The First Omen (2024)
6.8 /10
586 Reviews
Rate This Movie:
When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.
Videos & Photos
cast
... Margaret
... Father Brennan
... Sister Silva
... Cardinal Lawrence
... Luz
User reviews
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://fandomwire.com/the-first-omen-review-a-must-watch/
"The First Omen holds many narrative issues and a too-safe ending, but it deserves to be seen on the big screen due to its grotesque practical effects, hauntingly well-built atmosphere, and one of the most impressive, transformative performances of the year by Nell Tiger Free.
Debutant filmmaker Arkasha Stevenson clearly leaves her mark on a technically sublime film that easily becomes the best installment of the franchise after the original movie.
Lead yourself into temptation and embrace the incarnated evil. You won't regret it."
Rating: B-
Director:
Writer:
Arkasha Stevenson (Screenplay)
David Seltzer (Characters)
Tim Smith (Screenplay)
Keith Thomas (Screenplay)
Ben Jacoby (Story)
Genres:
Release Date:
2024-04-03
Run Time:
119 min
MMPA Rating:
R
Reviews of
The First Omen
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://fandomwire.com/the-first-omen-review-a-must-watch/
"The First Omen holds many narrative issues and a too-safe ending, but it deserves to be seen on the big screen due to its grotesque practical effects, hauntingly well-built atmosphere, and one of the most impressive, transformative performances of the year by Nell Tiger Free.
Debutant filmmaker Arkasha Stevenson clearly leaves her mark on a technically sublime film that easily becomes the best installment of the franchise after the original movie.
Lead yourself into temptation and embrace the incarnated evil. You won't regret it."
Rating: B-
Novice "Margaret" (Nell Tiger Free) arrives in Rome to a welcome from her cardinal sponsor "Lawrence" (Bill Nighy) where she hopes to complete taking her vows. She is greeted with open arms and taken on a tour of what she hopes will become her new home. This is when she encounters the shy "Carlita" (Nicole Sorace) who spends much of her time in solitude drawing. This intrigues "Margaret" but not as much as some of the other goings on in the maternity ward of the hospital. Her concerns are only exacerbated by a meeting with "Fr. Brennan" (Ralph Ineson) who spins her an horrific yarn that makes her head spin and sets her on a detection task that reveals a conspiracy to end all conspiracies - one that is conceived by the church for it's own perpetuation, but that could bring down both it and mankind. At times it's quite a decently paced watch, this, with a little gruesomeness (isn't it odd that the tools of medicine so often look like those of torture?) but given we have known the denouement since 1976 the lack of any real jeopardy does rather rob the film of much of a sense of menace and what "jump moments" there are are all a bit predictable. Free does try to imbue her character with a bit of passion, and she manages along well enough but Nighy is weak and the single appearance from Charles Dance adds nothing at all to these lacklustre proceedings. Prequels are always hard to deliver. This tries, but sadly we've seen it all before and I fear the nun theme is beginning to self-flagellate itself to death. A short story over-stretched.
The First Omen, like so many latter day spin offs, of well respected franchises, fails to understand what made the original films so successful.
I well remember the original Omen film and how it held me. Its intricate story, which chillingly displaced a sense of normalcy with a ever growing horror and otherworldly menace, was truly compelling.
By contrast. The First Omen lacks true progression and originality. For well over half the film, it is, in fact, rather dull. It does make vain attempts to utilises tropes and events of the earlier films but fails to develop a measurably meaningful, original narrative, to accompany them. Moreover, as other reviewers have stated, quite correctly, in my view, its safe ending does little to mitigate the overriding sense of cinematic malaise.
In summary, if you have never experienced the Omen franchise, don't start with this film. The original films are horror masterpieces, well worth your time. By contrast, this film will, I suspect, be remembered as a minor footnote with Omen fans, like myself and that's if its lucky.
The First Omen" is a chilling and atmospheric horror film that effectively pays homage to the original which came out in 1976 while presenting a fresh and unsettling perspective, with standout performances and direction that will leave viewers on edge. The film's atmospheric tension, creepy moments, and effective storytelling makes is a worthwhile horror flick. Director Arkasha Stevenson's debut film impresses with its confident direction and storytelling, featuring a standout performance by Nell Tiger Free. She literally has given a performance to remember.The film's slow pace can irritate a few viewers, as well as the unexpected ending tying it to the original of 1976 can be questionable, but overall, the film shines in its ability to evoke a haunting atmosphere and deliver scares without relying on cheap jump scares or gimmicks. A worthy prequel.
This was shot and directed well and the way that Margaret's story was constructed early on was interesting. The movie is less appealing in its final act as it ushers in the arrival of the antichrist and tries to tie itself into the original **Omen** film. That film was made almost 50 years ago, and most modern moviegoers aren't going to appreciate the effort.
