A young American 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 and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hop... Read allA young American 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 and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.A young American 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 and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.
- Awards
- 5 wins & 19 nominations total
- Sister Silva
- (as Sônia Braga)
- Sister Anjelica
- (as Ishtar Currie Wilson)
Featured reviews
The film is delightfully creepy and weird, including a sequence that legitimately gave me goosebumps. Fantastic cinematography and atmosphere actually makes the film feel like it could've come out in 1971.
Not only does it give context to the original but also answered some lingering questions I had after watching the original. A prequel that is not only worthy, but actually feels necessary.
While the pace might be too slow for some, I appreciated the way the film gradually builds tension. It has genuine scares, fueled more by atmosphere than cheap tricks. If you enjoy a classic, atmospheric horror experience, you might like this one.
Don't go in expecting a fast-paced thrill ride. Instead, be prepared for a film that aims to unnerve you. It won't blow you away with originality, but for fans of old-school horror, "The First Omen" offers some solid chills.
Especially after the 2006 Omen remake.
The story is not full of surprises. We always heard of Damian's birth, his real mother, the jackal. Now asome creative people wrote the story and brought it to life.
What to say? It's what you expect in the year 2024. But wait. It's more. Or better said: less!
It's a modern flick but in the style of the 70s. No jump scares. Just a good horror stories told in a decent way. The first death scene was something I haven't seen in a long time. An unexpected kind of killing and dying. But even more impressive. Not the usual "He's dead Jim" bloody jump scare death. More a "what the heck!? Really?" scene which keeps you mouth wide open.
And the movie continues this style of story telling and unexpected kills and how the people die. All in time without rush.
All in all this movie is doing things right other modern franchises are missing. A good story, people with patience and creativity who gave us something familiar from the past in times we only rush threw life.
The story is of Margret who goes to an orphanage run by nuns in Italy in the 70s. She is on the road to getting her veil when we discover she was also brought up in one of those homes and was plagued by visions which she was thought that they were her imagination. When a girl starts having similar experiences she grows close to her trying to uncover the route of them. As people are losing faith in God around the world the church pose a plot to gain back their faith, going to extreme lengths, sinister lengths.
The movie is solid, it focuses on telling a story in the horror genre with about 3 jumpscares and a major lean on visual horror scenes.
The acting is good, there also seems to be a good sense of dread in the entire movie as the characters are on edge the whole time. The settings are good and the music is good. The story is a little predictable as I caught on quite quick the "twist"
Overall an enjoyable time and I hope more of these come out as I like them not filled with Jumpscares as that gets so boring, 7.5/10.
Exploring the dark forces behind Damien's birth is one of the best parts of the First Omen. The tension that builds up to the final act is equally as compelling. Thankfully there were only a few cheap jump scares with the film opting for more disturbing imagery. There were many scenes where you knew something was going to happen but all you could do was either watch it play out or turn away. If you do decide to stick with it you will find the graphic moments satisfyingly disturbing. The First Omen does not disappoint when it comes to fully utilizing its R-rating.
One of the worst aspects of the film is the narrative. Hauntings kind of just happen for no particular reasons and some of the changes to the lore in The Omen don't quite jive not just with the original but within the context of The First Omen itself. All of the actors did an amazing job in their respective roles but a majority of the supporting characters needed more development. Nell Tiger Free's Margaret stood out as the leading protagonist while her friend and ally priest left me wanting to know more about them.
For me, the pros outweigh the cons but the lacking story is worth considering if you are on the fence about seeing The First Omen in theaters.
Did you know
- Trivia(at around 8 mins) When Maggie arrives in Rome, Cardinal Lawrence explains to her that there are ongoing riots between the Italian citizens, motivated, among other things, by students dissatisfied with the state and the Holy Church. This is historically accurate: after the social revolution of Paris in May 1968, this extended to other countries in Europe. In Italy it lasted from 1969 to the late 1980s, a period known in the country as the Years of Lead.
- GoofsThe film takes place in June 1971; however, in the original La Malédiction (1976), the birth of the child took place one year earlier, in 1970. This is established when Ambassador Thorn and Jennings open the tomb of Maria Scianna and her child: the date of death on the tombstone is VI VI MCMLXX (6/6/1970 in Roman numerals).
- Quotes
Father Brennan: [from trailer] How do you control people who no longer believe? You create something to fear.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Half in the Bag: Top 10 Horror Movies (2024) Part 2 (2024)
- SoundtracksSospesi Nel Cielo
Written by Ennio Morricone
Performed by Ennio Morricone, I 4 - 4 Di Nora Orlandi
Courtesy of Decca Music Limited
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- La primera profecía
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $30,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $20,092,802
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $8,353,710
- Apr 7, 2024
- Gross worldwide
- $53,845,880
- Runtime
- 1h 59m(119 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1