The Reel Review
A spate of horrific occurrences plagues a young American novitiate working at an orphanage in 1970s Rome as she uncovers a sinister conspiracy to spawn the Antichrist. Nell Tiger Free, Sofia Braga and Bill Nighy star in this prequel to the 1976 horror classic.
Co-writer/director Arkasha Stevenson, in his feature film debut, captures the period vibe and the uber-creepy chanting score that was so chillingly effective in the original. He even one-ups a couple of the more memorable, gnarly kills in the original film, while also exploring the phenomena of repressed memory. Visually, The First Omen is very well done.
The overly-long story however, drags at times, is extremely predictable and has a few plausibility issues with some of its hokier practical effects. Free (Servant, Game of Thrones), however, gives a spectacular, impressively committed performance and the prequel dovetails nicely into the events of the 1976 film.
REEL FACTS
• In 1976’s The Omen, Damien’s mother was a jackal.
• British born Nell Tiger Free appeared as Cersei Lannister’s daughter Myrcella Baratheon in six episodes of Game of Thrones.
• The First Omen was filmed in Rome and Viterbo, Italy.
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