[Editor’s note: The following article contains spoilers for “The First Omen.”]
Within the IP-mad world of Hollywood, we’ve obtained remakes and sequels, re-quels and “legacy prequels,” whole cinematic timelines up-ended and rearranged, entire franchises twisted from side to side, so isn’t it refreshing to see one thing like Arkasha Stevenson‘s “The First Omen”? It’s the uncommon modern horror prequel that wears its devotion to the unique collection on its sleeve (hell, on its behavior), whereas additionally cleverly reorienting earlier occasions to chart a possible new storyline.
The idea of Stevenson’s movie, which she co-wrote with producers Tim Smith and Keith Thomas, takes a basic subplot from Richard Donner’s 1976 chiller — that not solely is younger Damien the Antichrist, however that he was the product of a deliberate spawning between the Satan and a feminine jackal — and makes it a contact extra plausible. In “The First Omen,” Damien’s mother isn’t really a jackal, however younger would-be nun Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) who’s a part of a protracted line of experiments — achieved by a number of the Catholic Church’s most trustworthy and most insane brass — executed with the specific intent of bringing the Antichrist into the world.
By the top of the movie, Margaret has found the plan, her place in it, and given beginning to Damien … and his sister (OK, sure, that’s new). Child Damien is then foisted onto unknowing American diplomat Robert Thorn (performed by Gregory Peck in Donner’s movie), who merely thinks he’s accepting a poor orphaned child who simply so occurred to be born the very evening his personal son died in childbirth. Such comfort!
And such a strong callback to Donner’s movie, as Stevenson’s even features a shot of one of many evil church members eyeing the identical headshot of Peck utilized in Donner’s movie when he’s first revealed to the viewers. So, sure, not solely is “The First Omen” very a lot a prequel to “The Omen,” it additionally exists in the identical universe, the one the place Peck’s Robert adopts child Damien.
As Stevenson beforehand advised IndieWire, she is a religious fan of “The Omen” and unique star Gregory Peck, and mentioned together with the precise shot of Peck-as-Robert was a no brainer.
“You’ve obtained to have Gregory! All of us want him. All of us love him,” Stevenson advised IndieWire throughout a current interview. “Simply that face conjures up numerous childhood recollections for me, you understand? So I used to be sort of hoping that it does the identical for the opposite ‘Omen’ followers on the market.”
So whereas child Damien goes to the Thorn household, the place he’ll presumably stay out the occasions that adopted the primary “Omen” movie, together with “Damien: Omen II” (which follows him as a plucky teen) and “Omen III: The Last Battle” (which charts his rise to energy as an grownup), what of Margaret and her child daughter?
Stevenson’s movie ends with the reveal that Margaret, her daughter (now about age 5, the identical age Damien is when he begins getting actually wild in Donner’s movie), and one other survivor of the hey-let’s-breed-the-Antichrist scheme Carlita (Nicole Sorace) are all dwelling collectively in a quiet, snowy mountain city.
And whereas Margaret could also be hoping her time with pure evil is thru, it’s very a lot not, as Father Brennan (performed by Ralph Ineson in Stevenson’s movie, choosing up from Donner’s casting of Patrick Troughton) arrives at their dwelling with a warning. Thus, “The First Omen” — which already dovetails fantastically with Donner’s movie — falls even additional in keeping with the primary movie, hinting on the alternative for a twinned timeline to play out in doable sequels.
“What I really like about ‘The Omen’ universe is that there’s simply a lot materials to faucet into,” Stevenson mentioned. “We’re coping with the human coronary heart, Heaven, Hell, and what we understand nearly as good and evil and the roads that lead us to Hell. So whereas I feel the aim of this movie was to reply a giant query — the place did Damien come from? — for me, it might need answered that, however a complete new can of questions have popped open.”
So, the place will these questions take us? If Stevenson has her approach — and the movie is successful for Disney and twentieth Century Studios — she’s obtained loads of house to play.
“I feel that there’s a lot leeway to both transfer [in different directions], even proceed to return in time or to [move forward and] comply with Margaret and the women,” she mentioned. “I’m very glad to stream in both route. I really like this world.”
A twentieth Century Studios launch, “The First Omen” is now in theaters.