The First Omen

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The First Omen (2024) is the most confused I’ve been by a horror movie title since A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge. Wasn’t the first Nightmare already about Freddy’s revenge? And wasn’t the original 1976 film already the first omen? They should have called this one “The Same Omen” instead, because that’s exactly what it is: more of the same, only nowhere near as good as it once was a long time ago. The Omen franchise, as franchises are wont to do, always followed the Law of Diminishing Returns, and was never a stickler for continuity (I’m looking at you, Seven Daggers of Megiddo). The First Omen adopts some of the series’ worst tendencies and adds a few of its own. So self-derivative is this script that it often feels like a remake. The most flagrant example is the scene where a female servant of Satan hangs herself in the middle of a children’s party. What are the odds that this woman will also swing backwards and crash through a window? Very good, apparently. The major difference is that the woman ignites herself before jumping. It’s like the filmmakers were telling us, “See? It’s different. It has fire now” — except it doesn’t, as the flames are computer-generated. The first time we saw it was shocking, not least because it looked like it was actually happening. They took a gritty stunt and turned it into a cheap visual effect digitally added in post-production. Like I said, the same but worse. This sequence is not only unoriginal and incompetent, but also misleading. In The Omen, the suicide is a perverse homage to little Damien Thorn. In The First Omen, the tribute (complete with the “It’s all for you” line) is ostensibly directed at 13-year-old Carlita Scianna (Nicole Sorace), implying that she is this movie’s Damien. However, anyone familiar with Omen lore will not be duped. The First Omen takes place at the same time and location where Damien was vomited forth into this world in The Omen. That makes Carlita, at best, a backup and, at worst, a flimsy red herring. The Carlita character could be cut from the film, and her absence wouldn’t affect the plot, such as it is, in any noticeable way. As it is, though, co-writer/director Arkasha Stevenson is stuck with Carlita long after she has outlived her dubious usefulness. She’s utterly inconsequential, and her irrelevance is justified by claiming that she’s “too young.” Isn’t that awfully nice of the Satanists? The Devil doesn’t mind incest, but pedophilia — that’s where he draws the line. Despite all of its uninspired parallels to the source material — a reliance on familiar plot points that detracts from any potential suspense or intrigue the movie may have had —, The First Omen is a prequel. By definition, that means it’s sketchy, predictable, anticlimactic, and redundant — a two-hour wait for the other shoe to drop with nothing in the way of a payoff aside from an ass-backwards Sequel Hook for a 48-year-old film. The saga of Damien Thorn was already exceedingly lengthy (at least two movies too long) without a meandering prologue that concocts a convoluted origin story that Damien didn’t need. Must he be Satan’s son and grandson too? This guy is the Antichrist, the Beast Incarnate, El Chamuco. If there’s a villain who requires no other motivation or reason for being than pure evil for pure evil’s sake, it’s him. Damien necessitates no more context than that which the original film provides him with, and Stevenson managed to retroactively screw that up. One of the most unnerving aspects of Damien is that he was literally born of a jackal. That scene where Gregory Peck and David Warner dig up Damien’s mother’s remains is, simply put, spine-curdling (in case you’re wondering it can curdle your spine because it liquefies it first). The First Omen retcons that to make the jackal the father (i.e., Satan), which in turn leads to a Rosemary’s Baby ripoff. Additionally, the screenplay produces a heretofore unknown twin sister for Damien. I don’t have to like it, but I understand that the filmmakers directly contradicted the original because they couldn’t very well have a jackal be the heroine of their story. It wouldn’t put butts in seats, which is the sole purpose of this unimaginative retread. The First Omen was made to beat a few more pennies out of a stone-dead horse. Its goal is to scare up money rather than to scare viewers. This mystery sibling, on the other hand, was obviously never shown, mentioned, referenced, alluded to, or hinted at ever before in the series. She has no choice but to be a living, breathing, loose end — so why even introduce her at all? Apart from adding a clumsy “twist” with no real substance or connection to the existing storyline, that is. The mystery and horror of Damien’s origins are diminished by all these revelations. Exploring Damien’s lineage only garbles the original narrative and doesn’t contribute anything worthwhile to his character. Unfortunately, The First Omen couldn’t resist the temptation to overcomplicate a story that was already compelling. People who have watched all the other Omens as well as those who haven’t will all walk away from this movie wondering the same thing: “What the hell was that supposed to be?” And the answer is, it’s a past-due, creatively bankrupt attempt to cash in on a one-time successful formula, capitalizing on the franchise’s name recognition and nostalgia to generate revenue, prioritizing profit margins over crafting a truly terrifying experience for the audience, while miserably failing to conjure the chilling mood, haunting visuals, and visceral violence that made the real first Omen such an iconic horror cinema classic.

This movie was ultimately pointless. While it featured some cool visuals and interesting death scenes, it was overall very boring and failed to add anything significant to the lore of the franchise. The film does have moments of visual flair, with certain scenes showcasing impressive special effects and creative cinematography. A major issue with the film is the way it handles its female characters. The writing falls into condescending tropes that undermine the potential for strong storytelling. Female characters are often depicted in stereotypical roles, diminishing their complexity and impact on the plot. Additionally, the film attempts to delve into the Christian-based horror sub-genre, specifically exorcism themes, but falls short of creating genuine scares. Studios often struggle with making these films truly terrifying because they lack a deep understanding of the faith’s principles. The result is a portrayal that feels hollow and inauthentic. One solution could be to hire screenwriters who are well-versed in Christian theology and culture to bring authenticity to the sub-genre. Marketing these films to a Christian audience might also prove interesting and create a more engaged viewer base. Authenticity in storytelling could transform the genre, making it more impactful and frightening. As someone who does not identify as Christian, I can see the potential for more meaningful and scary films within this sub-genre if approached with respect and depth. The current approach, however, leaves much to be desired and feels disconnected from the true essence of the faith it seeks to portray. Overall, while the movie offers some interesting visuals and death scenes, it ultimately fails to deliver a compelling or original story. The condescending portrayal of women and the hollow execution of Christian-based horror elements significantly detract from its potential. Studios need to rethink their approach to both character writing and genre-specific storytelling to create more engaging and authentic films.

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.

I really don't see the point of making a prequel that retcons the original films. Hollywood does it all the time, and when you hear the creators it is always to own the fans in some way. As in: "this will anger the fans of the original" I don't understand how they think it's a good idea given that the fans are the reason the movies are worth making sequels, prequels, and reboots of. So they seem to intentionally NOT want the fans to see it, and then are always angered when the movies fail. But sometimes it's because Hollywood hires people who proudly didn't see the source material and then don't require them to watch the source material. In either case they always seem shocked when the movie fails. I read the plot and... didn't see it until fate made me, and the reason I didn't see it is because they outright said what they retconed. I'm not sure if it failed or not, but watching through it I couldn't help but think "Why rewrite the Omen? Why does my wife want to watch this?" and then when it was over "Well, yeah, I can understand why you don't like it honey, you're right, they changed too much."

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.