The First Omen follows Margaret (Nell Tiger Free), a young nun who travels from Massachusetts to Rome to “take the veil”. Once situated in a convent/orphanage, she befriends a troubled teen named Carlita (Nicole Sorace) and stumbles upon a dark conspiracy involving the Catholic Church that threatens not only both of their lives, but potentially the entire world.
The First Omen is directed by Arkasha Stevenson. This is her feature film debut. Previously she had mostly directed episodes of tv shows like Legion (one episode), Brand New Cherry Flavor (one episode), and Channel Zero (six episodes). For her first theatrical effort, she hits an absolute home-run. Her direction is superb and precise. The First Omen is written by Arkasha Stevenson, Tim Smith, and Keith Thomas (The Vigil). The screenplay is pretty great and effective.
The First Omen is set in 1971 (five years prior to the events of The Omen). The film not only looks and feels accurate to the time period (props to the costume design by Paco Delgado and the production design by Eve Stewart), it also feels like it was made in that era as well. It’s an atmospheric, tense slow-burn that plays like a mixture of The Omen and Rosemary’s Baby. The aforementioned direction by Arkasha Stevenson and the exquisite, haunting cinematography by Aaron Morton help to cement the illusion (there’s even film grain!!!). The score crafted by Mark Korven is sure to send chills down your spine, and adds to the atmosphere and tension.
Bill Nighy, Charles Harris, and Eugenia Delbue are memorable in small roles (Delbue in particular is incredibly disturbing as an unfortunate pregnant woman). Ralph Inneson is perfection as Father Brennan, an ex-communicated priest determined to stop the Catholic Church’s plans. He feels like he belongs in the 70s and milks the most out of his supporting role (The character also plays a supporting role in the og Omen). Inneson’s rough, gravelly voice should be enough to keep most audience members pinned to their seat whenever he is on screen.
Nicole Sorace is great as Carlita. She does creepy well. Nell Tiger Free is phenomenal as Margaret, our heroine. Margaret has a troubled past (hence why she bonds with Carlita), and is plagued by horrific, disturbing visions. As she delves deeper into the Catholic church’s dark secret/s, the more her grasp on her own sanity begins to waver. Nell Tiger Free puts on a powerhouse, tour-de-force performance that is gripping, and even scary in some moments. Through it all she remains very likable. The First Omen acts as an incredible calling card for the young actress. You definitely won’t forget about her after the end credits roll.
While The First Omen teases who the Catholic Church is after, the truth is pretty easy to guess. There aren’t many surprises here, but the ride this film takes you on is top-notch and often incredibly disturbing and graphic (the imagery is consistently striking, horrifying, and memorable). The First Omen came very close to receiving an NC-17 rating, and it’s not hard to see why. This flick will F you up!
While certainly no one was asking for a prequel to The Omen, and the trailers didn’t do much to inspire excitement or hope, The First Omen succeeds at just about everything it set out to do. It’s a faithful prequel to The Omen, it’s the best religious horror film we’ve gotten in a long time, and it’s a refreshing return to the old-school/70s style of horror movie-making. The First Omen also has some scarily pertinent commentary on the Catholic Church. This film is, against all odds, a masterpiece and an absolute classic in the making. See it on the biggest screen you can, and buckle up. Things are about to get REAL!
5 STARS
No comments:
Post a Comment