Prequels seem like a good idea on paper as they often seek to answer questions impossible to explore in initial outings. Through prequel stories, we can discover how Han Solo (Harrison Ford) came to own the Millennium Falcon (Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)), how a killer was born (Pearl (2022)), and even create the opportunity to reinterpret fabled tales (X-Men: First Class (2011)). The good ones are difficult to recognize as a prequel as they hold no barring whatsoever on the original story (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)), while the bad ones are little more than intertextual moment after another (Solo: A Star Wars Story). The prequel tale The First Omen walks the line between referential and unique as it strives to create its own story while still tethered to the 1976 original, something which feeds into the very themes of filmmaker Arkasha Stevenson’s (Brand New Cherry Flavor) narrative. The resultant work doesn’t require foreknowledge to understand and manages to create its own horrific atmosphere to tell an evocative tale that still works within the known mythology.
Nell Tiger Free as Margaret in 20th Century Studios’ THE FIRST OMEN. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Despite a troubled youth in the United States, Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) has grown up supported by Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy) and now joins him in Rome, Italy, where she will take her vows and officially dawn the habit of a nun. While getting herself acclimated with the orphanage she will work within, she meets a young woman, Carlita (Nicole Sorace), who suffers from visions as she once did. As the days dwindle until she takes her vows, Margaret passes them with Carlita, helping the girl recognize that there’s more than the walls of the “Bad Room” that the nuns place Carlita in. However, all is not well in the Eternal City as one strange occurrence after another begins to happen to both Carlita and Margaret, so much so that Margaret begins to question all logic and faith.
What follows is going to be as spoiler-free as possible in case there are others who are hesitant to see The First Omen due to its connection to The Omen (1976). If there’s any discussion of specifics as it relates to the bonus features, a spoiler-warning will be put in place. Additionally, this reviewer has not seen the original film or its subsequent sequels, so all thoughts are going to be specific to this film and not address any connections that the film itself does not make.
Research suggests that The First Omen is a first-time feature director credit for Stevenson and it’s a heck of a debut. She’s directed four shorts and five television series (some singular episodes, one set of multiples) and what we see in The First Omen shows someone who understands the language of cinema and knows how to wield it to sharp effect. The script she co-wrote with first-time screenwriter Tim Smith and Keith Thomas (The Vigil) smartly utilizes the tropes one expects of religious horror, yet does so within a very real and tangible interpersonal and character-driven drama. What is faith but the giving of oneself over to someone or something else? In an optimistic light, giving oneself doesn’t result in punishment or pain, rather, it’s uplifting and healing. Here, however, faith is tantamount to the removal of bodily autonomy, an issue which affects women most of all and whom, within the story executed here, are specifically targeted. What is body horror but the manipulation of the physical form by outside mechanizations, specifically that do harm to the body’s owner? What does it mean that the orphanage Margaret is to work in has a “Bad Room” for girls who don’t comply (a word that can refer to either a wish, a standard, or a command), indicative of an operational culture that doesn’t utilize sympathy or open hearts to treat troubled girls, opting instead for isolation of the troubled soul? Unconditional love doesn’t come with standards to be met or orders to be followed; it’s open and abiding. What does it mean that the orphanage has a facility on-site to help unwed mothers with child birth but nothing for post-birth? What does it mean when Cardinal Lawrence tells Margaret (upon her witnessing a birth at the on-site birthing center) about the violence that is the miracle of life, speaking as though he has pity for the women who go through childbirth rather than adoration? What does it mean that the nuns and priests dress in tenderly-cared for clothes, while the children wear obvious hand-me-downs? There is no care at the orphanage, only the maintenance of appearance and power. Each of these aspects are small by themselves, yet, when combined, create a narrative theme of comfort for the mighty and whatever’s left for the rest.
