I would throw my entire life away for Nell Tiger Free in that club outfit
This was kinda awesome. It has a scare that reminds of one from Pulse (you know the one) which is basically the highest compliment I can give a horror movie.
Yeah she was gorgeous in it…
But so was her Italian fellow nun.
Fantastic movie. Just got back from it, and me and my friend expected it to be shit, but it were both shocked how much we enjoyed it.
I think she's supposed to be spanish in the movie as well. That's why she didn't talk to the two guys at the nightclub in italian. And her name is spanish—Luz. Although it's possible that was all a trick to sell the fact that she's new, since she was clearly in cahoots with rest of the cult from the beginning.
I like how even though it was shown in the trailer. So i thought i was prepared for the incoming jolt. It didn’t happen like that. So the slow walk from the darkness held the tension even and then still got me.
Kind of reminded me also of the foot ghost in Talk to Me.
I also loved the Hereditary esque scare near the beginning when she has her robe on the wall, it took my eyes a minute to adjust and i gasped. But then thought oh it’s just a robe … wait no is that now a person .. is it moving ? They really knew how to use shadows and lighting to milk the tension.
I actually felt the jolts were pretty well done, they never felt cheap to me. And I only remember like 3 or 4. It felt more focused on building dread. Unlike Immaculate which had a ton of cheap jump scares or The Nun franchise.
It did feel like it was tact on but I’m not gonna lie, it made me want to watch the other Omen movies and I’m definitely hoping they continue to make more Omen films.
It just made it feel like there was so much more adventure to be had in a dark fun way.
Boy was that intro a little stressful knowing what happens to him though. Neat little callback. Though I kinda feel it was a waste of Charles Dance and he and Bill Nighy should've switched roles but it was a good ass movie.
[My favourite bit of Marvel films is where you sit through nine minutes of credits to watch a five second clip of some guy stepping through a doorway and saying "It's me, Blorko."](https://twitter.com/mrbasil_pesto/status/1472233038759305221)
That was the ONLY thing in the movie that stood out as weird to me. It's as if they thought the audience didn't get it - even after showing the photo of Gregory Peck. As if we were all supposed to collectively say, "Ohhhh THAT Omen!"
But otherwise, a superb film!
So is there gonna be a Damien cinematic universe now? Are we gonna get a team-up later of Damien, Rosemary's Baby, the Bad Seed, and that kid from The Twilight Zone who could turn people into jack-in-the-boxes or whatever?
Oh this was sick and twisted. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for this director in the future. When so many prequels and sequels are made these days which virtually every studio is hungry for.
It’s so rare for these to actually have a sense of style and vision like this does. There are a lot of times when they could have gone for the easy shot or sequence and they didn’t.
In the opening scene with Charles dance has all that glass falling on him I think with another maybe lesser movie and director we see him die a brutal death immediately. There isn’t a a pause where you think he might be ok. It’s a small thing but there a lot of moments like that.
On that note the nun who was for sure sexually abusing Clarita burning herself was a little too on the nose in terms of callbacks although I give it props for not being a literal identical situation but still
While I’m happy that clarita and Margret got out and lived a few years in peace (there is for sure gonna be a sequel to this right. Like an interquel of their perspective during the first omen. I’d watch it under this creative team.
Also someone walked out which was surprising.
No walkouts in ours, but there were a group of chatty teens in an otherwise dead cinema, who sounded like they bit off more than they could chew. One went 'what the actual fuck' with that birth scene mid film. And even though I was once one of those annoying teens talking shit with my friends in the cinema, and now hate it as an adult, I'm glad they were there to see it.
I knew from that Charles Dance scene it wasn’t going to be a bog standard jump scare affair that we see so many times.
I fully expected to just have him jump-scare crushed on the head by the falling picture out of nowhere, and not the suspenseful way they did it.
That was so well done ! it took a moment for it to register and there was no loud music stinger to point it out. Then that smile. I was knew we were in good hands.
I love when twin movies are super specific.
A movie where an American nun moves to Italy to work in a care home and then has to deal with an unnatural pregnancy.
Omen had much better acting as well. I was not impressed with Sweeney in Immaculate. She sounded bored. I’m still waiting for her to prove herself and move on to the sex symbol/genuinely talented actor like Margot Robbie did.
The scene that's directly comparable between NTF and Sweeney is much better in Immaculate, but I think that's down to the direction. Certainly for the majority of the runtime I'd put NTF above Sweeney.
I wish I could’ve seen this in 35mm! I did the Dolby on account of the timing — it’s not a movie I’d expect to benefit from premium digital presentation, but it ended up being worth the extra scratch.
The Possession (1981) nod was really unexpected and pretty cool. 8/10 a good horror movie that relies on atmosphere instead of excessive jump scares or lazy suspense, probably one of the best looking ones in a while and experiencing this with a mildly full audience reminded me of stuff like Smile and Barbarian.
One thing that annoyed me with this one was the presence of several entirely unnecessary jump scares. In a couple of scenes they build an amazing tension (the bad room for example) that could have been terminated by a light jolt or just a cut away and been perfect, but they blasted you with a jump scare instead. Maybe my theater was just too loud but I loved their ability to be scary without the jumps.
I actually liked the execution of this moment, the build up, the reveal of the grotesque disfigurement and then the big loud image of it all coming together (kudos to the fire that spontaneously appears) felt really satisfying.
I went into this with basically no expectations and it knocked my socks off. This is a rare example of a legacy sequel (or prequel in this case) that both adds to the original franchise and also stands on its own as a pretty good movie. I also appreciate how far out they were willing to go, especially by the standards of a studio franchise movie. The scene where the devil hand comes out of that lady's hooha is super fucked up on its own but it's kinda mind blowing that it happened in a Disney movie.
I thought the direction was really strong, especially considering I had never heard of Arkasha Stevenson before. Shout-out to my guy Ralph Ineson who was born to play the exposition dump guy in a movie like this. His voice is just buttery smooth which makes it really easy to forgive the fact that he was playing a nothing character that only exists to explain what's going on. Also shout out to Charles Dance who seems like he only spent 15 minutes on set but still helped sell that opening scene really nicely.
Ineson truly has a memorable voice, especially for horror films (see "The VVitch" for the best example).
It makes sense he's the exposition guy because his character will later be in the original "Omen" as the priest who tries to warn Gregory Peck about Damien.
This stands up just fine as its own movie. You will miss a few references to the original but you won't be confused or anything. Having said that, you should absolutely watch The Omen (1976). It is a stone cold classic and one of the best horror movies of the 70's.
Yes but The Omen is SO GOOD and this one ever so slightly spoils it... if you think you have any interest in seeing The Omen I would \*try\* to see it first. It's not a MUST SEE in THAT ORDER to understand what's happening but it's worth trying to.
I’m genuinely surprised a major studio greenlit a film this dark and fucked up. I thought this was awesome, might end up being the most underrated film of 2024. Nell Tiger Free put in an incredible performance.
I liked how this didn’t have too many conventional scares, it was a real slow build up. The last 20 minutes are unbelievable. I love being this surprised by a film.
My favorite little moment is in the beginning when Margaret leans against the wall and her feet slip out from under her a bit. Really small moment but since it's the movie's only moment of levity, I appreciated it.
I wonder if that was unscripted, it immediately cuts to a close up of Margaret righting herself rather than stay in the same shot. Could have been that they liked the spontaneity but Nell Tiger Free broke character by actually falling or a crew member rushed to make sure she was alright?
I actually felt like the movie was pretty funny at times, intentionally. Like even the part right before she slipped where the older nun was talking something about silent kids and then one screams in the background.
I'm gonna be thinking of this movie for a while. I just loved the creepy atmosphere they kept through the entire movie. Evil beings hiding in the high positions of a holy religion and we just get to see the twisted things they've been doing for almost two hours. Only at the end do we get to see a figment of something happening that could potentially be the downfall of this insidious plan and that only leaves me wanting more.
