Film Review

The First Omen (2024) — devilishly good prequel stands on its own cloven hooves

A young woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, but encounters a darkness that causes her to question her faith…

The sixth film in The Omen franchise, The First Omen, is a return to form for the patchy horror series. The debut feature from director Arkasha Stevenson (Channel Zero), it reveals the events that led to the demonic infant Damien entering the lives of US Ambassador Robert Thorn and his wife in Richard Donner’s 1976 horror classic.

Set in the early-1970s, a young American noviciate called Margaret (Servant’s Nell Tiger Free) arrives in Rome to live and work at a Catholic-run orphanage. She’s warmly greeted by her old mentor, Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy, in a fleeting but memorable role), but eyed suspiciously by the other nuns. Rome is in turmoil, with student protests turning violent as they demonstrate against authoritarianism, and the Catholic Church losing its grip on Italy. Margaret, it seems, hasn’t chosen the most peaceful place to seek…