The First Omen Goes To Levels Of Creepiness We Aren’t Comfortable With, See The Proof
If the teaser trailer for The First Omen is any indication of what terrors await audiences in theaters next month, fans of the popular horror franchise are in for a white-knuckle ride. The two-minute preview of one of this year’s most anticipated films in the genre opens with a woman going into labor and a malevolent hospital staff preparing to remove the child of Satan from her womb.
While experiencing the indescribable pains of an otherworldly childbirth, she is sedated with what seems to be a gas that makes her euphoric, all the while being told that “God has great plans” for her.
As The First Omen further unfolds, Margaret is made aware of a conspiracy among church officials to bring about the child of Satan so that fear can be used to continue placating the masses.
The First Omen is the story of a young American woman named Margaret who is sent to live in Rome so that she can be in service to the Catholic church at an orphanage. But soon after she arrives, she is drawn to a young girl named Carlita. Carlita appears to be troubled, and “suffers from a touch of madness,” as described by one of the nuns.
Evil seems to follow the young orphan at every turn. At one point, Margaret sees one of the nuns commit suicide in what appears to be a maniacal effort to impress Carlita. As The First Omen further unfolds, Margaret is made aware of a conspiracy among church officials to bring about the child of Satan so that fear can be used to continue placating the masses.
The First Omen serves as the sixth in the Omen movie franchise. The film is a prequel to the original film that was released in 1976 and starred Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. A 2006 remake was released starring Liv Schreiber and Julia Stiles.
The First Omen makes its theatrical debut on April 5, 2023.
Much of The First Omen was filmed on location in Rome, giving the film a feeling of authenticity. The movie serves as the directorial debut for Arkasha Stevenson, whose work on the television series Briarpatch and Channel Zero served as great vehicles in preparing her for a feature film. Stevenson also shares screenwriting credits with Tim Smith and Keith Thomas, who adapted the script from a story by Ben Jacoby.
The First Omen stars Nell Tiger Free as Margaret, whose most notable role was as Myrcella Baratheon in the HBO fantasy saga Game of Thrones. Sonia Braga, Ralph Ineson, Bill Nighy, and Tawfeek Barhom round out the cast of Catholic church officials who are vying to change the course of history.
The films that inspired The First Omen were based on the screenplays written by David Seltzer. The original entry made nearly $60 million against a budget of only $2.8 million, with subsequent films in the series doing modestly with box office returns. The franchise also includes two television entries, the 1995 pilot The Omen and the short-lived 2016 A&E series Damien.
The First Omen serves as the sixth in the Omen movie franchise.
The First Omen makes its theatrical debut on April 5, 2023. In an era where horror prequels are trending, it’s fair to assume that audiences will go into theaters with high expectations. If the film delivers the chills that the trailer promises, they shouldn’t be disappointed.