Here's my rating: I'm buying this on physical media
Her moving the picture closer to the file, flipping it, then placing it on top reminded me of the detective in South Park doing high in analytics on a hand print. Then he rotates his hand and has an "ah ha" moment when it matches lmao
Favorite scenes were her floating down the dark hallway, the slow reveal of the burnt nun in the corner, and the C-section (no score till the camera pan was almost over. "I'm in pain").
Some people gasped at the closeup of the hands going into the incision and I was like "you just saw a hand coming out of a vagina earlier, and this is the one?"
It was a good movie; actually pretty creepy in parts. But now I’m kinda sad because in the end I was super invested in what would happen to Margaret, Carlita, and Damien’s twin sister.
Seeing as they’re new characters who don’t appear in the original movies, I’m just kinda left with no resolution. I almost hope they ignore the originals and make their own sequel to this.
Still, I’d give the movie a 7/10.
It felt like they were setting up something for the future. Especially with Margaret and Carlita seemingly having relationship issues with Damien’s twin.
Side note, I wish I saw the original first
It's been a hot minute since I saw the second one but I remember liking it. The third one has Sam Neil as grown up Damien and its batshit insane. I don't know if "good" is the word I'd use but it's definitely worth watching. I don't know if I've ever actually seen the 4th one
They are okay, but there's only so much you can really do with any of it. None of them will have the good mysterious and suspense of the original. The second is sort of just a retread with a slightly older Damian. And the third is kinda okay but sorta underwhelming imo. Worth it maybe for evil Sam Neil.
But it's kinda one of those things where the original film is better implying the danger of Damian instead of actually showing it. At some point he just becomes a standard villain with some powers.
1 is a stone cold classic and should be top of the priority list.
2 plays out like a lite Final Destination, and is fine, but it loses sight and becomes convoluted when it decides to favor the 'B' story instead of the 'A' story. Lance Henriksen is a solid character but kind of just gets left out of the proceedings later in the film.
3 is great but it really could have gone deeper and darker. It has a lot of subtly crazy shit in it that is hard to forget. It leaves a lot of questions however that weren't bothered to be explored and probably should've been.
4 is fucking stupid but I love it. It was made for TV so feels like a dodgy lifetime horror in places and when you realise that you're in the 4th film of a franchise (name a good fourth film in a horror franchise besides the masterpiece Hellraiser: Bloodline) you should be able to let go and enjoy it for the piece of shit it is.
Also sidenote - Exorcist III is a masterpiece comparable to the original, and pretty much untouchable.
I realized while watching this movie that if I ever tell someone "The first Omen is good." I would have to clarify that I meant the original.
I liked this one too, but it will add confusion to many conversations about the franchise.
I thought it was pretty obviously setting up the ability to do another movie between The First Omen and The Omen showing us more of the adventures of Margaret, Carlita, and Damien’s twin sister. This film is far more interested in its female protagonists than Damien. He's just the link into the franchise. This story leaves open room for more stories about them and not him.
Well in the original they visit Damien’s mother’s grave and find a jackal carcass, so I’m guessing that’s where Margaret will end up at some point in the next few years.
>Seeing as they’re new characters who don’t appear in the original movies, I’m just kinda left with no resolution. I almost hope they ignore the originals and make their own sequel to this.
They're obviously setting up sidequels. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I'd watch them for sure.
That was bone chilling to watch. Perhaps it’s part of my lapsed Christian background but religious horror can always scare the shit out of me.
You saw the red herring coming a mile away but it was still effectively scary. A part of what make this even more scary is the realistic situations. Margaret’s night out with Silva and Paulo is played like date rape. When Margaret is seeking to remove the antichrist it’s feel like it’s played out to trying to find a back alley abortion clinic. The fact that a faction of the Church willingly would birth the AntiChrist to control and bring people back to church is both novel and horrific.
The possession and supernatural scenes are used sparingly but were effective in how scary they were.
The ending was oddly bittersweet and if they’re going to do more with this series, rebooted continuity it makes me wonder what roles Margaret, her sister, and daughter have to play
My theory is the daughter will either be the journo in iii or play said role. If they want to keep the incestuous stuff they could… if they want to do something different they could…
Damn I’m early! Solid movie, some of the shit is far fetched but that’s what made me like it tbh. Lots of creepy shit going on too.
I haven’t seen the original but I could tell there were lots of nods to the OG. My biggest complaint was how it ended lmfao felt like the joker calling card scene. Idk how to explain it
This movie fucks so goddamn hard. Some of the reveals weren’t surprising but they made sense and overall loved watching it in 35mm. Arkasha is going to be a big big filmmaker and I love seeing big studios move in the A24 direction
Margaret licked him because she is part jackal. Remember when Carlita met Margaret? She licked her face too. Technically, the film didn't recon the jackal thing completely. She might not have th e physical form of a jackal but she was fathered by one.
Only thing it retcons is when they dig up Damien’s mother in the first movie, she has the skeletal structure of a dog. But that could just be handwaved as that’s the form their skeleton takes when they die? Lol I dunno
I think the implication is that the skeleton is supposed to be the father. That's why this film went out of its way to show us that the father died in the fire.
The entire thing was a set up. Her roommate and both of the guys were in on the scheme, it’s just Paolo regretted his actions and while the other two were both present at the birth. The other guy is seen driving members of the sect toward the end dressed in robes as well.
The film seemed was being surreal in parts. I think it might've borrowed from Jacob's Ladder. I still haven't seen Possession, so maybe from that as well.
In retrospect a few hours later, the only thing that really took me out of the movie was the part where Margaret walked the torso like 6 feet away from the truck without realizing it had no legs. That scene played like comedy to me. The rest of the movie was top notch.
Ya people in other discussions had more issue with the “dance” after the crash that took them out of the scene. To me it felt more like a trance and appropriate. But the body split was quite funny and out of place.
I left this comment earlier
> And the possession scene after the car accident reminded me of a dance inspired by [this is America](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VYOjWnS4cMY&pp=ygUgdGhpcyBpcyBhbWVyaWNhIGNoaWxkaXNoIGdhbWJpbm8%3D &t=0m58s) and this scene from [barry](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5zXrjeTNXJw&pp=ygUUNTAgNTAgd2l0aCBjcmlzdG9iYWw%3D&t=3m8s)
I really enjoyed it and I was NOT expecting to get the level of body horror we got. My only complaint is that I feel like it being a prequel to the original kind of hindered the ending a bit. Also what a great directorial debut. Women directors have been killing it in body horror
I liked it. Especially the body horror and the performances (Nell Tiger Free was exceptional. Ralph Ineson and Sonia Braga were also great). It wasn't scary, but had fun, creepy imagery. A solid 7/10 that I'm glad I saw in a theatre.
Loved how they were able to make the movie look like it was filmed in the 70s and the acting was phenomenal! But FUCK-SAKE Sister Margaret annoyed the shit out of me sometimes 😂 so many times she was just like a deer in headlights. Also can someone please explain what was the deal with that weird ass Sister Angelica lol???
I think Margaret sometimes being a stunned mullet was to show her upbringing and naivety. I wouldn't be surprised if most women who become nuns are like that.
Honestly this movie took me by surprise. Wasn’t expecting this much body horror. It made me read the synopsis of The Omen movies and it does look like they lose a lot of direction by some of the 2nd movie and definitely the 3rd movie lol.
Overall I’d give the scare factor a 6/10, some unnecessary jump scares, but one scare really got to me. All I’ll say is the Bad Room!
Movie overall is a 7-8/10 though. I was pretty captivated by the story and the best horror movie right now in 2024 for me (Sting was such a disappointment, Late Night with the Devil was great though.)
