Director: Arkasha Stevenson
Writers: Tim Smith, Arkasha Stevenson, Keith Thomas
Stars: Nell Tiger Free, Ralph Ineson, Sonia Braga
Synopsis: A young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, but encounters a darkness that causes her to question her faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.
Horror is the genre most subjected to remakes, sequels, and origin stories; all of which are entirely unasked for by genre fans. These projects, particularly in the past decade or so, have been lifeless and without the vigor and dread that the original film to this follow-up (or predecessor) contained. But, there is the rare chance that one of these movies might surprise you. Fifty years have passed since the classic horror flick The Omen. The son of the devil, Damien, arrives at the hands of the Thorn family, and all hell breaks loose. That film has remained relevant within the horror genre, with filmmakers constantly reciting moments from it. But do we need to know about the events that occurred before that?
In essence, no, we don’t. There is little to no need for us to know the ins and outs of how this fiend was created. But Arkasha Stevenson has been tasked with doing so with The First Omen – a prequel with the same amount of terror and trepidation that the original contained. While you may not have wanted these answers, the Brand New Cherry Flavor director makes the process worthwhile by crafting one of the most solid studio horror legacy pictures in recent memory. It is backed by a stellar lead performance by Nell Tiger Free, who is firing on all cylinders, and bloody, dire imagery that may shock folks. True genre fans will feel blessed.
The film’s cold open involves Father Brennan (Ralph Ineson) running to a chapel, where he is meant to meet someone who will give him answers to an uncanny happening taking place. Father Harris (Charles Dance) is sitting in the confessional booth, speaking about a woman being possessed. There is some hesitation on his part; Father Harris seems afraid to say every horrifying detail. Running out of words (and time), he presents Father Brennan with one last clue – a picture of a group of nuns holding a baby, who will eventually become the vessel for a creature that will shift the way people see religion for good. Father Brennan is shocked by what his comrade says, left rather speechless for a few seconds.
When he finally manages to get his words out, it is already too late. Tragedy strikes as a falling painting, which slices a piece of Father Harris’ head. The last image we see of him contains a smile – a facial reaction that oozes hopelessness and damnation – and this is the first hint at bloody stakes The First Omen goes to, as well as the attempts by Stevenson at intercutting gore with camp through the nun-possession movie canvas that we are used to seeing. Throughout the film, Stevenson implements campy sensibilities in the narrative. It can be in the form of an actor’s line delivery or a narrative thread quickly developing somewhat ridiculously. Although it doesn’t work entirely, the majority help broaden the mysterious tone of the story.
After that introduction, we meet our protagonist, Margaret Daino (Tiger Free), who is about to take the veil in a few days. She has relocated to Rome – the classic location for most nun-horror movies – to do the lord’s deed at a local orphanage. Before she does become a nun, her roommate, for the time being, Luz (María Caballero), motivates Margaret to take a trip downtown and go to a discotheque for one last night of freedom. The two head towards the strobing lights and pulsating techno-pop tracks that echo throughout the area, which lead to Margaret becoming enamored after a few drinks. What Stevenson does brilliantly in this relatively simple transition from the brightly lit convent to the blue-hued discotheque is making it feel like it is a whole different world that Margaret is slowly discovering.
As the drinks pour and conversations start developing, the soundtrack becomes more energetic, almost as if it forces Margaret to embrace the free-form nature of this setting. Even though there is joy in the air, an uneasy feeling emerges; we see this through a hypnotic, distorting effect caused by the crowd dancing, swaying from left to right. What Margaret doesn’t know is that this trip will be the catalyst for something sinister lurking. After the night out, everything becomes darker; the place initially coated with a bright, luminescent light is now swallowed by dread and unease. However, there’s a wave of light amidst the darkness in the way of a young girl named Carlita (Nicole Sorace). And Margaret vows to protect her against this forthcoming evil.
The First Omen doesn’t complicate its story that much. Of course, there are a few twists and turns to make the audience second guess. This is your regular nun-possession horror movie modified into a project that tips its hat to the films that came before while maintaining a sense of identity. The only moment you feel it is losing its uniqueness is during the ending sequence, in which Stevenson forces the foreseeable tie-in with the 1976 picture in a way that feels quite lazy. Nevertheless, the rest flows smoothly and without restrictions. From the first scene, you feel director Arkasha Stevenson’s grasp on the genre and her film’s classical look – reminiscent of the big studio horror pictures from the 70s and 80s.
You feel the gloss of the multi-million dollar budget coating every frame, yet with some weight to it induced by the filmmaker’s talent, a quality lacking in the recently released films from the Hollywood giants. A primary reason these horror films fail to engage the audience is that the company heads tend to restrain the filmmaker at the helm. That isn’t the case with The First Omen. Every few minutes, you get a visual or image that immediately puts you on edge – oozing dread and disquietude. Stevenson doesn’t want to hold back at all; she implements body horror and elements of nunsploitation as the essential gadgets to build up the scares, ensuring a thrilling experience for genre fans.
As a treat for genre fans, these moments come with a couple of easter eggs, referencing legendary films like Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. And it is all captured by the talented cinematographer Aaron Morton, who has had his hand in several legacy projects like Evil Dead (2013) and the recent Lord of the Rings series. While The First Omen has many things going for it, I believe its best asset is the performance by its leading lady, Nell Tiger Free, the film’s beating (and terrifying) heart. She plays a caring mother figure for the entirety of the film, yet her emotions vacillate constantly—switching from exasperation and horrification to worry and angst in seconds.
Nell Tiger Free commits to every bit Arkasha Stevenson brings to the table, so her character becomes very compelling. It is quite a physical and demanding role. But she is later rewarded with her version of the classic subway scene in the aforementioned Possession, channeling her inner Isabelle Adjani. She screams her heart out while the creature inside devours her. And it is beautiful to watch cinematically. Many filmmakers have made their renditions of that scene, looking for ways to make them both different and equally haunting; the one I often recall is Gaspar Noé’s in Climax. However, Stevenson takes a more direct approach without making it seem like a scene-by-scene copy.
It is in this scene – and many others that are scattered across the film’s runtime – that you see how Stevenson uses shock factor without ever feeling exploitative, yet tipping her hat to the Grindhouse nunsploitation flicks that inspired her vision for The First Omen. For me, that is what makes this legacy project function properly. It has its unhinged moments where everything goes to hell in a handcart, and, at the same time, Stevenson provides moments for the audience to breathe.
