Dog’s Movie House: “The First Omen” Is Actually Pretty Darn Creepy!

Set in 1971, “The First Omen” tells the story of Margaret (an excellent Nell Tiger Free) who is coming to Rome to be ordained and to work at an orphanage. Having been raised in one herself while she grew up in America, Margaret is well suited to the task in Rome. However she soon finds something sinister within the orphanage and a small cabal of priests and nuns attempting to something. . .unnatural. Anyone familiar with the original film knows that that involves birthing the Antichrist and that the male child is Damian Thorne in the 1976 film.

Despiting knowing this, Writer/Director Arkasha Stevenson has crafted an engaging horror flick that kept me interested throughout the entire film. Setting the movie in 1971 (the year of Damian’s birth) is also an inspired narrative choice as it keeps the aesthetic of the original film and doesn’t allow modern technology or forensic science to intrude on the proceedings. Stevenson’s film is a lot more graphic than the original film, but that helps “The First Omen” establish a sense of identity that separates it from the original movie. There are, in fact, a couple of scenes that will establish themselves firmly in horror movie lore. (A hallucinagenic birth scene, in particular, will imprint itself on your memory for sure).

The performances are all very good, with Free doing great work as a young woman whose faith is sorely tested. Veteran’s like Bill Nighy, Charles Dance, and Sonia Braga, add oodles of class to the proceedings, each playing their roles straight and adding digniity to the supernatural shennanigans. Also very good is Ralph Ineson as Father Brennan. Unlike in the orignal film in which Brennan comes off more often than not as a raving lunatic, Ineson’s Brennan is more of a religious private detective, a priest who was excommunicated for knowing too much. He’s still a little manic, but Ineson gives the padre some much needed grounding.

There are some jump scares, most of which revolve around Margaret’s penchant for visions that may or may not be real, but for the most part “The First Omen” does a very good job of creating a creeping sense of dread that works all the way until the finale in which, of course, all hell breaks loose. Stevenson’s script retconns some of the original mythology from the original film, but it serves the story and it’s nothing that can’t be reasonably explained for having been missed in the Donnor film. It may not be necessary, but “The First Omen” is a fine companion piece to the original horror classic. 4 Out Of 5 On Kendog’s Barkometer! So Sayeth The Kendog!

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