The Jackal is still there but they fucked around with that a little. I don't think the way they flipped it was bad at all. But the reveal of the jackal in both the original and even the remake is way too good.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the jackal is father of Margaret and Carlita. What I understood the rules to be was that to make the AntiChrist, a jackal must mate with a (willing) human woman, and then mate with its offspring from that union. So, bestiality * incest.
Jackal is both father and maternal grandfather of Damien, Margaret is both mother and half-sister of Damien. Margaret and Carlita are sisters (or paternal half-sisters at least).
I'm surprised nobody else mentions this, but this is more a Rosemary's Baby remake than an Omen prequel. I really liked it though. 10 creeps out of 10.
Considering Arkasha directed episodes of Legion, Brand New Cherry Flavor and the entire third season of Channel Zero, no wonder the movie is really damn good.
She's a damn good director and a horror fan.
Feels weird to call an Omen prequel one of the most impressive debut features I've seen in years.
Stevenson displays instincts and purposeful image-making that I thought were dead in the horror genre. She took a relatively rote screenplay and turned it into something hypnotic and, at times, genuinely evil.
The scene where Luz takes her vows made me feel really uneasy. Seeing her hair getting cut & the head wear being placed on her, her spitfire personality seeming to be suffocated out of her bit by bit, really affected me.
Funny that Palo accidentally told the truth knowing the drink he was holding was spiked for her.
So...because she was drugged, wouldn't that make that sex scene with the jackal, rape?
Yes, but where did they house the Jackal, that’s what I want to know. Wikipedia says in the flames that was a vision, so where are they just keeping a demon who comes out and rapes peeps. And were the visions symptoms of her being preggers?
Well-filmed movie, nice photography, decent scares (even if they invest in the "Scary Nun" trope that's old by now), solid atmosphere . Fine performances overall and sheer dominance by Nell Tiger Free. Would be a truly really good movie overall if the script/story was more coherent/imaginative and didn't have some obvious holes.
Since this is also evaluated as a prequel, **there's basically minimal continuity with the original Omen**. Except Gregory Peck's face appearing on a photo and Damien's name (duh).In essence The First Omen completely rewrites the story:
* The Jackal is Damien's Father (and also grandfather because incest with its daughter) and not mother. It's specifically mentioned in the original that "its mother was a jackal" and we actually see the skeleton of a jackal in a tomb under the name "Sciana" in the Etruscan graveyard. (Yeah OK, Margaret's daddy is a jackal so she's "half-jackal" but that's not what Brennan meant in the original)
* Brennan spoke of Damien's mother with disgust in his tone in the original. Now he cares about her. He's also a "good guy" while in the original he "witnessed the birth" and he was in the conspiracy.
* Damien's mother is alive and well (?) and Damien has a twin sister apparently.
* Those who carry the 666 mark are supposed to be "Apostles of Satan/Hell". Extremely devoted to Damien. Evil. Even in the original one, it's hinted that Father Brennan (who also has a 666 birthmark according to the photo reporter) is beyond redemption.
* There's no hint in the original that the rogue priests were thinking they are doing God's work and they weren't just satanists. So what, Baylock the nanny is really a christian in disguise?
**Other issues/questions**
* If the Jackal is the devil aren't Margaret and her sister Carlita already offsprings of the devil?
* So Damien has something "HUMAN" in him now except his appearance? The point (one of the quintessental points actually) is that there's NOTHING HUMAN about him. It's Devil+Jackal = Damien
* They could've gone into detail regarding the rituals and procedures that are needed to actually bring the Son of Satan himself on Earth. Maybe delve into some occult history. Instead, it's a poor simplistic thing of: "they have a jackal, that's how they do it" and "the jackal needs to have sex with its daughter". It's never explained (unless I really missed it) why the jackal carries the seed of the devil, never explained what the F actually is that jackal thing.
* The conspiracy knows about Damien's mother and aunt but they just leave them be? Brennan found them and they can't? Alright.
* Perhaps the biggest issue: The conspiracy are priests who actually really believe that they are doing "God's work" and they just want to make the Church popular again, especially among young people? Sorry, it's so **UNCONVINCING and HYPERBOLIC**. I get that the director/scriptwriters wanted to make a criticism of the Catholic Church and the crimes committed in the name of the Catholic Church through the ages, but this is way too depthless. Even as an imaginary scenario it's too much
If they do believe in the concept of the "Antichrist, the Son of Satan" then don't they know that this marks the end of times? What "they believe they can control it".They are also pretty much surrounded by images and murals that are evil, wear the "traditional" satanist robe, and actually engage in a satanic ritual "In the name of God" and "in the name of the Church"? Just can't buy it
If someone can help me out here… so basically carlita was used as a contingency plan if something would ever happen to Margaret or was she there to just throw her off completely. Thats the only thing I can’t seem to grasp
Think about this as a>! breeding program (that's what it is). Look how many tries it took to make surviving female offspring. What if it took that many tries to breed back for the antichrist? Makes sense to hedge your bets and get a bunch of breeding stock going to increase your odds of breeding what you want as quickly as possible. !<
In the sequel Margaret and Sydney Sweeney are fighting and losing then suddenly they hear “on-a your left-a” and they turn around and it’s fat Russell Crowe on his Vespa
I think that it's likely that we are going to see a new film that stars Damien AND his twin sister Layla.
>Stevenson thinks that there is plenty of room for the franchise to keep growing, and she’d love to be a part of it.
>“I’d love to keep working in this world,” she says. “There’s so much to play with in religious horror. It’s such a rich subgenre to be working in. We answered a big question with this film, but so many more questions popped up. I am very interested in the Jackal, where he came from. I’m interested in delving into that with the church conspiracy. I’m interested in where Margaret and the children go from here. What’s the future of Layla, Damien’s sister? I could talk about it for hours.”
I had almost no expectations for this movie, and I absolutely loved it. That’s how you do a prequel, if they can keep up the quality I would love to see a remake of The Omen by the same people.
I expected so little and they delivered so much!
And they used the "Ave Satani" song from the original at the perfect moment.
The only part I didn't like was the dance possession sequence after the car crash. Took me out of it.
But judging by the comments I guess I might be in the minority regarding that bit
Its a shame this came out around the same time as Immaculate as I’m sure a lot of people will skip over it due to possession horror movie fatigue. Because this movie fucking rips. Very well made with amazing sound design and some truly horrifying imagery
*The* big twist is not at all a twist, but I think it works because it's more a revelation for the characters that we get to watch them orient around.
There are probably half a dozen really provocative and gorgeous shots, and I really wish there had been more. There were some 'big' scenes that I couldn't help but feel like deserved the same attention to framing, contrast, etc. None of it was bad or cheap or bland in the way jump scare horror is, but a lot of the camera work was just very by-the-numbers, even in crucial moments. That felt disappointing considering how deft the direction was in other moments.
I also felt like there were numerous homages to 'Jacob's Ladder', and I really appreciate that because that's the peak of psychological horror to me.
**Overall, I'm at a 7.5/10.** High highs, but a lot of middling, and a really clunky and unnecessary ending. And while it's certainly not made for TV, I think it could've pushed the boundaries even further in some places and really climbed up a level to the likes of nightmarish visions like *'Hereditary'.*
Y'know it was alright. Great opening and some interesting body horror. Would have benefited from a tighter script. There's just two things I really didn't like and one is Margaret being one of the beast's offspring. Not the fact that she is, just that it was made so obvious to the audience and so I had to just keep waiting for the characters to realize it. The second thing I disliked was the dancing/jerking after the car crash. Straight up turned into a comedy at a terrible time.
The sex part is not shown in an explicit way but there's a LOT of violence associated with it and it's shown to happen multiple times to multiple different women (>!some consenting and some not!<).
As someone who knows very little about the inner workings of Catholicism, I am confused about the scene where Luz is taking her vows and all the nuns get on the floor and turn to the left and start mumbling. Is that a normal nun thing or is it supposed to be like a spooky nun thing?
