I’m really not a scary movie kinda guy. I can do a scary thriller like A Quiet Place, but a no holds barred horror of this nature, really doesn’t do it for me. So, because one of our other reviewers that normally covers horror was at another screening (also a horror), I ventured out into the dark, crisp autumn night to spend a couple of hours silently screaming into my clenched fists. Drenched in a gothic, 1970’s horror hue, The First Omen is a terrifically terrifying horror both in its storytelling and in the themes that it explores. 

 

When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate. 

 

If you, like me, haven’t seen the previous Omen films, you’d probably have enough cinematic cultural knowledge to know where The First Omen is headed and have one hell of a time getting there. The First Omen builds slowly with a few jump scares (most of which I watched through half closed eyes) thrown in along the way. 

 

And then, which I won’t spoil here, the filmmakers play a little narrative game with you to keep you on your toes. It’s a great ploy, because it constantly keeps you second guessing the direction of the story and its characters in your head, causing you to be at an ever increasing state of unease. The themes explored here around sexual abuse are necessary, but fairly heavy, especially in light of our country’s current inquiry into abuse in care, especially religious institutions. 

 

The First Omen really doesn’t feel or look like a cheap, B grade horror. The production design, costumes, even the rioting crowds all look authentic and a product of their 70's setting. But, in a film with so much of its production being top class, the cinematography is utterly gorgeous. From the color grading, even to the camera movements and shots, The First Omen really does feel as it is not only set in the 70’s but made in them too. 

 

Nell Tiger Free is the star of the show here and gives a fantastic and surprising performance, capturing the innocence of Margaret and her increased horror at what is unfolding before her very eyes. 

 

Drenched in a gothic, 1970’s horror hue, The First Omen is a terrifically terrifying horror both in its storytelling and in the themes that it explores.