Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) heads to Italy to join a convent that looks after orphaned girls. But shortly after discovers a conspiracy amongst those running the facility to bring about the birth of the Antichrist.
The First Omen is set in 1971 and acts as a direct prequel to the 1976 film “The Omen” which was directed by Richard Donner and starred Gregory Peck. For those familiar with the original or even perhaps the 2006 remake you will recognise the character of Father Brennan (played here by Ralph Ineson) who in an opening prologue is visited by Father Harris (Charles Dance) and let into a dreadful secret held by the Church. In these opening moments not only do the film makers directly join this prequel to the original but they even pay homage to one of its more famous deaths.
We then move to Italy where our young American protagonist, drawn to God after events that took place in her childhood tries to learn the language and settle into her new life. Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy) acts as a mentor whilst she finds a friend in Luz (Maria Caballero) and a thorn in her side in Sister Angelica (Ishtar Currie-Wilson). Having grown up an orphan herself and considered a problem child she finds herself drawn to young Carlita Scianna (Nicole Sorace) and becomes fiercely protective of her, especially as the conspiracy unfolds further and appears to involve her.
As is sometimes the case with Hollywood two films appear to have arrived at the same time with an incredibly similar plot. And as is often the case the film that arrives first sometimes feels the better of the two purely based on it getting into your thoughts first. Immaculate arrived only a few weeks ago and features an eerily similar story. A young American girl drawn to God heads to Italy to take her vows as a nun. Whilst there she discovers an ungodly conspiracy to create the birth of an Antichrist. She becomes friends with one nun whilst finding another incredibly difficult towards her. This though is where the similarities end because Immaculate and The First Omen are different styles of horror movie. Where Immaculate is direct and clear in its heroines actions, The First Omen paints its protagonist as a classic untrustworthy narrator. The sense of dread and horror is built out of a series of unsettling images and themes where we can never be certain of what is real and what is not.
Nell Tiger Free does an excellent job as the lead because she has to make her character both driven by her belief and unsure of her own self. Whilst director Arkasha Stevenson builds a house of cards that she successfully crashes down around her protagonist in the final third of the film.
The First Omen is a success as a horror movie. It just seems odd to have a caveat that Immaculate may have beat it to the punch as far as religious horror goes this year. I wonder which one will hold more in the memory as the years pass?
Phil the Bear's Film Reviews 