Making a good horror film is no easy task, since you have to tread the fine line between being frightening enough without overusing your scares. So, when a horror film with the perfect balance of nuance and terror comes around, you really must savour everything it has to offer.
Happily – if this word could be used to describe a horror flick – “The First Omen” delivers in that regard. This prequel is the newest in the franchise about the Antichrist, which began with the late Richard Donner’s 1976 scarefest “The Omen”.
That movie has become something of a horror icon/urban legend, with production apparently being plagued with bad luck and ominous occurrences, including a lightning strike and a horrifying death via traffic accident.
“The First Omen” is set in 1976 and follows one Sister Margaret (Nell Tiger Free), an American nun who is sent to work in an Italian convent. She befriends her roommate and fellow nun Luz (Maria Caballero), and all seems to go well for her at first.
But Margaret soon notices how the nuns isolate and abuse a strange, quiet girl named Carlita (Nicola Sorace). Her doubts grow further when Fether Brennan (Ralph Ineson), a character from the original film, comes bearing disturbing news.
Soon, it becomes clear something is up in that convent, with its habited inhabitants up to something nefarious.
“The First Omen” does a great job as a follow-up to the original that simultaneously stands on its own two feet. Kudos to director Arkasha Stevenson, in her directorial debut, who opts for subtlety rather than cheap shocks despite having many opportunities to do so.
The opening scene, in particular, is a good example: instead of a brutal onscreen death, the movie takes its sweet time, letting the horror slowly and painfully unfold.
That said, it had Charles Dance (of “Game of Thrones” fame) playing the unfortunate victim for about five minutes, when this is an actor who could make reading a dictionary a five-star performance.
The rest of the cast is generally solid, with Free leading the charge. She transitions easily from an innocent, well-meaning nun to a terrified, nervous wreck – so much so that it is easy for the audience to feel worried for her.
Ineson, too, also does a good job in the role of exposition deliverer, doing it in a way that comes off surprisingly naturally.
“The First Omen” has moments that aren’t particularly violent but still invoke disturbing imagery that may leave you unnerved long after the viewing.
And again, yay for the strategic lack of jumpscares: it’s nice to finally have a horror film that depends on its creepy atmosphere to do the job, rather than having ghosts pop up around every corner.
That said, this is a prequel – yet some of the characters do not appear in the originals. It leaves you wondering what eventually happens to them.
This is especially the case with Margaret and Carlita, whose sisterly relationship is worth investing in. Perhaps this lays the groundwork for future follow-ups, with the fates of Margaret and Carlita to be told later.
Indeed, given that “The First Omen” is receiving positive reviews all around, one hopes their story will continue so everyone can witness just how devilish things will get.
As of press time, ‘The First Omen’ is screening in cinemas nationwide.