Ralph Ineson as Father Brennan in 20th Century Studios’ THE FIRST OMEN. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Building upon this, Eve Stweart’s (Les Misérables; Eternals) production design is positively immaculate. Some aspects of this are explored in the nearly-nine-minute featurette “Signs of The First Omen,” with the discussion of things like Margaret’s apartment design and her bedroom, as well as the very obvious demon face that’s beautifully created through smartly-staged camera positioning plus material placement. The discussion here focuses on how Margaret’s journey through the story is one of arrival in a Heaven-like place only to discover she’s under threat everywhere. One thing they don’t discuss is the introduction of Sister Anjelica (Ishtar Currie Wilson), spotted by Margaret as Anjelica stands on a staircase between floors, whose placement within the frame and the use of spire-like guardrails make her appear to be positioned within the gaping maw of a beast. We’ve had not a single scare yet and this image, noticed consciously or not, puts one at ill-ease as the Sister stands there, gently laughing at we know not what. We will soon understand Anjelica’s off-putting nature soon, but, by then, it’s too late for us and for Margaret. Threats are everywhere within The First Omen and it’s all about who has control and what they will do with it. That this runs in tandem with explorations of faith versus secularism and female bodily autonomy is not a coincidence, leading to the kinds of horrors that make any good, thoughtful person shudder at the notion — and all this before a version of the Devil makes an appearance.
Bill Nighy as Lawrence in 20th Century Studios’ THE FIRST OMEN. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
For the unaware, The First Omen is now available on digital and comes to physical formats on July 30th. The home release includes three featurettes which enable audiences to learn a bit more from the cast and crew themselves across roughly 19 minute’s worth of behind-the-scenes material. The aforementioned featurette is a great place to start if you’re looking to learn about the production of the film from the perspective of production design, costuming, prosthetics, and more. There are a few scenes which will creep audiences the hell out, and knowing how the gags were executed practically makes them all the more impressive. The second featurette, “The Mystery of Margaret,” runs shy of six minutes and focuses on the characters played by Free, Nighy, and Maria Caballero (Margaret’s roommate, Luz). These three plus Stevenson make sure to point out all the ways in which the environment is working against Margaret from the start, though they never outright state something that will spoil the ending of the film. The third and shortest of the featurettes, “The Director’s Vision,” drills into Stevenson’s love of horror, while also giving us insight into how she shot the film. All three featurettes do provide behind-the-scenes looks at various shots, as well as finalized footage, but the featurette centered on Stevenson does this in a way that enables the audience to better understand her intention in the storytelling.
L-R: Nell Tiger Free as Margaret and Nicole Sorace as Carlita in 20th Century Studios’ THE FIRST OMEN. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Be advised: One downside of the physical format announcement is there’s no 4K UHD inclusion and this is a film whose atmosphere is driven by both production design and Aaron Morton’s (Evil Dead (2013); Spontaneous) cinematography, aspects which the highest-possible bitrate for home viewing would only help accentuate. Viewed on a 63 in Sony 4K UHD television, streamed from a 4K UHD Apply TV, and sound from a Yamaha 5.1 Surround System, The First Omen is an immersive auditory experience whose visuals match it wonderfully. As physical formats always offer a better picture and sound due to the lack of compression required to stream audio and video elements, the Blu-ray will be a major improvement over the digital edition. To that end, a 4K UHD edition would not only provide the best version, but it would be one whose dynamic range will make the natural creep factor Morton captures of nighttime Rome and the strange discomfort of the beautiful orphanage only increase in psychological disquiet.
None of the above even touches on how Morton neatly matches the visual language of 1970s filmmaking from the pan-and-push camerawork and the lighting, or how the film successfully navigates being a period film whose message echoes into the present. The weakness, if one were to call it that, is where it dovetails into the original film. Though I have not seen it, I’m well-aware of Damien, and the script forcing the connection to that character via a line of awkward dialogue during the final moments of the film is the really the only area in which one can truly find fault. Up to that point, the narrative is solid on its own merits, lambasting the greedy, the power-hungry, as the true destroyers of our realm, and women almost always shouldering the consequences. Again, without comparing it to the original or questioning its connection to the legacy stories, Stevenson as filmmaker and Free as lead actor crafted a horror tale of the times that never tips itself too early, keeping the audience in full suspension of uncertainty until the climax.
The First Omen Special Features:
- The Mystery of Margaret (5:42)
- The Director’s Vision (4:31)
- Signs of The First Omen (8:43)
*Bonus features may vary by product and retailer
Available on digital May 28th, 2024.
Available on Hulu May 30th, 2024.
Available on Blu-ray and DVD July 30th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official 20th Century Studios The First Omen webpage.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
Share this:
Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews, streaming
Leave a Reply