Launching into theaters this week with bone-chilling anticipation is ‘The First Omen,’ a prequel to the 1976 horror classic ‘The Omen.’ Since it’s a prequel, audiences won’t need to know anything about the original movies to enjoy this installment. However, the genesis of the nearly 50-year-old ‘Omen’ universe is a fascinating story.
By James Verniere/Boston Movie News
Classic horror films come back from the dead more than classic horror film monsters. In the recent past, we’ve had “resurrections” of “It,” “Evil Dead,” “The Exorcist,” “Hellraiser,” “Interview with a Vampire,” “Candyman” and “Scream,” not to mention the umpteenth iterations of John Carpenter’s 1978 “Halloween”: “Halloween Kills” (2021) and “Halloween Ends” (2022). (You lie!)
Universal’s attempts to jump-start its horror movie multiverse, including endeavors to, ahem, revive “Dracula” (1931), “Frankenstein” (1931), “The Mummy” (1932), and “The Wolf Man” (1941), have yielded mixed results. But Blumhouse and Universal are giving it another shot with the October 25 release of “Wolf Man,” costarring Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner, directed by Leigh Whannell of “The Invisible Man” (2020) and “Upgrade” (2018). While recent horror entries “Renfield” (2023) and “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” (2023) fell short, both being inferior variations on the theme of “Dracula,” “Renfield” was more fun than it got credit for.
Soon, we will see Academy Award-winning maestro Guillermo del Toro’s interpretation of Mary Shelley’s timeless horror classic from 1818 with his Netflix production “Frankenstein.” This highly anticipated project features the sought-after Jacob Elordi of “Priscilla” and “Saltburn” fame as—gasp—the Monster (Will it take a bath?), alongside Oscar Isaac portraying Dr. Victor Frankenstein. And adding to the intrigue, modern-day “scream queen” Mia Goth (“Pearl”) joins the cast in a role we’ll leave shrouded in mystery.
‘The Omen’ unleashes devilish horror
Now, the film that made your parents ask themselves if you were the spawn of the devil is back. That’s right, “The Omen” (originally titled “The Birthmark”) has risen once more, this time in the form of the prequel “The First Omen,” releasing April 5 and helmed by Arkasha Stevenson in her feature directorial debut. The original “Omen” sent shivers down spines upon its 1976 release, drawing inspiration from the 1973 horror masterpiece “The Exorcist.” The ’76 film had another diabolical child at its center, in this case, little Antichrist Damien Thorn (Harvey Stephens), and a long list of terrible, grisly things that happen to the adults around the hell kid. This narrative thread can be traced back to the 1960 British hit “Village of the Damned,” based on John Wyndham’s novel “The Midwich Cuckoos,” featuring tow-haired telekinetic English children with glowing eyes.
Like “The Exorcist,” “The Omen” was notably based on an original screenplay by David Seltzer (“Bird on a Wire”). However, producer Harvey Bernhard (“The Mack”) is credited with the Antichrist concept. The film took a low-budget genre-movie concept and wrapped it in first-rate production values, beginning with a cast led by Academy Award-winner Gregory Peck (“To Kill a Mockingbird”), bearer of mucho gravitas, and Quincy-born Lee Remick (“Anatomy of a Murder”). This British-American co-production also featured David Warner, Billie Whitelaw, and Leo McKern.
Similar to Warner Brothers’ “The Exorcist,” 20th Century Fox’s “The Omen” was directed by someone not traditionally associated with horror films, in this case, TV director Richard Donner. William Friedkin, the late director of “The Exorcist,” had just come off his 1971 smash hit “The French Connection” when he adapted William Peter Blatty’s best-selling 1971 novel. Critics interpreted “The Exorcist,” “The Omen,” and 1968’s groundbreaking “Rosemary’s Baby” as horror-film metaphors reflecting the anxieties stemming from the disintegration of the nuclear family. Side note: Ruth Gordon, who, like Remick, was from Quincy, won a best supporting actress Oscar for her role in “Rosemary’s Baby.”
In addition, all three films spoke to the hold that faith and superstition still have over us, even those who renounced the religion of our youth. For “Omen,” the Fox publicity department eagerly fueled rumors of a “cursed” production, a tabloid aphrodisiac. Like its predecessors, “The Omen” became a box-office phenomenon, playing in theaters for months. Prolific film composer Jerry Goldsmith (“Logan’s Run,” “Star Trek,” “Rambo”) clinched the only Oscar of his career for the film’s score, featuring the shrieking choral, “Ave Satani.”
