The First Omen is a prequel to the original franchise that started with The Omen in 1976. While the birth of Damien was never fully shown in the first film, this prequel examines how the birth of the Antichrist came to be. It’s an intriguing concept. We think we know the story of Damien, but what if we didn’t?
The Omen franchise is one of the pillars of ’70s studio horror. Released three years after The Exorcist traumatized audiences and scared them back to church, The Omen mined a similar area of terror, namely religious horror, but told a new story that brought the Biblical concept of the Antichrist into modern times.
The story centers on the birth of a boy child from the womb of a jackal who was then given to Robert Thorn and his wife Kathy in a Catholic hospital in Rome. A Father Spiletto arranges for Thorn to substitute the child of a woman who died during childbirth for his deceased infant so that his wife never knows the difference. As Robert Thorn tracks the trail left behind, witnesses and records seem to have all been destroyed.
What people may not remember about The Omen is that it was an A-list movie. It was directed by Richard Donner (Superman, The Goonies, Lethal Weapon) and was the director’s breakthrough. It stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, and Billie Whitelaw. Holly Palance, daughter of character actor Jack Palance, played Damien’s fateful first nanny in a never to be forgotten performance.
Anticipation for The First Omen among the industry and fans is high because The Omen was one of the most successful films the year it was released and spawned a franchise spanning four decades. The fact that the 2006 remake was also quite successful only increases that eagerness for a new film in the series.
Release Date
The First Omen’s highly anticipated release date is April 5, and a ’70s-style trailer released a mere week before the film’s opening has piqued the interest of its potential audience. The trailer’s release coincided with the film’s world premiere in Los Angeles. The film is director Arkasha Stevenson’s feature film debut after working on such television shows as Channel Zero, Legion, and Brand New Cherry Flavor. It is co-written by Stevenson, Keith Thomas, and Tim Smith.
Film fans have an everpresent desire to see new editions of their favorite horror film franchises, especially ones like The Omen, that are part of their childhood or favorites among horror movies. But they also want something that brings something new to the story. The 2006 remake was financially successful, but there was a feeling that the film was too much like the film it was remaking. In fact, it was so similar that the original screenwriter of the 1976 version, David Seltzer, was given full credit for the script of the 2006 remake instead of the screenwriter who adapted it.
It is safe to say that this prequel has some heavy expectations, but so far, the reactions of fans and film critics have been very positive.
Cast Details
Actress Nell Tiger Free (Servant, Game of Thrones) plays Margaret Daino in The First Omen. She is a young American novice in the Catholic Church sent to Rome to complete her novitiate before she is allowed to take the veil and become a nun. Hey, Catholicism!
Tawfeek Barhom (Cairo Conspiracy) is listed as the second cast member. While most of the story is being kept under wraps, his presence as the next on the cast list may indicate that he is one of the main characters. He plays Father Gabriel, a priest in the religious order in Rome.
Other cast members include Sonia Braga (Kiss of the Spider Woman) as Sister Silva, Ralph Ineson (The Northman) as Father Brennan, Maria Caballero (Olivido) as Luz, Anton Alexander (Exodus: Gods and Kings) as Father Spiletto, and Bill Nighy (Living) as Father Lawrence. While a character named Carlita seems to be the center of Margaret’s concern among the children at the Catholic orphanage where she works, there is no listing for the actor who plays the character other than the listing for a “picture double” of Carlita. This definitely indicates that the audience has some surprises in store, and perhaps we also don’t know what twists and turns the story will take.
Plot Unveiled
The film’s synopsis reads: “When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate,” courtesy of Twentieth Century Studios.
The trailers that have been released indicate that the genesis of the birth of the Antichrist might come from an unexpected source. Although it seems clear that we are being pointed in a direction that may not be the true path of the story, the general idea that one can glean from the trailers seems to be that in a time when the faith in God and the Catholic Church has started to wane, perhaps the leaders of the Church might have an idea how to recapture that faith.
The trailer begins with an alarming sequence of a woman giggling and striking a match from the balcony of a building as puzzled children wave, and she waves back. As it becomes clear that the woman is self-immolating, Margaret screams and tries to hide the eyes of a child, Carlita. This is clearly this film’s version of the original’s iconic “It’s all for you, Damien!” Nanny scene.
The next sequence is a disturbing scene of a woman being restrained and gynecological tools being readied. As nuns and others hold her down, a male voice intones, “You don’t have to be afraid; God has great plans for you.” The woman is given gas, perhaps an anesthetic, or maybe not, and begins to laugh. The voice continues, “The child is His way.” As the woman laughs even louder, revealing the impression of the number 666 inside of her mouth.
The trailer has already had two peaks of scary action, but that’s just the beginning. Margaret is shown starting to feel protective about Carlita, a slightly older girl among the orphans, but then receives two warnings about the girl. First, she is warned by Sister Silva that Carlita “suffers from a touch of madness.” and then by Father Brennan that he believes the girl is to marry Satan and give birth to the Antichrist as a part of a conspiracy, hinted at being helmed by a part of the Catholic Church, to recapture its diminishing power. A fuller version of the second scene is shown.
After scenes of backward action and a jump scare, interspersed with scenes of nuns showing complete subservience, Father Brennan says, “The Church has maintained power for thousands of years, and they will stop at nothing to keep it that way.” Over seemingly disconnected scenes of frightening images, Brennan intones, “How do you control people who no longer believe? You create something for them to fear.”
The Omen franchise has always been about power. Damien, a scion of the Devil and adopted into the powerful Thorn family of industrialists and public servants, was deliberately placed in a family that had worldwide power and influence at its fingertips. Since the plot is being kept secret, it is hard to say for certain, but it seems that the entrance of the Antichrist into the world is a plot hatched by the Catholic Church for its own gain, which is a different kind of terror.
Filming Insights
FANGORIA got an exclusive that sheds light on the behind-the-scenes struggle to tell the story and the difficulties that the prequel faced with its depiction of female body horror, particularly that of childbirth. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) threatened to give The First Omen the dreaded NC-17 rating, which usually kills the chances for mainstream exhibition of a film, unless cuts were made to a specific scene.
The film’s themes of forced birth and the violation of the female body through lack of bodily autonomy are a hot topic in today’s politics, as conservative politicians seek to roll back women’s control over their bodies every day. After submitting the film to the ratings board five times, with full support of the film’s producers, David Goyer and Keith Levine (Hellraiser, The Night House), the film was finally awarded an R rating for release.
The film’s trailers have been a big hit despite the fact that they give only small amounts of information. A teaser trailer that only had the motion running in reverse was creepily effective. The film’s main trailer, which we have already described, and the cheeky and nostalgic’ 70s-style trailer were equally, if not more popular, with fans.
Marketing and Promotion
20th Century Studios’ social media presence has done a great job of making sure that the connections of this prequel to the franchise’s roots in ’70s horror are prominent and that the rapturous reactions from those who were at the premiere were at the forefront.
Conclusion
The First Omen is a fresh new take on the classic story of power and faith. Centering on the story of a novice being drawn into a circle of Satanic terror and religious politics, this new film has the spirit of the franchise but drinks at the fount of body horror and denial of body autonomy. It makes the terror of The Antichrist personal for women and shines a light on the power of the Church and its largely male leadership. It shows that the corridor of power is lined with the bodies of human beings. I can’t really think of a better time for The First Omen.
And if you want a refresher on the original franchise, all The Omen movies are now streaming on Hulu.
For more, dive into the history of nun horror.
