Nell Tiger Free plays a novitiate from Pittsfield, Mass., in ‘The First Omen,’ the prequel to the classic horror franchise.
Did anyone ask for a prequel to “The Omen” 48 years after the release of the original 1976 film, followed by three sequels and a 2006 reboot?
No, but director and co-writer Arkasha Stevenson, making a felicitous feature film debut, and her lead actor Nell Tiger Free of “Game of Thrones” have done an outstanding job resurrecting “The Omen.” The screenplay for “The First Omen,” replete with female body horror, particularly childbirth, is attributed to Stevenson, Tim Smith, and Keith Thomas (“The Vigil”) with a story by Ben Jacoby (“Bleed”) based on characters created by David Seltzer (“The Omen”).
Set in 1971 in Rome, where “la dolce vita” has morphed into turbulent political times of protests and rioting, the film begins with a shout-out both to the original landmark effort and Nicolas Roeg’s Venice-set “Don’t Look Now” (1973). Workers perched on scaffolding raise a stained-glass window to the top of a church’s facade. What could possibly go wrong? Ask the two priests arguing just below. One of them, the older of the two, is played by, speaking of “Game of Thrones,” Charles Dance.
After the shocking opening, we meet the film’s main character, Margaret Daino (Free), as the novitiate arrives in Rome to work at an orphanage before “taking the veil.” At the station, Margaret is greeted by her surrogate father, Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy), whose cape would suit Dracula. Margaret experienced terrifying visions as a child and frequent isolation and says she is from Pittsfield, Mass. She notices an orphanage girl named Carlita (Nicole Sorace), who is troubled, alone, and often locked in the “bad room” by Sister Sylvia (a terrific Sonia Braga), the strict, scowling Abbess of the Order.
Margaret is assigned to share living space with another novitiate, a party animal named Luz (Maria Caballero, TV’s “The Girl in the Mirror”). Luz takes Margaret to a disco, where the demure young woman drinks too much and meets a handsome young man named Paolo (Andrea Arcangeli). Later, Margaret is approached on a Roman street by Father Brennan (Ralph Ineson, “The Green Knight”), who offers to reveal the truth about a secret plot to give birth to the Antichrist.
“The First Omen,” which changes one element of the original film’s plot without explanation, would not work as well without its atmospheric touches. The cinematography of Aaron Morton (“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”) is full of deep shadows in which a hanging nun’s habit may become a mad nun in the wink of an eye. The music and sound effects of Robert Eggers’ regular Mark Korven (“The Witch”) and sound designer Jussi Tegelman add another layer of unease. Stevenson’s use of Bosch-evoking photos, paintings, and drawings gives rise to even more anxiety. Those “Nun” movies and the grisly Sydney Sweeney-led effort “Immaculate” also set the table for this veil-sporting Euro-horror-esque entry, and if, like me, you were taught by nuns as a child, well, say no more. The nuns often speak in Italian without subtitles, making even language a mystery. The children teach Margaret to say that she is a butterfly in Italian. Metamorphosis is another theme in the film.
The abbey/orphanage has an operating room where pregnant women can give birth and leave their newborns behind. Margaret thinks she sees something awful happen there. Holy “Rosemary’s Baby.” The sisters cook and clean, puffing on cigarettes. The children dance in circles and sing nursery rhymes. The crazy-looking Sister Angelica (Ishtar Currie Wilson) climbs out a window in the abbey courtyard and does something familiar to “Omen” fans, but nonetheless horrible.
Like “The Omen” and its predecessors, “The First Omen” plays upon the hold religion has on us. Crazed choral music can get it all jumping again. Luz’s consecration ceremony is inter-cut with Margaret’s search for the records of Carlita’s birth in a secret basement. The film’s female body horror theme gets another jolt when Margaret experiences violent, writhing seizures. The sheer physicality of Free’s performance might qualify her for a stunt work paycheck. Margaret is often posed reclining with her hair spread out around her head like a Pre-Raphaelite halo. This accomplished nun-movie freak-out leaves the door open for a sequel, of course. Keep those veils and crosses handy, sisters.
‘The First Omen’
Rated: R for grisly, violent, disturbing, and/or sacrilegious images and acts and brief graphic nudity
Cast: Nell Tiger Free, Sonia Braga, Ralph Ineson, Maria Caballero
Director: Arkasha Stevenson
Writers: Stevenson, Keith Thomas, Tim Smith, and Ben Jacoby, based on characters created by David Seltzer
Running Time: 120 minutes
Where to Watch: AMC Boston Common, AMC South Bay, AMC Causeway, Alamo Drafthouse Seaport and suburban theaters
Grade: B+
Boston Movie News 