How lucky I am to have been to the movies three times in two weeks, and with three drastically different experiences. Even crazier that the movies have all been about kids and the devil! Wow. From Late Night with the Devil, to Immaculate, and now The First Omen, these two weeks have been a whirlwind.
If you have read Revelations, or seen 1976’s The Omen, this will be familiar to you. The First Omen tells the story of the birth of Damien, the antichrist. American novitiate (pre-nun) Margaret finds her new home at an Italian Catholic-run orphanage and quickly becomes close to problem-child Carlita. Unfortunately for the both of them, the orphanage is hiding an ancient secret that will change the course of history… by any means necessary.
And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is 666.
Revelations 13:18
I will do my best to not spoil anything because I want people to go out and see it. After watching The Exorcist: Believer, I wasn’t sure any requels, sequels, or prequels of big-name 70s movies would be a good idea. I was wildly wrong about The First Omen — thankfully! It had every big-budget trick you could throw at it without feeling overdone or muddled down for a wider audience. With a time period that really felt like the 70s, the gorgeous ornate backdrop of the orphanage, and warm yet stuffy feeling of the church officials, this movie was amazing.
What I want to point out from the beginning is the acting. Every single person in this movie was perfect in their role; Nell Tiger Free as Margaret, Ralph Ineson as Father Brennan, Bill Nighy as Cardinal Lawrence, Sonia Braga as Sister Silvia, Ishtar Currie-Wilson as Sister Anjelica, Maria Cabellero as Luz… my god was everyone good! The First Omen is full of believable acting and really sinister moments that will stay with you well past the end. For instance, Sister Anjelica is just frightening in everything she does. A big plot-point she’s involved in is just so eerie. Then Margaret has a moment near the end that was just as wild and crazy as that scene in Possession.
And the actor’s work was not to be outdone by the artists working behind the scenes. Costuming, makeup, the works — all was extremely well-done. And while I’m a practical effect fan, the CGI was hellishly good. There were three specific times when I — as a woman and as someone who has given birth — was crossing my legs in anxious anticipation for what I was seeing on screen. The First Omen is a movie that will make you wince for sure. Kudos to the filmmakers because not a lot of movies can have that sort of effect on me. It is rated R for a reason!
And let’s throw the soundtrack in there too. The First Omen has a choral-based score; makes sense for the theme of the film. But what I really liked about it was that it made normally humdrum religious chanting almost have a “spooky” vibe to it. The chanting sounded like what you’d hear at Mass mixed with the choral sounds from witchy forest scenes (à la The Witch) and then mixed again with breakout voices replicating a Theremin. I have never heard anything like that and it perfectly fit the occult vibe of the movie.
Finally, the part you’re probably wondering: does The First Omen have shout-outs to the original movie? The answer is “yes,” and they’re done really well. A rogue pole flying through the air, characters we know from The Omen, a car crash, a jackal, “It’s all for you” — all callouts that didn’t take away from the original and only added that satanic goodness to this one. Bravo!
I am thoroughly impressed with The First Omen. The scares were there. The aesthetic and environment were top tier. Characters killed it. The First Omen was a fantastic ride through and through. If you have the chance to see this in theaters, absolutely do; it’s worth seeing on a big screen.
What did you think of The First Omen? Let us know in the comments!
As a parting gift, and since these two movies came out at about the same time, read this little bit about the similarities between The First Omen and Immaculate. Very Interesting stuff considering today’s state of religion, politics, and women’s rights.
