‘The First Omen’ exceeds expectations by 666 Times! Here’s Why

• Release Date: 05/04/2024
• Cast: Nell Tiger Free, Sonia Braga, Maria Caballero, Bill Nighy
• Director: Arkasha Stevenson

“The First Omen” Exceeds Expectations by 666 Times! Here’s Why

“The most terrifying movie of the year,” screams the top line of the poster for “The First Omen,” which is never a good sign. It typically suggests that the film is either completely without merit or is simply trying to emphasize its rather diminished or underplayed fear factor. The primary cast of the film includes someone named Nell Tiger Free, a name I heard for the first time when I was perusing through the IMDb page for the film. Again, not a good sign for a horror film. The absence of well-known actors often indicates a lack of quality in the acting department. This can lead to a drop in impact and power in the narrative, lacking a sense of gusto in expression and a genuine presence of dread, drama, and impact, without the reinforcement of good performances to support the storytelling.

“The First Omen” is directed by Arkasha Stevenson, another name I encountered for the first time while checking out the IMDb page of the film. While it’s hard to predict how a director will handle a film until you’ve actually seen it, a lesser-known director helming a horror film is typically not the most encouraging sign. Additionally, the fact that the film was slated to be a prequel to one of the most terrifying and well-made horror films of our time almost guarantees that it will be underwhelming compared to its predecessor.

If that weren’t enough, Hollywood has been experiencing a tumultuous time with horror films lately. Apart from “Evil Dead Rise,” which again leaned more towards being a slasher than a pure horror film, no Hollywood horror offering has managed to impress me in years. With all this in mind, I walked into a 10 p.m. showing of “The First Omen” at Cinepolis, Guwahati.

A Story Worth Telling:

For the uninitiated, “The Omen” was a 1975 horror classic directed by Richard Donner, featuring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick as a couple who are tricked into raising a child believed to be the antichrist reincarnated. As the couple grapples with mysterious deaths and a sense of dread surrounding the presence of the seemingly innocent child, they make discoveries that convince them the child is, in fact, the Devil’s son. “The First Omen” serves as a prequel to this film, narrating the story of how the child was conceived, by whom, why, and how it was brought into this world.

The film has an engrossing story to tell, delivering it with gusto, unabashed freedom, and a willingness to showcase elements that aren’t particularly easy to pull off and may prove off-putting for many viewers. It also maintains a perfect mood of dread and creepiness throughout its runtime, even in a setting populated by children brimming with innocent energy.

The story unfolds through a series of encounters, with the protagonist Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) attempting to aid another child in the orphanage where she serves as a nun, believing the child is being tormented by other nuns for reasons unknown. As the story progresses, Margaret realizes that this girl may be the one groomed to birth the Devil’s son. Various factors complicate Margaret’s investigation, filling her with questions that point to some uncomfortable answers.

The story draws its drama and surprises from audience misdirection, avoiding cheap storytelling tropes and instead employing intelligent, well-earned plot twists that leave viewers questioning, confused, and ultimately satisfied as everything is explained, setting up potential future sequels. The film’s storytelling emphasizes incorporating just enough attention to detail, believability, and suspension of disbelief to ensure that the audience takes the story seriously. This approach contrasts with some other horror flicks that are merely enjoyed as guilty pleasures or fun-filled shockers. 

Genuine moments of horror and dread, are enshrined in the storytelling and don’t resort to cheap means of horrifying.

The film is riddled with numerous set pieces and horrifying elements that fully justify the adult-only certificate it has garnered. While this may have reduced its viewership in theatres for obvious reasons, it was a good decision, as without depicting these aspects of the story effectively, the film would have lost much of its power and impact in terms of storytelling. I must add that some of the scenes in the film were extremely difficult to watch, and I wouldn’t shy away from admitting that there were moments when I looked away from the screen. These moments were not necessarily the ones involving scares or horror but rather dealt with the primary theme of giving birth to the Devil’s son and its implications on the women who were forced to do the devil’s work. These scenes truly worked in the film, and I am confident they will make any viewer uncomfortable.

