‘The First Omen’ is a prequel to the 1976 classic ‘The Omen’. The script tells us the story of Damien Thorn’s birth, and it does so in an effective and eerie gloomy ambience with tribute scenes to the first film from 1976.
Director Arkasha Stephenson created a beautifully made, suspenseful and well executed psychological horror film that is a worthy prequel to the original Omen. She captured the look, feel and terror of horror movies from the 1970’s! The film is a truly brilliant, genre-bending piece of cinema and it reminded me of classic horror movies (The Exorcist (1973), The Shining (1980)) mixed with modern trends. The cinematography and visual effects were immersive and creepy, and the visual narrative is sophisticated.
The art direction and filming locations are a visual delight that the cinematography manages to glorify throughout each scene. The camera filters, vintage film-like picture framing, grains, color palettes and costume/props all work exceptionally well to captures the tone of the 1976 version. Moreover, the classic panning in and out of the camera was similar to older films of that era.
The cast is fantastic. Nell Tiger Free has a scene reminiscent of Isabelle Adjani’s subway scene in Possession (1981). She does a good job as lead, and I can see some of her work in ‘Servant’ (2019) bleed into the role of Margaret. Free carries the film well as the film’s protagonist and creates a believable performance. Overall,
‘The First Omen’ is a formidable film and pays tribute to some classes. This is by far the best horror film of 2024! I highly recommend this movie!
