You may be a little confused, as The Omen—that is to say, the first Omen—was released all the way back in 1976, and saw the stolid Gregory Peck deal with the fact that his secretly adopted son is the Antichrist, and not in a metaphorical way. This, however, is a prequel, and the sixth film in the franchise. There’s also the largely forgotten 2016 TV series Damien. It’s forgotten for a reason.
How to watch The First Omen in the UK
The First Omen is in UK cinemas now.
What is The First Omen about?
It’s the swinging ’70s and orphan Margaret Daino is in Rome working in a Catholic orphanage as she prepares to take up the habit (that’s nunnery, not heroin). Unfortunately for her, she’s entangled in a shadowy conspiracy to bring about the birth of the Antichrist, which is pretty rough on a (literally) cloistered young woman. Who can she trust? Pretty much no one. Is there hope? Only the thinnest of threads. Do things get gnarly? You better believe it—in regards to shocking imagery, this is one of the most challenging mainstream horror movies to come down the pike in quite some time.
The cast of The First Omen
Nell Tiger Free (Too Old to Die Young) is Margaret Daino; Sônia Braga (The New Mutants) is Sister Silvia, the Abbess of the orphanage; Ralph Ineson (The Witch) is Father Brennan, taking over the role first played by Patrick Troughton, aka the Second Doctor; and the legendary and recently Oscar-nominated Bill Nighy is Cardinal Lawrence, Margaret’s mentor, who will certainly not turn out to have a secret agenda.
The First Omen trailer
Why we’re excited about The First Omen
Having impressed with her work on Brand New Cherry Flavor, Legion, and Channel Zero, Arkasha Stevenson makes her feature directing debut here, offering up a bold new take on the hoary old franchise (seriously, only the first one is actually good). Of the recent run of religious horror, The First Omen stands out.
