'The First Omen' Provides A Chilling Prequel
The First Omen doesn't play things safe. Most films feature a female protagonist coming out on top of things. In The First Omen, that isn't the case. It's a bit like the shower scene from Psycho killing Janet Lea halfway through the first act. What happens to the protagonist in this film is bonkers. The film slowly cranks the dial from one to eleven, building terror as the movie chugs along. If you're expecting just another cheap jump-scare horror film, that's not what you'll be getting. Well, there are some cheap jump scares. But they're sparse. The real horror is the evil that lurks in the Catholic Church. What director Arkasha Stevenson constructs is a slow burn that rages brighter as the story goes on.
The First Omen isn't particularly different from other movies in its genre. It has the possessed little girl whom the Catholic Church is neglecting. Crazy religious fools and possessed children are recognizable traits. But these fools go against everything the Catholic Church teaches, making them extra insane in the membrane. Carlita (Nicole Sorace) is being controlled by a demon. Could it be the devil? Possibly. If there's one thing horror movies can't get enough of, it's demonically possessed children.
The one person within the Church who can aid the young woman is Margaret (Nell Tiger Free). The Church is not supportive of Margaret's empathy toward Carlita. As the movie later reveals, the Church doesn't aim to help spread peace but rather stir fear so people will flee to the Church.
A very high aspect of the film is its political commentary. To this day, there are nutty bible thumpers who spread hatred instead of love. Holy wars are set off all the time because of organized religion. It's all about who's team you're on. If you don't represent the same mascot, then you're severely punished. Jesus would know. There's honesty and a bold direction taken by the writers that paints a target on the Catholic Church. Their devilish deeds are obviously too bombastic to work in real life, but for a film, it works. We've seen the strict nuns before, but not like this. Unfortunately for Margaret, the nuns are going to make her life a living hell.
Margaret is a young lady who is working toward becoming a nun. During her schooling, Margaret is initially met with open arms, unaware of what is about to happen to her. Margaret’s a girl from Massachusetts who wants to connect with the Lord. What better way to become a nun than to fly out to Italy? Things are already off in the Church when Margaret arrives. Carlita is forced to stay in "the bad room." The idea of shoving a little girl into a room with a dusty, springy bed and nothing but narrow white walls in every corner is disturbing. It's not treatment for a patient. It's abuse.
Margaret thinks she's doing the right thing by standing up against the nuns and priests who are mistreating Carlita. Soon, we realize there's something wrong with the entire Church. In one early scene, Margaret observes a woman forcibly giving birth to some monster. It's graphic and uncomfortable. And deservedly so. A lot of the film's horror resonates through its cinematography that doesn't try too hard to look like a horror film. There's a mostly flat color palette with mid-blues and oranges. That is until the film's final half, where they do the thing most horror movies do, and that's to cue the strobe light. Why does every horror film have to have a damn flashing light?
The real standout of the film is Nell Tiger Free. Her performance ranges from restrained to extreme pain, and Free pulls it all off like it's easy. Nell Tiger Free is asked to do a lot in this film. I often wonder, with the amount of pain she resembles, if she ever really felt any when filming. Free is naturally hyperventilating and convulsing during many moments of the movie, particularly in its third half. It's stressful to watch but probably nowhere near as hard as having to do it for take after take.
The First Omen is a fitting entry within the Omen lore. However, the film leans heavily into fan service on two occasions. One where a nun hangs and burns herself, similar to the scene from The Omen when Nanny (Holly Palance) exclaims, "This is all for you," then hangs herself while her dead body smashes through a window. In this film, there is a "this is for your line," the suicidal nun says to herself that did get my eyes rolling. The other occasion of fan service is an epilogue that provides unneeded information. The film is called The First Omen, so we can guess who the little devil being cooked up is going to be.
If you're a fan of The Omen, you might not like some of the world-building the film does to its canon. It's a prequel that builds upon the original film's plot, which may upset some fans. As a fan of the original, I have no qualms against it. Oddly, The First Omen has more in common with an Exorcist film. Yet that doesn't stop it from being a good spooky time in the theater and a decent prequel to the original.