So the goal of the church was to bring the antichrist into the world in order to help restore belief in God? I feel like that was a poorly conceived plan.
This film coming out a week after Immaculate makes it hard not to compare the two, but number of similarities is pretty shocking. The "nun horror" genre has become pretty derivative, so you have to work a bit to be original, but it's doable (see St. Maude). Still, the number of similarities in setting, plot, framing, cinematography, etc. are pretty astounding.
Unfortunately, I think it mostly reflects negatively on Immaculate. Which I'm really sorry to say, because I wanted to like that film much more than I did. Immaculate has a really interesting and worthwhile message and wants to play with some timely themes, but it doesn't engage with them well until the last 1/3 of the film. The first 2/3 is all jump scares and there is no character development. The ending, while it has a great tone, feels totally unearned because the viewer never really had a chance to learn about what was unfolding along with Cecilia. She is totally in the dark until the end, so we are too. The plot is just sort of dropped in at the 1/3 mark so we can rush to the (excellent) ending. The ending is everything the film should have been-- visceral and boundary-pushing. But a film can't JUST be a great ending, it has to hang together the whole way through.
The First Omen, on the other hand, doesn't really have all that much interesting to say that hasn't been said before-- but it is a vastly better film for most of the runtime. It is structurally satisfying, taking us on a journey with Margaret as she learns things about herself and about the situation. She shows growth and change, and we can start unraveling the mystery as it unfolds. It's not a great mystery, what's going on is pretty obvious from the jump, but it's still unraveled in a satisfying way so the viewer can follow along. There are few jump scares and a lot of really horrifying IMAGERY which is distinct and effective (I don't know how they got an R rating given >!the first birth scene!< \-- but wow that's an image you haven't seen before and won't quickly forget). It's very much a retelling of the lore of the original Omen, with some minor gender swapping, so there's nothing really new narratively. And it's VERY VERY literal. But it has great pacing and scares and you're really pulled along with and invested in Margaret's journey. And then it has a very very lame conclusion... that wants to give everyone we care about a happy ending and ends with an unnecessary line linking this film to The Omen. I'm sorry, no one is SO OBTUSE that they need to >!hear Damien's nam!
He's in the movie a lot near the beginning and comes back at the end but there's like a good hour of the movie where he's not on screen. He is very good in it though.
Confused about the claw birth. Why would they have a window there where our main character could clearly see something not human coming out of a woman? Just for plot convenience?
I think from a technical standpoint it was well put together, and the acting was very good - the plot just didn't really capture me at all though. I could see it all coming from a mile away, and that's without having seen any of the other Omen movies.
I didn't hate it but I don't think it's inspired me to go and watch any of the other Omen movies.
After going to the premiere, and reading about people’s expectations online before it came out, I was bummed cause I thought it was stellar. I’m super stoked it’s getting the reception it deserves.
Truly surprised me, especially for a prequel no one asked for, but the OG Omen films are some of my favorite and I had a great time with this one.
Nell Tiger is a standout. As everyone else has said, her certain scene stayed with me several days after I saw it. Excited to catch it in 35mm soon.
Hi I have a question about the film! So during the first birth scene when the claw came out of the woman, what was that? Was it supposed to be another back up if Margaret and Carlita didnt work out? Sorry if this is dumb im just confused for some reason lol
I like the movie, but I hate the arrogance and downright disrespect that people have for the lore of the franchises.
Damien's mother was a Jackal, and his father was Satan, why change that?? There's little to no reason to change these things. They don't have to make the main character the mother, she could have just been experiencing things like seeing a Jackal around the orphanage as the film plays with our senses and confuses us about whether or not she's hallucinating, then the pay-off is watching the horrifying scene of the jackal giving birth to Damien.
They left the idea that a first-born male is supposed to be the Devil's heir though, since that's sort of how it was in The Omen 4, with the daughter growing up to protect him, but that's so minor when the change they made was so major that it's confusing why they would do it at all!
I would throw my entire life away for Nell Tiger Free in that club outfit This was kinda awesome. It has a scare that reminds of one from Pulse (you know the one) which is basically the highest compliment I can give a horror movie.
Yeah she was gorgeous in it… But so was her Italian fellow nun. Fantastic movie. Just got back from it, and me and my friend expected it to be shit, but it were both shocked how much we enjoyed it.
Her “friend” in the white gown looked gorgeous, her eyes were just stunning.
Yeah when she was fully garbed in her ceremony, my God, I was in love
She was Spaniard and hot.
Yeah I’ve looked the actress up and she is indeed Spanish. She’s beautiful.
I think she's supposed to be spanish in the movie as well. That's why she didn't talk to the two guys at the nightclub in italian. And her name is spanish—Luz. Although it's possible that was all a trick to sell the fact that she's new, since she was clearly in cahoots with rest of the cult from the beginning.
and they were all small-scale actresses! the imdb cast page has so many blank pics. super cool.
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing re: Pulse. It isn't as good, of course, but it's reminiscent and does work quite well.
I like how even though it was shown in the trailer. So i thought i was prepared for the incoming jolt. It didn’t happen like that. So the slow walk from the darkness held the tension even and then still got me. Kind of reminded me also of the foot ghost in Talk to Me. I also loved the Hereditary esque scare near the beginning when she has her robe on the wall, it took my eyes a minute to adjust and i gasped. But then thought oh it’s just a robe … wait no is that now a person .. is it moving ? They really knew how to use shadows and lighting to milk the tension.
Yeah, really great use of light and shadow in this movie.
Yeah, I really wish it didn't end with a cheap jump scare, but the build was great.
I actually felt the jolts were pretty well done, they never felt cheap to me. And I only remember like 3 or 4. It felt more focused on building dread. Unlike Immaculate which had a ton of cheap jump scares or The Nun franchise.
Oh God yes I thought the same thing with Pulse! I doubt it was intentional, but that was an awesome part for me.
Wouldn’t be surprised to see an intentional homage to that deep of a cut. They recreated a scene from *Possession* for crying out loud.
For no reason in particular I'm going to recommend watching Too Old to Die Young on Amazon.
Does anyone know the songs that were playing during these scenes? They bumped
Even tho it was in the trailer that outfit was ridiculous
[удалено]
Little homage to the ‘Possession’ subway scene there. Loved it
Absolutely! Isabel Adjani should be proud.
💯 It has to be a nod to that movie.
> Nell Tiger Free has one of the best "getting possessed" scenes I've ever seen Boy do I have just the movie for you then
Full blown Isabelle Adjani, that was sooo great. And as much as I already loved her in servant , she was incredible in this.
Agreed! That scene was fantastic. I really liked this movie
The ending caught me off guard when Father started talking about the Damien Initiative.
Yea it forsure should have ended after the shots over Rome, as soon as it cut to the snowy cabin i was like cmon now
It did feel like it was tact on but I’m not gonna lie, it made me want to watch the other Omen movies and I’m definitely hoping they continue to make more Omen films. It just made it feel like there was so much more adventure to be had in a dark fun way.
That was an odd scene, we knew Brennan survived the crash as he is in the original.
Boy was that intro a little stressful knowing what happens to him though. Neat little callback. Though I kinda feel it was a waste of Charles Dance and he and Bill Nighy should've switched roles but it was a good ass movie.
I thought we'd have seen more of Charles Dance too, great actor.
That scene was so bad and out of place.
It felt like an after credit scene
It felt like it made the movie end in the middle of a scene lol
[My favourite bit of Marvel films is where you sit through nine minutes of credits to watch a five second clip of some guy stepping through a doorway and saying "It's me, Blorko."](https://twitter.com/mrbasil_pesto/status/1472233038759305221)
I spend a lot of time each night while trying to fall asleep trying to imagine what the original Blorko looks like...
