The First Omen

The First Omenis a 2024 Americansupernatural horror filmdirected byArkasha Stevenson,who co-wrote the screenplay with Tim Smith andKeith Thomasfrom a story by Ben Jacoby. It is aprequeltoThe Omen(1976), and the sixth film inThe Omenfranchise.The film starsNell Tiger Free,Tawfeek Barhom,Sônia Braga,Ralph Ineson,andBill Nighy.The plot follows an American nun sent to work at a Catholic orphanage inRomewho uncovers a sinister conspiracy to bring about the birth of theAntichrist.

The First Omen
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Arkasha Stevenson
Screenplay by	Tim Smith Arkasha Stevenson Keith Thomas
Story by	Ben Jacoby
Based on	Characters byDavid Seltzer
Produced by	David S. Goyer Keith Levine
Starring	Nell Tiger Free Tawfeek Barhom Sônia Braga Ralph Ineson Bill Nighy
Cinematography	Aaron Morton
Edited by	Bob Murawski Amy E. Duddleston
Music by	Mark Korven
Production company	Phantom Four Films
Distributed by	20th Century Studios
Release date	April 5, 2024(2024-04-05)
Running time	119 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$30 million
Box office	$53.9 million

The First Omenwas theatrically released in the United States by 20th Century Studios on April 5, 2024. The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed $53.9 million worldwide.

Plot

Father Brennan presses Father Harris about anoccultconspiracy; Harris gives him a photograph of a baby with the name "Scianna" inscribed. Harris is killed when a pipe falls from a church construction scaffold and splits his head open.

InRome,1971, amidpolitical protests,American novice nun Margaret Daino arrives at the Vizzardeli Orphanage. She meets Cardinal Lawrence, Father Gabriel, Abbess Silva, Sister Anjelica, and her roommate and fellow novice Luz. Luz invites Margaret to adisco,where they meet two men. Margaret dances with the man named Paolo before blacking out. She awakens the next day with no memory of what happened.

Margaret bonds with the mistreated orphan Carlita, who is plagued by disturbing visions. Father Brennan warns her about Carlita, saying "evil things" will happen. She spots Carlita showing Sister Anjelica a drawing of a pregnant woman being restrained; moments later, Sister Anjelica immolates and hangs herself.

Brennan explains that radicals within the church, desperate to regain power against therise of secularism,seek to bring about the birth of theAntichristto create fear and drive people back to the Church, with Carlita intended to be his mother. During a field trip, a riot breaks out and Margaret experiences a demonic hallucination. Abbess Silva postpones Margaret's vows and orders her to distance herself from Carlita. She runs into Paolo; horrified, he tells her to "look for the mark" before being struck and killed by an oncoming truck.

In the Abbess's office, Margaret uncovers a hidden, underground chamber and a series of subject files, all labeled "Scianna". They contain photos ofdysmorphic babies,all with a birthmark in the shape ofthree sixes,with Carlita as the only one to survive to adolescence. Margaret attempts to flee with Carlita, but is intercepted and spots the mark on Carlita'spalatebefore being imprisoned.

Father Gabriel frees Margaret and they examine the stolen files with Father Brennan, discovering that another baby survived. Margaret locates the mark on her own scalp and suddenly remembers that she was forcefully impregnated in a satanic ritual the night she blacked out at the disco. They come to realize that the orphanage heads have determined thatthe Devilwill need to mate with his own spawn in order to conceive the Antichrist, and Margaret had been brought to Rome as her half-sister Carlita was too young. They drive to a doctor who can abort the pregnancy, but another car crashes into theirs on the way, incapacitating everyone except Margaret, who staggers from the car as her body suddenly swells with pregnancy.

She awakens strapped to a hospital bed and is greeted by Cardinal Lawrence, the head of the conspiracy. The Cardinal and the other conspirators watch as she gives birth to two children via Caesarean section, a girl and a boy; the latter is hailed as the Antichrist. Luz and the man who was with Paolo at the disco are revealed to be among the conspirators. Margaret stabs Cardinal Lawrence, but cannot bring herself tokill her son.Luz stabs Margaret as the conspirators flee with the boy and set the chamber ablaze to cover their tracks. Carlita saves Margaret and her daughter, and Margaret sees a demonicjackalshrieking in the flames. The baby boy is given to American diplomat Robert Thorn to secretly replace the child his wife Katherine has supposedly miscarried.

Years later, Margaret lives in seclusion in the mountains with Carlita and her daughter, now a happy family. Brennan visits and warns that the conspirators will be hunting her, and that her son has been namedDamien.

Cast

• Nell Tiger Freeas Margaret, an American sent to Rome to work at an orphanage before taking the veil
• Ralph Inesonas Father Brennan, a priest who warns Margaret of a conspiracy within the church
• Sônia Bragaas Sister Silva, theAbbessof Vizzardeli Orphanage in Rome
• Tawfeek Barhomas Father Gabriel, a member of the Catholic clergy working at the orphanage
• Maria Caballero as Luz, Margaret's roommate at Vizzardeli
• Charles Danceas Father Harris, a priest
• Bill Nighyas Cardinal Lawrence, a senior member of the Catholic church
• Nicole Sorace as Carlita, an older child at Vizzardeli
• Ishtar Currie-Wilson as Sister Anjelica, a disturbed nun at Vizzardeli
• Andrea Arcangelias Paolo, a man who encounters Margaret
• Anton Alexanderas Father Spiletto, a priest who convinces American diplomat Robert Thorn to adoptDamien
• Rachel Hurd-Woodas Katherine Thorn, the wife of Robert Thorn and the adoptive mother of Damien
• Eva Stevic Rasas an angry nun

Production

In April 2016, a prequel toThe Omen(1976) was announced to be in the works at 20th Century Fox, with Ben Jacoby writing the script andAntonio Camposin talks to direct.By May 2022, three years afterThe Walt Disney Companyacquiredthe Fox assets,20th Century Studiosbegan developing it, withArkasha Stevensonsigning on in her featuredirectorial debut.David S. Goyerand Keith Levine produced under the Phantom Four Films label.Nell Tiger Freewas cast in the lead role in late August 2022.On January 3, 2024,Tawfeek Barhom,Sônia Braga,Ralph Ineson,andBill Nighywere announced to star in the film.

