Dir. Arkasha Stevenson | Now In Theaters | Rating: 5/5

As your neighborhood religious horror maniac (and bearer of extreme ex-Catholic guilt), this took me longer to write than I’d like to admit. For someone who grew up in the Catholic Church, The First Omen serves as a powerful feminist manifesto. A beautiful, bloodied middle finger to the Vatican, and all its evil secrets, that prowl about the world for the ruin of souls. 

First Omen avoids the bulk of the legacy prequel/sequel traps we’ve seen in the last few years. It builds upon the lore of The Omen in a way that brings legitimacy to its story. Let’s all be honest – the original Omen is campy, even for its time. An aesthetically high quality addition to this franchise is exactly the kind of refresh it needed. This was actually the first film I’ve seen in Dolby Vision and it was well worth the cost. 

The storytelling oozes with the femme gaze. This is a very calculated piece on the bodily autonomy and rage of women. As she begins to unravel the dark secrets around her, we see Margaret’s body both as something that is fearful and something to fear. The body horror is visceral and disgusting, but somehow ethereal, harkening to the same dichotomy we see in biblically accurate angels. The inspiration from other prominent femme horror like Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and Possession (1981) is apparent. 

Painting the Church as the source of evil isn’t unique in horror, but First Omen tauntingly digs its heels into the anti-Vatican rhetoric. The Vatican is painted as an antiquated establishment fighting to remain relevant. From flipping scripture on its head to exposing the Church’s unquenchable thirst for control, Arkasha Stevenson perfectly captures the political crisis the Church has found itself in, all by its own doing. 

The incredible body horror, visuals, and seamless religious allegory makes this a home run for me, even if the second act could have benefited from tightening. A masterpiece for modern religious horror, The First Omen does its part in paving the way for the future of femme driven horror. 

Know Before You Watch: Features blood, nudity, body horror, death.