The First Omen, directed by Arkasha Stevenson from a screenplay by herself, Keith Thomas, and Tim Smith, even makes a point of incorporating what’s happening in the society at large into its genre tale of creepy occurrences behind cloistered walls.
In this case, the year is 1971, and the city of Rome has been seized by protests. Driving through the city, young novitiate Margaret Daino (Nell Tiger Free) asks her mentor, Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy), about the turmoil. “For the workers, it’s about conditions and wages,” he replies.
“For the students, it’s a rejection of authority.”
He goes on to add that the Church is among those institutions in which these young people have lost trust and faith.
The First Omen reviewed
“The First Omen” cast
The main cast of “The First Omen” includes Nell Tiger Free as Margaret, Ralph Ineson as Father Brennan, Sônia Braga as Sister Silver, Tawfeek Barhom as Father Gabriel and Bill Nighy as Cardinal Lawrence.
Surprisingly, it seems for a while that we actually maybe do?
Crafted with more flair and written with more thought than the majority of studio horror films are at this current rotten moment, The First Omen charges out of the gate to rise above an admittedly low bar with all the confidence of an original.
Like the bold, backwards trailer that’s being used to promote it, it’s far more artful and striking than it has any right to be, thanks in overwhelmingly large part to the TV director Arkasha Stevenson, whose bravado works incredibly well until it really doesn’t, when she’s forced to play by franchise rules rather than her own.
How to Watch ‘The First Omen’
The Arkasha Stevenson-directed film will land in theaters in April
Is “The First Omen” streaming or in theaters?
“The First Omen” is playing exclusively in theaters, so the only way to see it right now is to buy a movie ticket.
The film, which will be distributed by 20th Century Studios, is expected to stream on Hulu sometime in June 2024 but an exact streaming release date has not yet been announced.
Check the theater locations below for showtimes.
- Fandango
- AMC Theaters
- Cinemark Theaters
- Regal Theaters
- Atom Tickets
Omens, Ranked
- Omen IV: The Awakening (1991)
- The Omen (1995)
- Damien (2016)
- The Omen (2006)
- Damien: Omen II (1978)
- Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981)
- The First Omen (2024)
- The Omen (1976)
The First Omen Teases a New Hunt
Once Damien is born, The First Omen has a montage that informs everything that happened before TheOmen.
The Thorn baby is taken by the cult and killed, allowing the cult to manipulate the Thorn patriarch into adopting Damien.
This enterprising power and influence will make Damien a politician and captain of industry, enabling the Church to use him as their tool.
However, when Brennan meets a gun-toting Margaret after the unholy pregnancy, everything is in a nascent stage.
All Brennan knows is the boy has been named and leaves a harrowing warning: the Church knows Margaret survived and has formed a unit that will hunt the family down.
The movie ends there, adding a new curveball to the lore. This revisits elements of Omen IV: The Awakening, where Damien sired Antichrist twins before he died.
It also nods to Deliver Us’ ending, which also had twins: one, the Antichrist, and one, the Messiah.