There aren't many jump scares in this, a couple of them occur early, but this doesn't really have any sustained scares, either. There are strange moments but nothing that will keep anyone from good night's sleep.
Cast & Crew of
The First Omen
Cast
... Margaret
... Father Brennan
... Sister Silva
... Cardinal Lawrence
... Luz
... Carlita
... Father Gabriel
... Father Harris
... Sister Anjelica
... Paolo
... Alfonzo
... Sister Romano
... Luca
... Father Spiletto
... Beatrice
... Pregnant Woman
... Red Headed Girl
... Smoking Nun
... Nun #1
... Nun #2
... Doctor
... Katherine Thorn
... Obstetrician
... Waiter
... Museum Security Guard
... Nurse #1
... Nurse #2
... Nurse #3
... Young Sister Silva
... Comforting Nun
... Shadowy Priest
... Sadistic Nun
... Angry Nun
... Shadowy Figure
... Jackal Performer
... Jackal Performer
... Infant / Newborn (1 Month Old)
... Infant / Newborn (1 Month Old)
... Baby Layla
... Baby Layla
... Scaffold Worker
... Scaffold Worker
... Scaffold Worker
... Scaffold Worker
... Margaret Picture Double
... Carlita Picture Double
... Cardinal Lawrence Picture Double
Crew
... Producer
... Director
... Screenplay
... Characters
... Screenplay
... Executive Producer
... Producer
... Director of Photography
... Editor
... Screenplay
... Story
... Executive Producer
... Executive Producer
... Editor
... Casting
... ADR & Dubbing
... Production Design
... Costume Design
... Hair Department Head
... Key Hair Stylist
... Additional Hairstylist
... Hairstylist
... Makeup Designer
... Makeup Artist
... Assistant Makeup Artist
... Makeup Artist
... Assistant Makeup Artist
... Makeup Artist
... Assistant Makeup Artist
... Assistant Hairstylist
... Makeup Supervisor
... Production Manager
... Assistant Art Director
... Assistant Art Director
... Art Department Coordinator
... Set Dresser
... Assistant Set Decoration
... Storyboard Artist
... Prop Maker
... Storyboard Artist
... Standby Art Director
... Standby Property Master
... Property Master
... Property Master
... Creature Design
... Assistant Set Decoration
... Props
... Carpenter
... Property Buyer
... Property Buyer
... Art Direction
... Art Direction
... Supervising Art Director
... Art Direction
... Set Decoration
... First Assistant Editor
... Additional Editor
... Assistant Editor
... Dailies Manager
... VFX Editor
... Additional Colorist
... Casting
... Executive Producer
... Line Producer
... Third Assistant Director
... Third Assistant Director
... Assistant Director
... Third Assistant Director
... Assistant Director
... Second Assistant Director
... Assistant Director
... Assistant Director
... Third Assistant Director
... First Assistant Director
... Assistant Director
... Set Production Assistant
... Second Second Assistant Director
... Second Assistant Director
... Third Assistant Director
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Supervising Dialogue Editor
... ADR Editor
... Boom Operator
... Boom Operator
... Sound Mixer
... Boom Operator
... Dialogue Editor
... Production Sound Mixer
... ADR Mixer
... Boom Operator
... Sound Effects Editor
... Boom Operator
... ADR Mixer
... Dialogue Editor
... Sound Designer
... Supervising Sound Editor
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Sound Designer
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Special Effects Supervisor
... Special Effects Supervisor
... Special Effects Technician
... Compositing Supervisor
... VFX Artist
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Visual Effects Coordinator
... Visual Effects Producer
... Executive Visual Effects Producer
... Visual Effects Coordinator
... Stunt Coordinator
... Stunts
... Stunts
... Stunt Driver
... Stunt Coordinator
... Stunt Coordinator
... Utility Stunts
... Stunts
... Stunt Double
... Stunts
... Utility Stunts
... Assistant Costume Designer
... Costume Coordinator
... Costumer
... Assistant Costume Designer
... Costumer
... Set Costumer
... Costume Supervisor
... Seamstress
... Costume Coordinator
... Script Coordinator
... Original Music Composer
... Unit Production Manager
... Second Unit First Assistant Director
... Prosthetic Designer
... Creature Design
... Stunt Coordinator
... Stunt Coordinator
... Stunt Double
... Art Direction
... Art Direction
... Assistant Art Director
... Assistant Art Director
... Assistant Art Director
... Assistant Art Director
... Art Department Production Assistant
... Assistant Set Decoration
... Assistant Set Decoration
... Set Dresser
... Leadman
... Leadman
... Set Decorating Coordinator
... Swing
... Swing
... Swing
... Swing
... Additional Director of Photography
... Camera Operator
... Camera Operator