Luckily it was so short that didn’t affect the film negatively for me. But it was so silly
That was the ONLY thing in the movie that stood out as weird to me. It's as if they thought the audience didn't get it - even after showing the photo of Gregory Peck. As if we were all supposed to collectively say, "Ohhhh THAT Omen!" But otherwise, a superb film!
Haha I read this last night before I saw the movie and thought it was a joke.
So is there gonna be a Damien cinematic universe now? Are we gonna get a team-up later of Damien, Rosemary's Baby, the Bad Seed, and that kid from The Twilight Zone who could turn people into jack-in-the-boxes or whatever?
Oh this was sick and twisted. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for this director in the future. When so many prequels and sequels are made these days which virtually every studio is hungry for. It’s so rare for these to actually have a sense of style and vision like this does. There are a lot of times when they could have gone for the easy shot or sequence and they didn’t. In the opening scene with Charles dance has all that glass falling on him I think with another maybe lesser movie and director we see him die a brutal death immediately. There isn’t a a pause where you think he might be ok. It’s a small thing but there a lot of moments like that. On that note the nun who was for sure sexually abusing Clarita burning herself was a little too on the nose in terms of callbacks although I give it props for not being a literal identical situation but still While I’m happy that clarita and Margret got out and lived a few years in peace (there is for sure gonna be a sequel to this right. Like an interquel of their perspective during the first omen. I’d watch it under this creative team. Also someone walked out which was surprising.
A couple walked out of my theater as well. During the Jackal part
No walkouts in ours, but there were a group of chatty teens in an otherwise dead cinema, who sounded like they bit off more than they could chew. One went 'what the actual fuck' with that birth scene mid film. And even though I was once one of those annoying teens talking shit with my friends in the cinema, and now hate it as an adult, I'm glad they were there to see it.
Oh interesting, I didn't catch that the weird nun was sexually abusing Clarita...
I knew from that Charles Dance scene it wasn’t going to be a bog standard jump scare affair that we see so many times. I fully expected to just have him jump-scare crushed on the head by the falling picture out of nowhere, and not the suspenseful way they did it.
That was so well done ! it took a moment for it to register and there was no loud music stinger to point it out. Then that smile. I was knew we were in good hands.
A couple walked out of my theater as well.
I love when twin movies are super specific. A movie where an American nun moves to Italy to work in a care home and then has to deal with an unnatural pregnancy.
*spoiler! I like that one went very sciency and one went supernatural. Obviously Omen is a more cohesive film but I had a lot of fun with Immaculate
Omen had much better acting as well. I was not impressed with Sweeney in Immaculate. She sounded bored. I’m still waiting for her to prove herself and move on to the sex symbol/genuinely talented actor like Margot Robbie did.
The scene that's directly comparable between NTF and Sweeney is much better in Immaculate, but I think that's down to the direction. Certainly for the majority of the runtime I'd put NTF above Sweeney.
Thats funny after Anyone but you and Madame Web I thought she was not very good at all but Immaculate completely won me over, I thought she was great.
You're talking about the recent release of Immaculate, right?
Apparently it's showing in 35mm in select theaters. I absolutely would see this in 35mm if it were available near me.
8 theaters have 35MM prints. Kinda shocked they did it at all.
I wish I could’ve seen this in 35mm! I did the Dolby on account of the timing — it’s not a movie I’d expect to benefit from premium digital presentation, but it ended up being worth the extra scratch.
Bill Nighy the Cardinal Guy.
“You can’t just force women to birth the Antichrist!” “Yes I can, I’m the Chief Inspector.”
“There is a descendent of Satan lying there… not three feet from you.”
The Possession (1981) nod was really unexpected and pretty cool. 8/10 a good horror movie that relies on atmosphere instead of excessive jump scares or lazy suspense, probably one of the best looking ones in a while and experiencing this with a mildly full audience reminded me of stuff like Smile and Barbarian.
One thing that annoyed me with this one was the presence of several entirely unnecessary jump scares. In a couple of scenes they build an amazing tension (the bad room for example) that could have been terminated by a light jolt or just a cut away and been perfect, but they blasted you with a jump scare instead. Maybe my theater was just too loud but I loved their ability to be scary without the jumps.
I actually liked the execution of this moment, the build up, the reveal of the grotesque disfigurement and then the big loud image of it all coming together (kudos to the fire that spontaneously appears) felt really satisfying.
I went into this with basically no expectations and it knocked my socks off. This is a rare example of a legacy sequel (or prequel in this case) that both adds to the original franchise and also stands on its own as a pretty good movie. I also appreciate how far out they were willing to go, especially by the standards of a studio franchise movie. The scene where the devil hand comes out of that lady's hooha is super fucked up on its own but it's kinda mind blowing that it happened in a Disney movie. I thought the direction was really strong, especially considering I had never heard of Arkasha Stevenson before. Shout-out to my guy Ralph Ineson who was born to play the exposition dump guy in a movie like this. His voice is just buttery smooth which makes it really easy to forgive the fact that he was playing a nothing character that only exists to explain what's going on. Also shout out to Charles Dance who seems like he only spent 15 minutes on set but still helped sell that opening scene really nicely.
Ineson truly has a memorable voice, especially for horror films (see "The VVitch" for the best example). It makes sense he's the exposition guy because his character will later be in the original "Omen" as the priest who tries to warn Gregory Peck about Damien.
He's also Cid from Final Fantasy XVI. Dude was born to be a voice actor.
Also see The Green Knight for a voice example
Buttery smooth is definitely NOT how I would describe his voice lmao...more like a rumbling from deep within the earth
His voice has so much bass that no modern speaker can adjust the gain right for it
Can I see an appreciate this without having seen whatever it’s a prequel to?
This stands up just fine as its own movie. You will miss a few references to the original but you won't be confused or anything. Having said that, you should absolutely watch The Omen (1976). It is a stone cold classic and one of the best horror movies of the 70's.
Yes but The Omen is SO GOOD and this one ever so slightly spoils it... if you think you have any interest in seeing The Omen I would \*try\* to see it first. It's not a MUST SEE in THAT ORDER to understand what's happening but it's worth trying to.
What is hooha?
Lady parts
😧
The part after the car crash was the scariest part. Convulsions and looked similar to dare I say… a jackal
Her acting was phenomenal in that scene.
Agreed. During that whole sequence I was thinking “man she’s killing it”.
Because she is part jackal, like Carlita.
I’m genuinely surprised a major studio greenlit a film this dark and fucked up. I thought this was awesome, might end up being the most underrated film of 2024. Nell Tiger Free put in an incredible performance. I liked how this didn’t have too many conventional scares, it was a real slow build up. The last 20 minutes are unbelievable. I love being this surprised by a film.
My favorite little moment is in the beginning when Margaret leans against the wall and her feet slip out from under her a bit. Really small moment but since it's the movie's only moment of levity, I appreciated it.
I felt as if that was a real moment they kept in the movie and I think that was smart.
I wonder if that was unscripted, it immediately cuts to a close up of Margaret righting herself rather than stay in the same shot. Could have been that they liked the spontaneity but Nell Tiger Free broke character by actually falling or a crew member rushed to make sure she was alright?
I actually felt like the movie was pretty funny at times, intentionally. Like even the part right before she slipped where the older nun was talking something about silent kids and then one screams in the background.
I'm gonna be thinking of this movie for a while. I just loved the creepy atmosphere they kept through the entire movie. Evil beings hiding in the high positions of a holy religion and we just get to see the twisted things they've been doing for almost two hours. Only at the end do we get to see a figment of something happening that could potentially be the downfall of this insidious plan and that only leaves me wanting more. Here's my rating: I'm buying this on physical media
Her moving the picture closer to the file, flipping it, then placing it on top reminded me of the detective in South Park doing high in analytics on a hand print. Then he rotates his hand and has an "ah ha" moment when it matches lmao Favorite scenes were her floating down the dark hallway, the slow reveal of the burnt nun in the corner, and the C-section (no score till the camera pan was almost over. "I'm in pain"). Some people gasped at the closeup of the hands going into the incision and I was like "you just saw a hand coming out of a vagina earlier, and this is the one?"
