MY CALL: This was a solid horror movie from writing and acting to strikingly impactful visuals. I enjoyed it—it just feels a bit longer than it needs to be. MORE MOVIES LIKE The First Omen: For more Omen antics, the original The Omen (1976) and the sequels (1978, 1981), along with the remake (2006) are all good choices..
Father Brennan (Ralph Ineson; Game of Thrones, The Witch, Intruders) seeks the venerable Father Harris (Charles Dance; Game of Thrones, Dracula Untold, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Patrick: Evil Awakens, Underworld: Awakening) for information about a young, devoted woman who became pregnant by unnatural means, and whose now teenage daughter has others waiting with dark intentions for her to come of age. After sharing this story, Father Harris comes to the very kind of Final Destination death we first saw in The Oman (1976). The effects are sound, and the gore is slick yet shocking.
In 1971, a young American nun-to-be, Margaret (Nell Tiger Free; Game of Thrones) arrives in Rome, Italy to a convent that caters to mothers-to-be and serves as an orphanage for girls. She quickly takes notice of a quiet, troubled girl (Nicole Sorace) who makes provocative drawings, and is often punished in isolation for her behavior. Margaret is warned of this young girl. As Margaret investigates the girl’s history and origins, many who have been in contact with her come to horrible, deadly ends.
Frightening jump-scare nun imagery may conjure playful sentiments of The Nun 1-2 (2018, 2023). But this film boasts much more than just jump-scares. Among such horrific offerings is a very graphic, very disturbing birth scene! There is gruesome, gory imagery, and the iconic “it’s all for you” self-sacrifice scene is re-conjured with an immolation. Many of these death scenes are re-imaginings of those of 1976. Then there’s yet another birth scene more reminiscent of Possession (1981), complete with milky and bloody fluids and possessed convulsions, rolling into a very graphic C-section.
While quite satisfying, the film is longer than it needs to be. But overall, I find this film quite well-made, usually decently paced (with some lulls here and there), and effectively creepy atmosphere. We also enjoy a small role by Bill Nighy (The Phantom of the Opera, Shaun of the Dead), and the plot adds a few new details to the classic paradigm of birthing the Antichrist to rule the world that kicks off the original story.
This story ends transitioning to the very beginning of the 1976 (or 2006) story. So my next stop will be revisiting the 2006 remake, and then starting back at 1976 and moving my way through the sequels. Director Arkasha Stevenson (Brand New Cherry Flavor, Channel Zero) fared well here.
