Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are catching up on another recent horror that we missed as we check out The First Omen from earlier in 2024. Believe it or not, this is a prequel to the 1976, UK and USA collaboration, horror classic The Omen. Did we really need a prequel to a near 50 year old movie? I am not so sure but we have it so I guess I will shut up.
The movie follows the story of Margaret (Nell Tiger Free). A young American woman who has recently been sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church. All appears to be going well but it isn’t long before Margaret begins to uncover sinister secrets. Potentially hinting at members of the church attempting to bring about the birth of something truly evil. Forcing Margaret to question her faith and confront her past.
Twin Movies
The First Omen shares a plot that is extremely similar to a movie that released not long before it. Immaculate, starring and produced by Sydney Sweeney, follows, pretty much, the exact same blueprint as The First Omen. Only, Immaculate has been in various stages of production for over a decade. It’s up to the viewer whether there was any plagiarism here. Given how the script for the aforementioned movie has, likely, been bouncing around for awhile.
In the movie business this is known as Twin Movies and it is, actually, far more common than you might think. It seems to happen at least once a year and is particularly common in the horror genre. The Cave and The Descent are a good example; The Pope’s Exorcist and The Exorcism being two more. These twin movies shouldn’t be confused with mockbusters. They are a different, and altogether more deliberate, thing. So which movie is better? We’ll get into that in a second.
A Real Throwback
The First Omen wants to transport you back to the 70s. Set in Rome in 1971. Director Arkasha Stevenson has done everything in her power to take you right back to the era and, for the most part, is extremely successful. This looks every part like a movie that could have come out before The Omen or shortly after. Set designs are quintessentially 70s, the cars and clothes are accurate to the era, the music is spot on and there is a distinct yellow hue bathing every scene.
For the most part the movie looks fantastic, if that is your thing. Not everybody is a fan of these throwback style movies but, let’s be honest, they are here to stay. The only thing that feels a bit at odds with the style is just how sharp the image is. I am assuming this was filmed digitally which seems like a bit of a misstep. Analogue film recording would, probably, have worked a bit more effectively given the theme. As it stands, however, it’s a minor complaint. The First Omen fits perfectly with the original movie which is great given that it is a prequel.
Effective but Messy
For the most part, The First Omen is an effectively creepy horror. Relying far more on atmosphere to unnerve you rather than constant jump scares. Not that the movie doesn’t have one or two, of course. There is a real sense of Stevenson trying to capture the vibe of the original. The evil that lurks here isn’t necessarily obvious. It sits under the surface waiting to be uncovered by our protagonist Margaret. We see hints of its presence but it isn’t until Margaret begins experiencing strange events that things start to ramp up. It’s a fairly slow build but once things get going it is a pretty relentless march to the end.
The effective sense of dread keeps you invested but it is the haphazard narrative that might leave you wanting. This film feels extremely messy. There are so many elements being thrown around. Many of which feel surplus to the story and many of which add virtually nothing. It all just feels slightly chaotic. The main character seems to be attacked from all angles by weird events, characters providing exposition, and her own moments of revelation. That when it all comes together it feels like a massive information overload. The narrative here needed to be much tighter.
Obviously, if you have watched The Omen then you know where this story is going. Meaning The First Omen is forced to throw pointless plot elements at you purely to create some degree of surprise. It really doesn’t work. This is a combination of Rosemary’s Baby and the original Omen. Nothing feels very original and that leads us onto another issue.Â
Worth Mentioning
Much of The First Omen is wildly predictable. Aside from being fairly clued in on the story due to it being a prequel. Everything is massively projected and you will see it coming miles before it does. This can really make the near two hour runtime feel like a drag. Particularly when we are forced to sit through enormous amounts of exposition dump later on.
It’s hard not to wonder how it took the characters so long to come to the same conclusions that you came to within the first half an hour. The lack of character development outside of Margaret means there isn’t much to cling onto outside of the messy narrative. It’s just a bunch of people who exist purely to progress her story and nothing else. If you don’t find Margaret to be a particularly likable or interesting character then you are shit out of luck.
Acting is decent throughout, though I felt like some of the casting decisions were a little odd. I love Ralph Ineson but seeing him fumble his way through, what I believe was supposed to be, an Irish accent was a bit odd. There are Catholic priests in the north of England, right? Why not let him use his actual accent? Bill Nighy is always good but felt really out of place as Cardinal Lawrence.
Nell Tiger Free, as Margaret, for me, seemed a bit overwhelmed. Her accent and vocal delivery was all over the place. Giving her character a feeling of inconsistence and unevenness. There was a scene where she looked as though she was performing the MJ Thriller dance which gave me a good laugh. I felt the movie could have used a stronger performance in such a big role. A lot of people praise her, though, so it’s swings and roundabouts I guess.
Should You Watch The First Omen?
You should probably watch The First Omen. It’s not my favourite religious horror of all time. It’s a capable prequel to the first movie, however, and captures the vibe perfectly. I just didn’t find it to be all that interesting. The narrative is messy and the runtime can be a real drag. There’s a whole lot of pointless padding and a distinct feeling of style over substance. The fact that it is, basically, a Rosemary’s Baby redux doesn’t help. Still, fans of the series may enjoy it and it’s a great ode to that era of horror. It’s a nice option for people just looking for something a bit different, as well.
That leaves us with whether this is better than Immaculate? This is the big debate due to the similarities. And while most people seem to side with The First Omen. I can’t help but think that Immaculate delivers its story in a much cleaner manner. It’s a much tighter horror movie and features a much more capable lead. The runtime is better, the story more interesting and the pacing better. I have to go with Immaculate here but they are so similar it barely matters.