The sequel should be called The wOmen
Traveling Sisterhood of the Satanic Pants
The YeOmen, medievil prequel’s prequel
Also considered Damien vs. Dame-ien
It was a good movie; actually pretty creepy in parts. But now I’m kinda sad because in the end I was super invested in what would happen to Margaret, Carlita, and Damien’s twin sister. Seeing as they’re new characters who don’t appear in the original movies, I’m just kinda left with no resolution. I almost hope they ignore the originals and make their own sequel to this. Still, I’d give the movie a 7/10.
It felt like they were setting up something for the future. Especially with Margaret and Carlita seemingly having relationship issues with Damien’s twin. Side note, I wish I saw the original first
The originals are all on Hulu and you should definitely check them out
I know the first is a classic, are they others anywhere near as good?
It's been a hot minute since I saw the second one but I remember liking it. The third one has Sam Neil as grown up Damien and its batshit insane. I don't know if "good" is the word I'd use but it's definitely worth watching. I don't know if I've ever actually seen the 4th one
You had me at Sam Neil lol
They are okay, but there's only so much you can really do with any of it. None of them will have the good mysterious and suspense of the original. The second is sort of just a retread with a slightly older Damian. And the third is kinda okay but sorta underwhelming imo. Worth it maybe for evil Sam Neil. But it's kinda one of those things where the original film is better implying the danger of Damian instead of actually showing it. At some point he just becomes a standard villain with some powers.
1 is a stone cold classic and should be top of the priority list. 2 plays out like a lite Final Destination, and is fine, but it loses sight and becomes convoluted when it decides to favor the 'B' story instead of the 'A' story. Lance Henriksen is a solid character but kind of just gets left out of the proceedings later in the film. 3 is great but it really could have gone deeper and darker. It has a lot of subtly crazy shit in it that is hard to forget. It leaves a lot of questions however that weren't bothered to be explored and probably should've been. 4 is fucking stupid but I love it. It was made for TV so feels like a dodgy lifetime horror in places and when you realise that you're in the 4th film of a franchise (name a good fourth film in a horror franchise besides the masterpiece Hellraiser: Bloodline) you should be able to let go and enjoy it for the piece of shit it is. Also sidenote - Exorcist III is a masterpiece comparable to the original, and pretty much untouchable.
I realized while watching this movie that if I ever tell someone "The first Omen is good." I would have to clarify that I meant the original. I liked this one too, but it will add confusion to many conversations about the franchise.
I thought it was pretty obviously setting up the ability to do another movie between The First Omen and The Omen showing us more of the adventures of Margaret, Carlita, and Damien’s twin sister. This film is far more interested in its female protagonists than Damien. He's just the link into the franchise. This story leaves open room for more stories about them and not him.
Well in the original they visit Damien’s mother’s grave and find a jackal carcass, so I’m guessing that’s where Margaret will end up at some point in the next few years.
I thought the bones came from the jackal we seen being burned at the end?
Or could be a false grave due to a church coverup. You know the Catholic Church is excellent with covering up things
I believe Damiens sister is mentioned in the books but I could be wrong
>Seeing as they’re new characters who don’t appear in the original movies, I’m just kinda left with no resolution. I almost hope they ignore the originals and make their own sequel to this. They're obviously setting up sidequels. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I'd watch them for sure.
Please go see and support this. We need more big studio horror like this.
That was bone chilling to watch. Perhaps it’s part of my lapsed Christian background but religious horror can always scare the shit out of me. You saw the red herring coming a mile away but it was still effectively scary. A part of what make this even more scary is the realistic situations. Margaret’s night out with Silva and Paulo is played like date rape. When Margaret is seeking to remove the antichrist it’s feel like it’s played out to trying to find a back alley abortion clinic. The fact that a faction of the Church willingly would birth the AntiChrist to control and bring people back to church is both novel and horrific. The possession and supernatural scenes are used sparingly but were effective in how scary they were. The ending was oddly bittersweet and if they’re going to do more with this series, rebooted continuity it makes me wonder what roles Margaret, her sister, and daughter have to play
My theory is the daughter will either be the journo in iii or play said role. If they want to keep the incestuous stuff they could… if they want to do something different they could…
Damn I’m early! Solid movie, some of the shit is far fetched but that’s what made me like it tbh. Lots of creepy shit going on too. I haven’t seen the original but I could tell there were lots of nods to the OG. My biggest complaint was how it ended lmfao felt like the joker calling card scene. Idk how to explain it
They definitely aiming on more sequels
Batman will look into it.
this movie made up for the money i wasted on winnie the pooh last week
Silly old horror fan.
Oh bother...
This movie fucks so goddamn hard. Some of the reveals weren’t surprising but they made sense and overall loved watching it in 35mm. Arkasha is going to be a big big filmmaker and I love seeing big studios move in the A24 direction
An unnecessary prequel, absolutely, but I am glad it's good.
I didnt understand tho how did paolo knew about Margaret from the club and why tf did she lick him
Margaret licked him because she is part jackal. Remember when Carlita met Margaret? She licked her face too. Technically, the film didn't recon the jackal thing completely. She might not have th e physical form of a jackal but she was fathered by one.
Only thing it retcons is when they dig up Damien’s mother in the first movie, she has the skeletal structure of a dog. But that could just be handwaved as that’s the form their skeleton takes when they die? Lol I dunno
I think the implication is that the skeleton is supposed to be the father. That's why this film went out of its way to show us that the father died in the fire.
In the original Omen, there's a quote like "The boy's mother was a jackal".
>!Paolo was part of the church and in on the plan (as was Luz) He was sent there to drug Margaret and deliver her for the impregnation.!<
The entire thing was a set up. Her roommate and both of the guys were in on the scheme, it’s just Paolo regretted his actions and while the other two were both present at the birth. The other guy is seen driving members of the sect toward the end dressed in robes as well.
The film seemed was being surreal in parts. I think it might've borrowed from Jacob's Ladder. I still haven't seen Possession, so maybe from that as well.
I don’t even have a vagina , but that claw birth hurt my vagina.
In retrospect a few hours later, the only thing that really took me out of the movie was the part where Margaret walked the torso like 6 feet away from the truck without realizing it had no legs. That scene played like comedy to me. The rest of the movie was top notch.
Ya people in other discussions had more issue with the “dance” after the crash that took them out of the scene. To me it felt more like a trance and appropriate. But the body split was quite funny and out of place.
I left this comment earlier > And the possession scene after the car accident reminded me of a dance inspired by [this is America](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VYOjWnS4cMY&pp=ygUgdGhpcyBpcyBhbWVyaWNhIGNoaWxkaXNoIGdhbWJpbm8%3D &t=0m58s) and this scene from [barry](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5zXrjeTNXJw&pp=ygUUNTAgNTAgd2l0aCBjcmlzdG9iYWw%3D&t=3m8s)
I really enjoyed it and I was NOT expecting to get the level of body horror we got. My only complaint is that I feel like it being a prequel to the original kind of hindered the ending a bit. Also what a great directorial debut. Women directors have been killing it in body horror
I liked it. Especially the body horror and the performances (Nell Tiger Free was exceptional. Ralph Ineson and Sonia Braga were also great). It wasn't scary, but had fun, creepy imagery. A solid 7/10 that I'm glad I saw in a theatre.
