‘The First Omen’ (2024) Movie Review - The Demon’s Child

Most mainstream horror movies nowadays are filled with so much incompetence that when people look back at old horror films, they get impressed by basic competence. The 1976 The Omen is as forgettable as many horror movies, though some people call it a classic, maybe because of its death scenes. A priest is killed by a rod, and a man gets decapitated by a glass sheet, but that scene with those dogs in a graveyard is probably the only fine moment in the film. The First Omen, directed by Arkasha Stevenson, is supposed to be a prequel to Richard Donner's The Omen, and it suggests that the 1976 film derived its death scenes from the events of this film.

This "suggestion" is nothing but The First Omen's way of exciting the audience. It's similar to what superhero movies do with their cameos. Remember that death-from-a-rod scene from the original film? Look, we also have a rod scene, but with a slight modification. Remember that nanny-hanging-herself scene? Look, we also have a hanging scene, but with fire. What's more, the 666 birthmark is once again seen on a character's head (it was a boy in Donner's film; it's a girl in Stevenson's film). It was a father who couldn't kill his child in the original movie. It's a mother who is unable to kill her child in this movie. All these "references with tweaks" constantly remind you that The First Omen actually doesn't have anything new to say to its audience.

Patrick Troughton, as Father Brennan, was so unintentionally funny in the 1976 The Omen that he punctured the film's solemn, self-important mood. Ralph Ineson's Brennan, on the other hand, mixes well with this film's serious tone. You won't find unintentional humor in the 2024 prequel. This, however, is not a great achievement. Stevenson relies on the usual clichés to spook the audience, which is why The First Omen is devoid of surprises. When Margaret's (Nell Tiger Free) habit is seen hanging in the background, we immediately figure out that the outfit will be used for dispensing a jump scare (it's terribly executed). Other so-called frightening scenes involve the same old routine of characters staring at something for a few seconds or minutes, only to get startled by a friend or someone else.

For Margaret, the horror initially lies in the invasion of her personal space: One character licks her cheek while another gives her a kiss on the lips. Anyway, what's so dreadful about The First Omen is that Stevenson's style is extremely flat. There is no horror, no eroticism, no drama. Scenes just come and go without leaving any impact on your senses. We are told that there is a protest going on because students are rejecting authority and workers want fair wages. The religious figures want people to return to the church. There are two types of churches in The First Omen. One of them worships God, while the other enables crimes like rape. No prizes for guessing where Margaret finds herself. Except for one neat twist, The First Omen has nothing good to offer to the audience. Forget the Devil. It's bland movies like The First Omen that give me nightmares.

Final Score- [3/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times