That being said, the film is not solely about terrifying moments related to anatomy. There is a healthy dose of all the typical horror elements and jump scares that make horror films enjoyable. Thankfully, they are all executed with enough creativity to feel fresh and not like things we’ve seen a thousand times before. Even if you are familiar with these tropes, you will appreciate the expression of horror and the subtle jump scares that leap out of the screen and envelop your senses in this film.

Nell Tiger Free’s exceptional performance propels the film to soaring heights:

Nell Tiger Free absolutely nails the character of Margaret. She begins as someone who is starry-eyed about the new world that she has just entered, and this is evident in her reactions to everything around her. However, as the story progresses, we witness her discovery of new horrors and her confrontation with some of the most uncomfortable situations, leading to a stark metamorphosis of her character into something unexpected based on her earlier portrayal in the film. Free adeptly sells every aspect of her character, ensuring that the audience is fully immersed in Margaret’s journey. It’s worth noting that the dread, tragedy, and horror of the story flow through her character to the audience. Without Free’s astounding portrayal of Margaret and her ability to convey every ounce of the drama and pain from her character to the audience, the payoff of the various elements of the story and screenplay would be far less impactful. I was further impressed by the amount of physicality that she brings to the character in the latter half of the film. It isn’t easy to make it all feel so real, and Free deserves the highest praise for her portrayal.

Top-notch direction, cinematography, and sound design elevate the film further:

Arkasha Stevenson directs the film with authority, creativity, care, and a lot of respect for the original. This is something that is fast becoming a lost art when it comes to sequels, prequels, remakes, etc., in Hollywood. By demonstrating the kind of reverence that Arkasha seemingly has for the original, she never goes overboard with her prequel, resulting in a film that is firmly rooted in the lore and grounded in its storytelling and horror elements. She knows how to extract the right amount of emotion from her actors and does so with aplomb. This is one of the most difficult things to achieve in modern Hollywood, but she pulls it off without any fuss. I loved how she built up the story and how wonderfully she tied it all back into the original film. She also sets up potential sequels, which I will eagerly anticipate watching when they come out.

The cinematography of the film was another aspect that captured my attention. It’s not just that the film looks gorgeous throughout. Even the scenes that are supposed to be off-putting are mounted and captured with a lot of visual flair and attention to detail. What impressed me the most about the cinematography was the clever use of filming techniques and methods that ensured the film felt extremely close to the visual aesthetics of the original. This also ensured that the visuals of the film were able to evoke fond memories of an era when Hollywood films looked stunning and were a pleasure to behold. I loved how the cinematographer used the city of Rome and the various elements of where the story unfolds as a means to evoke specific emotions and expressions from the audience.

The sound design is another aspect of the film that is executed with a lot of attention to detail. This quality of the film is highlighted, especially in the horror sequences where sound plays a pivotal role in evoking subtle horrors. I was watching this film with someone whose biggest passion in life is sound and sound design, and he was quick to draw my attention to the exceptional quality of the mixing that the film had. I can’t thank him enough for highlighting this quality of the film for me, which otherwise might have gone unnoticed.

Final Words:

“The First Omen” turned out to be about 666 times better than what I had expected. However, those who walk into it expecting a lot of jump scares and breakneck storytelling will be sorely disappointed. It’s the kind of film that takes its time to grow and then impacts you at a cerebral level, rather than bombarding you with everything associated with horror and thrills. It feels very similar to the original “Omen” in terms of its settings and characters and includes several callbacks that fans of the original will appreciate. This proved to be another nice little bonus for watching the film. If you’re in the market for a cerebral and atmospheric horror film that dares to show things that will unnerve and horrify you, you might want to give this film a watch.

Rating: 3.5/5 (3.5 out of 5 Stars)

The views expressed in this article are that of the reviewer and do not reflect EastMojo’s position.

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