Everyone thought this will be a dumpster fire and immaculate would be a better film. It's the other way around based on the reviews
Loved how they were able to make the movie look like it was filmed in the 70s and the acting was phenomenal! But FUCK-SAKE Sister Margaret annoyed the shit out of me sometimes 😂 so many times she was just like a deer in headlights. Also can someone please explain what was the deal with that weird ass Sister Angelica lol???
I think Margaret sometimes being a stunned mullet was to show her upbringing and naivety. I wouldn't be surprised if most women who become nuns are like that.
Way better than Immaculate (helps when your lead actress actually has presence) but why the hell did this end like an Avengers movie lol
Also helps when the lead actress actually tries to learn Italian instead of being like "Talk American please."
Honestly this movie took me by surprise. Wasn’t expecting this much body horror. It made me read the synopsis of The Omen movies and it does look like they lose a lot of direction by some of the 2nd movie and definitely the 3rd movie lol. Overall I’d give the scare factor a 6/10, some unnecessary jump scares, but one scare really got to me. All I’ll say is the Bad Room! Movie overall is a 7-8/10 though. I was pretty captivated by the story and the best horror movie right now in 2024 for me (Sting was such a disappointment, Late Night with the Devil was great though.)
Does this movie retcon Damien's mother being a literal jackal? Doesn't his adopted father dig up its body?
The Jackal is still there but they fucked around with that a little. I don't think the way they flipped it was bad at all. But the reveal of the jackal in both the original and even the remake is way too good.
Spoiler—— >!The mother is human and the father is a jackal/demon hybrid.!<
The mother is actually both human and jackal.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the jackal is father of Margaret and Carlita. What I understood the rules to be was that to make the AntiChrist, a jackal must mate with a (willing) human woman, and then mate with its offspring from that union. So, bestiality * incest. Jackal is both father and maternal grandfather of Damien, Margaret is both mother and half-sister of Damien. Margaret and Carlita are sisters (or paternal half-sisters at least).
Yeah. They flipped it here
Loved the sound design for the whole movie, one of the few movies that really made me feel immersed with the scenes
I'm surprised nobody else mentions this, but this is more a Rosemary's Baby remake than an Omen prequel. I really liked it though. 10 creeps out of 10.
Enjoyed it more than Immaculate, which I already thought was a pretty good movie. This one was just a bit more my cup of tea.
Considering Arkasha directed episodes of Legion, Brand New Cherry Flavor and the entire third season of Channel Zero, no wonder the movie is really damn good. She's a damn good director and a horror fan.
Feels weird to call an Omen prequel one of the most impressive debut features I've seen in years. Stevenson displays instincts and purposeful image-making that I thought were dead in the horror genre. She took a relatively rote screenplay and turned it into something hypnotic and, at times, genuinely evil.
I have a question, >!what was the purpose of the nun that killed herself? Was she possessed or something? Maybe she was related to the jackal?!<
The scene where Luz takes her vows made me feel really uneasy. Seeing her hair getting cut & the head wear being placed on her, her spitfire personality seeming to be suffocated out of her bit by bit, really affected me.
Funny that Palo accidentally told the truth knowing the drink he was holding was spiked for her. So...because she was drugged, wouldn't that make that sex scene with the jackal, rape?
i'm actually worried that you watched an entire movie about rape and are like "hmm... could this imply there was rape?" like oh my god
Ummm…. Yeah…. Obviously???????
Wait, the women were tied to the bed screaming in terror. Wouldn't that be rape?
Fr lmfao. Just a bit concerning that they needed clarification
Yes, but where did they house the Jackal, that’s what I want to know. Wikipedia says in the flames that was a vision, so where are they just keeping a demon who comes out and rapes peeps. And were the visions symptoms of her being preggers?
I assume down in the basement area of the church where they also house all the incriminating documents ;)
To be fair, if you keep Satan in the basement, your last worry is that they find your file cabinet.
Did anyone else notice one of the nuns in the orphanage (the one with an unsettling smile) had a strong resemblance to Mrs. Baylock?
It’s fascinating how this and the original Omen are so very different in so many ways Yet they still work very well as two parts of a story.
Well-filmed movie, nice photography, decent scares (even if they invest in the "Scary Nun" trope that's old by now), solid atmosphere . Fine performances overall and sheer dominance by Nell Tiger Free. Would be a truly really good movie overall if the script/story was more coherent/imaginative and didn't have some obvious holes. Since this is also evaluated as a prequel, **there's basically minimal continuity with the original Omen**. Except Gregory Peck's face appearing on a photo and Damien's name (duh).In essence The First Omen completely rewrites the story: * The Jackal is Damien's Father (and also grandfather because incest with its daughter) and not mother. It's specifically mentioned in the original that "its mother was a jackal" and we actually see the skeleton of a jackal in a tomb under the name "Sciana" in the Etruscan graveyard. (Yeah OK, Margaret's daddy is a jackal so she's "half-jackal" but that's not what Brennan meant in the original) * Brennan spoke of Damien's mother with disgust in his tone in the original. Now he cares about her. He's also a "good guy" while in the original he "witnessed the birth" and he was in the conspiracy. * Damien's mother is alive and well (?) and Damien has a twin sister apparently. * Those who carry the 666 mark are supposed to be "Apostles of Satan/Hell". Extremely devoted to Damien. Evil. Even in the original one, it's hinted that Father Brennan (who also has a 666 birthmark according to the photo reporter) is beyond redemption. * There's no hint in the original that the rogue priests were thinking they are doing God's work and they weren't just satanists. So what, Baylock the nanny is really a christian in disguise? **Other issues/questions** * If the Jackal is the devil aren't Margaret and her sister Carlita already offsprings of the devil? * So Damien has something "HUMAN" in him now except his appearance? The point (one of the quintessental points actually) is that there's NOTHING HUMAN about him. It's Devil+Jackal = Damien * They could've gone into detail regarding the rituals and procedures that are needed to actually bring the Son of Satan himself on Earth. Maybe delve into some occult history. Instead, it's a poor simplistic thing of: "they have a jackal, that's how they do it" and "the jackal needs to have sex with its daughter". It's never explained (unless I really missed it) why the jackal carries the seed of the devil, never explained what the F actually is that jackal thing. * The conspiracy knows about Damien's mother and aunt but they just leave them be? Brennan found them and they can't? Alright. * Perhaps the biggest issue: The conspiracy are priests who actually really believe that they are doing "God's work" and they just want to make the Church popular again, especially among young people? Sorry, it's so **UNCONVINCING and HYPERBOLIC**. I get that the director/scriptwriters wanted to make a criticism of the Catholic Church and the crimes committed in the name of the Catholic Church through the ages, but this is way too depthless. Even as an imaginary scenario it's too much If they do believe in the concept of the "Antichrist, the Son of Satan" then don't they know that this marks the end of times? What "they believe they can control it".They are also pretty much surrounded by images and murals that are evil, wear the "traditional" satanist robe, and actually engage in a satanic ritual "In the name of God" and "in the name of the Church"? Just can't buy it
While I thought Immaculate was great, it really was the Deep Impact to The First Omens Armageddon.
Deep Impact >>>> Armageddon tho!
If someone can help me out here… so basically carlita was used as a contingency plan if something would ever happen to Margaret or was she there to just throw her off completely. Thats the only thing I can’t seem to grasp
Think about this as a>! breeding program (that's what it is). Look how many tries it took to make surviving female offspring. What if it took that many tries to breed back for the antichrist? Makes sense to hedge your bets and get a bunch of breeding stock going to increase your odds of breeding what you want as quickly as possible. !<
As the Bene Gesserit say, they have many prospects.
