a force to be reckoned with. In terms of being related to The Omen, The First Omen really tows the line between major studio horror, the modern “elevated” horror we’ve seen for the past few years from indie studios, and the patience of 1970s films that aren’t really present in most mainstream films anymore. Any movie that can do this not only has my respect but my admiration.



Even if you wanted this to be good, I feel like The First Omen is a massive surprise for an already good run of horror movies for the past few years. Hell, it might be one of the best of the decade for me so far. Arkasha Stevenson’s direction and writing may be top notch, but it felt like the stars aligned whenever Nell Tiger Free was on screen, and that’s a huge portion of the movie. One of the most terrifying major studio horror movies in years, The First Omen taps into a primal fear that not even a lot of indie horror can achieve. See this as soon as possible.

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The First Omen is currently playing in theaters and is expected to become available digitally within the next few months. Down the line on streaming, The First Omen will be on Hulu, alongside Disney+ if you have the bundle of the two services.