The four ‘Omen’ film sequels
The first of multiple sequels of “The Omen” was “Damien: Omen II” (1978), which aimed to recreate the “Omen” formula. The cast featured Academy Award-winner William Holden (“Stalag 17”), who had turned down the lead in the first film, as uncle-guardian of preteen military-school student Damien Thorn (Jonathan Scott-Taylor) and Academy Award-winner Lee Grant (“Shampoo”) as Holden’s wife. British filmmaker Mike Hodges (“Get Carter”) was either fired or quit to be replaced by American Don Taylor (“The Island of Dr. Moreau”). 1978 was also the year John Carpenter unleashed the original “Halloween” on an unsuspecting world with nepo-baby Jamie Lee Curtis in her screen debut as virginal but resilient Laurie Strode. “Halloween” was one of the earliest “teen-sex-equals-death” splatter movies. A cinematic cautionary tale in anticipation of the AIDS epidemic, the film became one of the highest-grossing independent movies ever made. “Damien: Omen II,” in comparison, was a costly, reheated hash. Still, even at twice the original budget, it made money.
Following “Damien: Omen II” came “Omen III: The Final Conflict” (1981), directed by Graham Baker (“Alien Nation”), featuring a young Sam Neill (“Jurassic Park”) as the menacing international conglomerate CEO, Damien Thorn (now that’s scary, isn’t it?). Rossano Brazzi (“Three Coins in the Fountain”) portrays Damien’s priest-demon-slayer adversary. The film was a dud, but it managed to recoup its estimated budget during opening weekend.
As for “The Omen IV: The Awakening,” the plot revolves around a Virginia “power couple” who adopt a girl who may potentially be the next Antichrist. Directed by Jorge Montesi (TV’s “Andromeda”) and Dominique Othenin-Girard (TV’s “Red Shoe Diaries”), this 1991 television movie failed to spark interest in further sequels, marking the lackluster conclusion of the series. Not counting a 2001 TV movie documentary, “The Omen: Legacy,” narrated by Jack Palance, “The Omen” officially returned in 2006. Titled “The Omen: 666,” this rendition was not a sequel but a remake boasting a first-rate cast led by Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles, along with Michael Gambon, Pete Postlethwaite, Mia Farrow, and David Thewlis, under the direction of Irishman John Moore (“Flight of the Phoenix”). A spooky-looking, weirdly-dressed Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick took on the role of Damien in this adaptation. Screenwriter David Seltzer’s original script for “The Omen” was reused for this retelling. Although reviews were mixed, the film proved to be a commercial success, grossing $125 million against an estimated budget of $25 million. “The Omen” has also spawned a 10-part series on A+E titled “Damien,” starring Bradley James (“Merlin”). P.S.: “The “Omen” franchise has sparked a substantial collection of “Omen”-related content on YouTube.
This latest prequel, 20th Century Studios’ “The First Omen,” boasts a screenplay attributed to director Stevenson, newcomer Tim Smith, Ben Jacoby (“Bleed”), and Keith Thomas (“The Vigil”). Among the film’s producers is David S. Goyer, screenwriter of the “Blade” series. English actor Nell Tiger Free, known for her role in “Game of Thrones,” portrays Margaret Daino, an American nun assigned to a Church-run Roman orphanage in 1971. Joining the ensemble cast are Sonia Braga, Charles Dance, another veteran of “GOT,” and the great Bill Nighy. Sister-to-be Margaret will uncover a diabolical plot to bring the Antichrist to life. Father Spiletto (Anton Alexander), the evil priest who tricked Gregory Peck and Lee Remick into raising the devil’s child as their own, is back for this new, wicked tale. Mark Korven of Robert Eggers’ acclaimed “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse” provides the score. Ave Satani.
How to watch ‘The Omen’ franchise
The original “The Omen” and the four other films in the horror franchise—”Damien: The Omen II,” “Omen III: The Final Conflict,” “Omen IV: The Awakening” and “The Omen” remake—are available to stream on Hulu.
“The First Omen,” a prequel to the original film directed by Arkasha Stevenson, will be released in Boston-area theaters on April 5. Some theaters are starting in the evening on April 4. Alamo Drafthouse has an April 3 sneak preview.
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