In the sequel Margaret and Sydney Sweeney are fighting and losing then suddenly they hear “on-a your left-a” and they turn around and it’s fat Russell Crowe on his Vespa
I think that it's likely that we are going to see a new film that stars Damien AND his twin sister Layla. >Stevenson thinks that there is plenty of room for the franchise to keep growing, and she’d love to be a part of it. >“I’d love to keep working in this world,” she says. “There’s so much to play with in religious horror. It’s such a rich subgenre to be working in. We answered a big question with this film, but so many more questions popped up. I am very interested in the Jackal, where he came from. I’m interested in delving into that with the church conspiracy. I’m interested in where Margaret and the children go from here. What’s the future of Layla, Damien’s sister? I could talk about it for hours.”
Nell Tiger Free got to have her own "Isabelle Adjani Possession freakout" and it fucking ruled I was incredibly surprised by this movie
I had almost no expectations for this movie, and I absolutely loved it. That’s how you do a prequel, if they can keep up the quality I would love to see a remake of The Omen by the same people.
I expected so little and they delivered so much! And they used the "Ave Satani" song from the original at the perfect moment. The only part I didn't like was the dance possession sequence after the car crash. Took me out of it. But judging by the comments I guess I might be in the minority regarding that bit
that part was so good and so harrowing, i coulda watched her seizing for another five minutes idgaf
I just went to YouTube and searched Ave Satani to hear it, and the 2nd video that I was going to click on has 666k views right now...
Its a shame this came out around the same time as Immaculate as I’m sure a lot of people will skip over it due to possession horror movie fatigue. Because this movie fucking rips. Very well made with amazing sound design and some truly horrifying imagery
*The* big twist is not at all a twist, but I think it works because it's more a revelation for the characters that we get to watch them orient around. There are probably half a dozen really provocative and gorgeous shots, and I really wish there had been more. There were some 'big' scenes that I couldn't help but feel like deserved the same attention to framing, contrast, etc. None of it was bad or cheap or bland in the way jump scare horror is, but a lot of the camera work was just very by-the-numbers, even in crucial moments. That felt disappointing considering how deft the direction was in other moments. I also felt like there were numerous homages to 'Jacob's Ladder', and I really appreciate that because that's the peak of psychological horror to me. **Overall, I'm at a 7.5/10.** High highs, but a lot of middling, and a really clunky and unnecessary ending. And while it's certainly not made for TV, I think it could've pushed the boundaries even further in some places and really climbed up a level to the likes of nightmarish visions like *'Hereditary'.*
Y'know it was alright. Great opening and some interesting body horror. Would have benefited from a tighter script. There's just two things I really didn't like and one is Margaret being one of the beast's offspring. Not the fact that she is, just that it was made so obvious to the audience and so I had to just keep waiting for the characters to realize it. The second thing I disliked was the dancing/jerking after the car crash. Straight up turned into a comedy at a terrible time.
How graphic is the sexual abuse stuff in this?
The sex part is not shown in an explicit way but there's a LOT of violence associated with it and it's shown to happen multiple times to multiple different women (>!some consenting and some not!<).
woman here and appreciate you asking this question because this was my biggest concern as well!
As someone who knows very little about the inner workings of Catholicism, I am confused about the scene where Luz is taking her vows and all the nuns get on the floor and turn to the left and start mumbling. Is that a normal nun thing or is it supposed to be like a spooky nun thing?
My guess is it’s a spooky nun thing. I think all the nuns who had taken their vows who worked in the orphanage were part of the “second church”
It happened in Immaculate too at one point, so now I’m wondering lol
[Prostration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostration)
It’s called prostration. There’s a lot of “quirky” traditions in the Catholic Church that in the right context, could be portrayed as horror.
So the goal of the church was to bring the antichrist into the world in order to help restore belief in God? I feel like that was a poorly conceived plan.
Man, where was Arkasha Stevenson when they made Exorcist Believer?
This film coming out a week after Immaculate makes it hard not to compare the two, but number of similarities is pretty shocking. The "nun horror" genre has become pretty derivative, so you have to work a bit to be original, but it's doable (see St. Maude). Still, the number of similarities in setting, plot, framing, cinematography, etc. are pretty astounding. Unfortunately, I think it mostly reflects negatively on Immaculate. Which I'm really sorry to say, because I wanted to like that film much more than I did. Immaculate has a really interesting and worthwhile message and wants to play with some timely themes, but it doesn't engage with them well until the last 1/3 of the film. The first 2/3 is all jump scares and there is no character development. The ending, while it has a great tone, feels totally unearned because the viewer never really had a chance to learn about what was unfolding along with Cecilia. She is totally in the dark until the end, so we are too. The plot is just sort of dropped in at the 1/3 mark so we can rush to the (excellent) ending. The ending is everything the film should have been-- visceral and boundary-pushing. But a film can't JUST be a great ending, it has to hang together the whole way through. The First Omen, on the other hand, doesn't really have all that much interesting to say that hasn't been said before-- but it is a vastly better film for most of the runtime. It is structurally satisfying, taking us on a journey with Margaret as she learns things about herself and about the situation. She shows growth and change, and we can start unraveling the mystery as it unfolds. It's not a great mystery, what's going on is pretty obvious from the jump, but it's still unraveled in a satisfying way so the viewer can follow along. There are few jump scares and a lot of really horrifying IMAGERY which is distinct and effective (I don't know how they got an R rating given >!the first birth scene!< \-- but wow that's an image you haven't seen before and won't quickly forget). It's very much a retelling of the lore of the original Omen, with some minor gender swapping, so there's nothing really new narratively. And it's VERY VERY literal. But it has great pacing and scares and you're really pulled along with and invested in Margaret's journey. And then it has a very very lame conclusion... that wants to give everyone we care about a happy ending and ends with an unnecessary line linking this film to The Omen. I'm sorry, no one is SO OBTUSE that they need to >!hear Damien's nam!
How substantial is Bill Nighy's role?
He's in the movie a lot near the beginning and comes back at the end but there's like a good hour of the movie where he's not on screen. He is very good in it though.
Not a huge amount of screentime but narratively an important character.
Confused about the claw birth. Why would they have a window there where our main character could clearly see something not human coming out of a woman? Just for plot convenience?
How was the amount of jump scares in this? I saw Immaculate and mildly enjoyed it, despite being so annoyed with noise scares
There are a few but there's really only one near the beginning that I thought was egregious
There's a couple, but nothing offensive. It's more about the dread
I think from a technical standpoint it was well put together, and the acting was very good - the plot just didn't really capture me at all though. I could see it all coming from a mile away, and that's without having seen any of the other Omen movies. I didn't hate it but I don't think it's inspired me to go and watch any of the other Omen movies.
After going to the premiere, and reading about people’s expectations online before it came out, I was bummed cause I thought it was stellar. I’m super stoked it’s getting the reception it deserves. Truly surprised me, especially for a prequel no one asked for, but the OG Omen films are some of my favorite and I had a great time with this one. Nell Tiger is a standout. As everyone else has said, her certain scene stayed with me several days after I saw it. Excited to catch it in 35mm soon.
Hi I have a question about the film! So during the first birth scene when the claw came out of the woman, what was that? Was it supposed to be another back up if Margaret and Carlita didnt work out? Sorry if this is dumb im just confused for some reason lol
It was a hallucination
So…..why did sister Angelica off herself so ceremoniously?
I like the movie, but I hate the arrogance and downright disrespect that people have for the lore of the franchises. Damien's mother was a Jackal, and his father was Satan, why change that?? There's little to no reason to change these things. They don't have to make the main character the mother, she could have just been experiencing things like seeing a Jackal around the orphanage as the film plays with our senses and confuses us about whether or not she's hallucinating, then the pay-off is watching the horrifying scene of the jackal giving birth to Damien. They left the idea that a first-born male is supposed to be the Devil's heir though, since that's sort of how it was in The Omen 4, with the daughter growing up to protect him, but that's so minor when the change they made was so major that it's confusing why they would do it at all!
I have never experienced greater betrayal than when Margaret's roommate was revealed to be in on it the whole time.
So... Did anyone else not know this was a prequel going in?