Principal photographytook place on location in Rome and on soundstages at Lumina Studios from September 19 to November 22, 2022.Buildings inVilla Parisiand a farm in Procoio was used to portray the orphanage. Production designerEve Stewartstated, "We wanted it to be a very unique and beautiful building, and since we couldn't find everything within one building, we put three buildings together and made sure that they all linked well with one another". The basement was created on the soundstage.

Costume designerPaco Delgadowanted the costumes to have a gothic feeling. He designed light clothing that moves with the wind so it would match Stevenson's vision of "the figures sort of floating through the hallways". The girls at the orphanage were dressed in 1940s/1950s costumes, even though the film takes place in the 1970s; the crew wanted a "specific ambience".For Margaret's look, Delgado was inspired withYves Saint Laurentfashion of the 1970s.Adrien Morotserved as prosthetic and creature designer.

Music

The score was composed byMark Korven,who wrote original music and referenced themes written byJerry Goldsmithfor the previous films, including "Ave Satani."The soundtrack album was released byHollywood Recordson April 5, 2024, the same day as the film.

Release

A specific shot in the birthing sequence resulted in theMotion Picture Associationregistering the film with anNC-17 ratingclassification. Producer Keith Levine said, "We had to go back and forth with the ratings board five times. Weirdly, avoiding the NC-17 made it more intense".David S. Goyercommented that, "The movie, by its nature, deals with female body horror, and I do think there's a double standard. That was really interesting when we were negotiating with the ratings board. I think there is more permissiveness when dealing with male protagonists, particularly in body horror".

The First Omenwasgreenlitin development for an intended streaming release onHulu,but was given a theatrical wide release afterWalt Disney Studios Motion Picturesdetermined it needed to expand the studio's theatrical release slate after shortages caused by the2023 Hollywood labor disputes.The film was theatrically released by20th Century Studioson April 5, 2024.

Home media

The First Omenwas released on digital platforms on May 28, 2024, and for streaming on Hulu two days later. It was released onBlu-rayandDVDon July 30, 2024, bySony Pictures Home Entertainment,as the first Disney-owned title to be released as part of a home video distribution agreement between Disney andSony Picturesthat began in February 2024, in which Sony handles all physical media production and distribution forDisney's home entertainmentassets in North America, but will remain using their respective labels.

Reception

Box office

The First Omengrossed $20.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $33.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $53.9 million.

In the United States and Canada,The First Omenwas released alongsideMonkey Man,and was initially projected to gross $14–15 million from 3,375 theaters in its opening weekend.After making $3.2 million on its first day (including $725,000 from Thursday night previews), estimates were lowered to $8 million. It went on to debut $8.4 million, finishing fourth at the box office.In its second weekend the film made $3.8 million, finishing in seventh.

Critical response

On thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,81% of 189 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7/10. The website's consensus reads: "Frequently frightening even as it plays within the confines of a nearly 50-year-old film series, this prequel isThe First Omenof a bright future for the franchise in quite some time. "Metacritic,which uses aweighted average,assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale.

Kyle Turner ofSlant Magazinegave it 3/4 stars, writing, "Throughout the film, Stevenson slides easily between earthly delights and disgusts, wedding them together through viscera and audacious aesthetics. InThe First Omen,Stevenson atomizes all the darkness and the light within ourselves. "The Guardian'sBenjamin Lee gave it 3/5 stars, calling it "far more artful and striking than it has any right to be, thanks in overwhelmingly large part to the TV director Arkasha Stevenson, whose bravado works incredibly well until it really doesn't, when she's forced to play by franchise rules rather than her own."Writing forThe Times,Ed Potton gave it 3/5 stars. He said, "Stevenson leans too heavily on the old horror staple of female hysteria and the explanation behind the plot to spawn a tiny Antichrist is the kind of thing you'd expect from a conspiracy nutjob onYouTube.Tiger Free makes a compellingly unstable heroine, though, and Bill Nighy and Charles Dance pop up as senior priests and wear their cassocks well... This isCall the Midwifedirected by Satan. "

The Wall Street Journal'sKyle Smithwrote, "The First Omenmay have a noble predecessor in one of the scariest films of the 1970s, but it has little to distinguish it from the last 665 mediocre horror features I've seen. "Tim Robey ofThe Daily Telegraphgave it 2/5 stars, writing, "Stevenson has configured her tale as female body-horror fit for a dissertation, without giving it much of a spine: while slick, the set pieces are few, far between, and over too fast."Frank ScheckofThe Hollywood Reporterwrote, "Ultimately, it all feels very familiar, and not just because this is the second movie in as many months to revolve around nuns and the birth of an Antichrist."

Comparisons toImmaculate

Due to sharing similar premises and a common Italian setting and released at about the same time,The First OmenandImmaculatehave been dubbed astwin films.Both films explore the issue of femalebodily autonomy,depicting the "systemic control of women's bodies reduced to vessels".Bilge EbiriofVulturewondered about "why should anyone be surprised that suddenly, in the wake of the Supreme Court's overturning ofRoe v. Wade,as state after state attempts to enact religious laws depriving women of bodily agency, America is getting horror movies about people forced into monstrous births by religious institutions worried about their growing irrelevance ".

External links

• Official website
• The First OmenatIMDb