... Camera Operator
... Camera Operator
... Phantom Operator
... First Assistant Camera
... First Assistant Camera
... First Assistant Camera
... First Assistant Camera
... First Assistant Camera
... Second Assistant Camera
... Second Assistant Camera
... Second Assistant Camera
... Second Assistant Camera
... Second Assistant Camera
... Second Assistant Camera
... Digital Imaging Technician
... Video Assist Operator
... Video Assist Operator
... Video Assist Operator
... Data Wrangler
... Still Photographer
... Still Photographer
... Still Photographer
... Sound Mixer
... Boom Operator
... Boom Operator
... Property Master
... First Assistant Property Master
... Assistant Property Master
... Assistant Property Master
... Assistant Property Master
... Propmaker
... On Set Props
... On Set Props
... On Set Props
... Property Buyer
... Script Supervisor
... Assistant Editor
... Post Production Supervisor
... Post Production Assistant
... Music Editor
... VFX Editor
... Visual Effects Assistant Editor
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... VFX Artist
... Gaffer
... Best Boy Electric
... Best Boy Electric
... Electrician
... Electrician
... Electrician
... Electrician
... Electrician
... Electrician
... Electrician
... Generator Operator
... Generator Operator
... Generator Operator
... Rigging Gaffer
... Generator Operator
... Generator Operator
... Key Grip
... Best Boy Grip
... Dolly Grip
... Dolly Grip
... Grip
... Grip
... Grip
... Grip
... Grip
... Grip
... Grip
... Grip
... Grip
... Key Rigging Grip
... Rigging Grip
... Rigging Grip
... Rigging Grip
... Rigging Grip
... Rigging Grip
... Rigging Grip
... Rigging Grip
... Rigging Grip
... Assistant Costume Designer
... Tailor
... Seamstress
... Seamstress
... Seamstress
... Seamstress
... Seamstress
... Seamstress
... Seamstress
... Seamstress
... Key Costumer
... Costumer
... Key Costumer
... Key Costumer
... Costumer
... Costumer
... Costumer
... Costumer
... Costumer
... Costumer
... Costume Assistant
... Key Makeup Artist
... First Assistant Makeup Artist
... Makeup Artist
... Makeup Artist
... First Assistant Hairstylist
... Hairstylist
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Location Coordinator
... Location Manager
... Location Manager
... Location Manager
... Location Manager
... Location Coordinator
... Location Coordinator
... Assistant Location Manager
... Assistant Location Manager
... Assistant Location Manager
... Assistant Location Manager
... Casting Associate
... Casting Assistant
... Casting Assistant
... Extras Casting
... Extras Casting Assistant
... Extras Casting Assistant
... Extras Casting Assistant
... Unit Production Manager
... Production Supervisor
... Unit Manager
... Unit Manager
... Assistant Unit Manager
... Production Coordinator
... Assistant Production Coordinator
... Assistant Production Coordinator
... Assistant Production Coordinator
... Special Effects Technician
... Special Effects Supervisor
... Special Effects Technician
... Special Effects Technician
... Carpenter
... Production Accountant
... First Assistant Accountant
... Transportation Captain
... Supervising Sound Editor
... Sound Designer
... Dialogue Editor
... Dialogue Editor
... Dialogue Editor
... ADR Editor
... First Assistant Sound Editor
... First Assistant Sound Editor
... Foley Editor
... Foley Mixer
... Foley Artist
... Foley Artist
... Sound Mix Technician
... ADR Mixer
... ADR Mixer
... ADR Mixer
... ADR Mixer
... ADR Mixer
... ADR Mixer
... ADR Mixer
... ADR Mixer
... ADR Mixer
... ADR Mixer
... ADR Mixer
... ADR Mixer
... Colorist
... Costumer
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Post Production Coordinator
Videos & Photos of
The First Omen
Videos (5)
Photos 36
Similar Movies To
The First Omen
The Call (2006)
4/10
Pirelli Film's first promotional short, starring John Malcovich and Naomi Campbell.
Release: 2006-03-01
The Exorcist (1973)
7.7/10
When a charming 12-year-old girl takes on the characteristics and voices of others, doctors say there is nothing they can do. As people begin to die, the girl's mother realizes her daughter has been possessed by the devil--and that her daughter's only possible hope lies with two priests and the ancient rite of demonic exorcism.
Release: 1973-12-26
The Order (2003)
5.75/10
For centuries, a secret Order of priests has existed within the Church. A renegade priest, Father Alex Bernier, is sent to Rome to investigate the mysterious death of one of the Order's most revered members. Following a series of strangely similar killings, Bernier launches an investigation that forces him to confront unimaginable evil.
Release: 2003-09-05
Prince of Darkness (1987)
6.779/10
A group of graduate students and scientists uncover an ancient canister in an abandoned church, but when they open it, they inadvertently unleash a strange liquid and an evil force on all of humanity.
Release: 1987-10-23
The Confession (2017)
5.667/10
Fiona seeks refuge in her local church, escaping the evil within her house only to find that something far darker sits in the confession booth next to her. This short film is one of the five winning short films which were made for “My Annabelle Creation" competition as a promotion for the film Annabelle: Creation.
Release: 2017-08-16
Ring 0 (2000)
6.109/10
Taking place thirty years before the events of Ringu, Ringu 0 provides the shocking background story of how the girl on the video became a deadly, vengeful spirit.
Release: 2000-01-22
Metamorphosis (2007)
4.3/10
In the Seventeenth Century, while Hungary is fighting the Turks, the population of a small village in...
Release: 2007-01-01
A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989)
5.414/10
Alice finds the deadly dreams of Freddy Krueger starting once again. This time, the taunting murderer is striking through the sleeping mind of her unborn child.
Release: 1989-08-11
Damien: Omen II (1978)
6.447/10
Since the sudden and suspicious deaths of his parents, young Damien has been in the charge of his wealthy aunt and uncle and enrolled in a military school. Widely feared to be the Antichrist, he relentlessly plots to seize control of his uncle's business empire — and the world.
Release: 1978-06-09
The Final Conflict (1981)
5.83/10
Damien Thorn has helped rescue the world from a recession, appearing to be a benign corporate benefactor. When he then becomes U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Damien fulfills a terrifying biblical prophecy. He also faces his own potential demise as an astronomical event brings about the second coming of Christ.
Release: 1981-03-20
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)
6.1/10
Chrissie and her friends set out on a road trip for a final fling before one is shipped off to Vietnam. Along the way, bikers harass the foursome and cause an accident that throws Chrissie from the vehicle. The lawman who arrives on the scene kills one of the bikers and brings Chrissie's friends to the Hewitt homestead, where young Leatherface is learning the tools of terror.
Release: 2006-10-05
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
5.4/10
Years before Father Merrin helped save Regan MacNeil’s soul, he first encounters the demon Pazuzu in East Africa.
Release: 2004-08-20
Dressed to Kill (1980)
6.9/10
After witnessing a mysterious woman brutally slay a homemaker, prostitute Liz Blake finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation. While the police thinks she is the murderer, the real killer is intent on silencing her only witness.
Release: 1980-07-25
The Naked Beast (1971)
6.9/10
The police, led by Inspector Ibanez, are baffled by the murders of several attractive female dancers who all work on a musical TV show that features a horror-themed tableaux. The killings are the work of a masked psychopath with a taste for human blood and there are many suspects…
Release: 1971-03-25
Thirst (2009)
7.087/10
A respected priest volunteers for an experimental procedure that may lead to a cure for a deadly virus. He gets infected and dies, but a blood transfusion of unknown origin brings him back to life. Now, he’s torn between faith and bloodlust, and has a newfound desire for the wife of a childhood friend.
Release: 2009-04-30
Along Came the Devil (2018)
5.8/10
After a troubled childhood, Ashley searches for a connection, and unknowingly invites in a demonic force, which leaves her loved ones fighting for her soul.
Release: 2018-08-10
Insidious: The Last Key (2018)
6.258/10
Parapsychologist Elise Rainier and her team travel to Five Keys, NM, to investigate a man’s claim of a haunting. Terror soon strikes when Rainier realizes that the house he lives in was her family’s old home.
Release: 2018-01-03
As Above, So Below (2014)
6.693/10
When a team of explorers ventures into the uncharted maze of bones that lies beneath the streets of Paris, they embark on a journey into madness and terror.
Release: 2014-08-14
Movin Day (2021)
6/10
When a newly engaged couple moves in together, they quickly discover some skeletons should remain in the closet.
Release: 2021-10-07
Messengers 2: The Scarecrow (2009)
5.475/10
The family man farmer John Rollins is stressed with his financial situation: the crows and the lack of irrigation are destroying his crop of corn; the bank is near closure of his mortgage; he does not have credit to fix the water pump or to buy seeds; and his marriage is in crisis and his wife Mary is giving too much attention to her friend Tommy. When John accidentally discovers a hidden compartment in the barn, he finds a creepy scarecrow but his son Michael makes him promise to destroy it. However, his neighbor Jude Weatherby visits him, gives a six-pack of beer to the abstemious John and convinces him to put the scarecrow in the cornfield. Out of the blue, the life of John changes: the crows die; the pump works again irrigating the land; and the banker responsible for the closure has an accident and dies. However, he feels that his land is possessed by something evil that is threatening his beloved family.
Release: 2009-07-21