Faith as an institution has historically been founded upon the goodwill of bringing people together, but in the wrong hands, like every other medium, it can be wielded as a terrible weapon to doom humankind. Arkasha Stevenson’s The First Omen, a prequel to the original The Omen (1976), focuses on the malevolent potential of faith when it is controlled by peddlers of religion. As the movie acts as a period piece to showcase a transition in contemporary Western generational consciousness, the horror aspects of the narrative get an anchor to establish themselves in a meaningful way.
David Seltzer’s horror classic The Omen gained much success through the sensational choice of portraying a child as the central evil entity and also by delineating the dispensationalist belief system, which had started making an impact on the cultural zeitgeist of the Western world during the 1970s. The first movie’s success was...
David Seltzer’s horror classic The Omen gained much success through the sensational choice of portraying a child as the central evil entity and also by delineating the dispensationalist belief system, which had started making an impact on the cultural zeitgeist of the Western world during the 1970s. The first movie’s success was...
- 4/6/2024
- by Siddhartha Das
- Film Fugitives
This article contains major The First Omen spoilers.
It is said the Devil is in the details, and the details are quite devilish, indeed, in The First Omen. The surprisingly stylish and adroit chiller from first-time feature director Arkasha Stevenson takes the well-worn Hollywood formula of making a “story before the story” prequel, and actually conjures something drenched in atmosphere, originality, and modern urgency. Most of the time.
While the movie has a despairing timeliness in 2024 with its parable about a patriarchal system attempting to control and use women’s bodies to achieve their own power-hungry ends, The First Omen is still also a prequel to a film that was released almost 50 years ago. As such, it is forced to conclude where The Omen begins. And in the case of a franchise as steeped in opaque mysticism and religious dread as this, that kind of ending might baffle newcomers to the series.
It is said the Devil is in the details, and the details are quite devilish, indeed, in The First Omen. The surprisingly stylish and adroit chiller from first-time feature director Arkasha Stevenson takes the well-worn Hollywood formula of making a “story before the story” prequel, and actually conjures something drenched in atmosphere, originality, and modern urgency. Most of the time.
While the movie has a despairing timeliness in 2024 with its parable about a patriarchal system attempting to control and use women’s bodies to achieve their own power-hungry ends, The First Omen is still also a prequel to a film that was released almost 50 years ago. As such, it is forced to conclude where The Omen begins. And in the case of a franchise as steeped in opaque mysticism and religious dread as this, that kind of ending might baffle newcomers to the series.
- 4/5/2024
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Stars: Nell Tiger Free, Ralph Ineson, Sônia Braga, Tawfeek Barhom, Maria Caballero, Charles Dance, Billy Nighy, Nicole Sorace | Written by Tim Smith, Arkasha Stevenson, Keith Thomas | Directed by Arkasha Stevenson
Typical. You wait years for a movie about a teenage American nun who becomes mysteriously pregnant when she travels to an Italian nunnery and then two come along at once. Consequently, The First Omen – a prequel to the 1976 horror classic – has had its thunder stolen somewhat by Michael Mohan’s excellent Sydney Sweeney-starring nunsploitation picture Immaculate (which is still in cinemas), but still delivers its fair share of tense atmospherics, jump scares and impressive body horror.
The film begins in 1971, with virginal young American novice Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) travelling to Rome, where she’s met by kindly Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy), before beginning her apprenticeship at the Vizzardeli Orphanage, where she will eventually take her vows. Soon, Margaret’s...
Typical. You wait years for a movie about a teenage American nun who becomes mysteriously pregnant when she travels to an Italian nunnery and then two come along at once. Consequently, The First Omen – a prequel to the 1976 horror classic – has had its thunder stolen somewhat by Michael Mohan’s excellent Sydney Sweeney-starring nunsploitation picture Immaculate (which is still in cinemas), but still delivers its fair share of tense atmospherics, jump scares and impressive body horror.
The film begins in 1971, with virginal young American novice Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) travelling to Rome, where she’s met by kindly Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy), before beginning her apprenticeship at the Vizzardeli Orphanage, where she will eventually take her vows. Soon, Margaret’s...
- 4/5/2024
- by Matthew Turner
- Nerdly
What to expect when you’re expecting … the Antichrist?
Filmmaker Arkasha Stevenson delivers her gleefully gruesome answer to that increasingly popular question in 20th Century’s terrifying and triumphant “The First Omen.” It’s a nominally named soft franchise reboot and the vastly superior (if accidental) answer to Neon’s “Immaculate” with Sydney Sweeney, also in theaters now.
Yes, both horror films explore what happens when a child of Christ is involuntarily forced to carry a demon baby to term. And yes, both movies have some merit; trite but true, Damien just doesn’t have that “Cassie from ‘Euphoria’” pull. But only Stevenson’s spin on “The Omen” can tie its borderline Nc-17 terror to a multi-decade genre legacy suddenly feasting on noticeably improved visual artistry and a narratively satisfying revamp of stale IP.
In “The First Omen,” Nell Tiger Free stars as Margaret, an American nun in training come...
Filmmaker Arkasha Stevenson delivers her gleefully gruesome answer to that increasingly popular question in 20th Century’s terrifying and triumphant “The First Omen.” It’s a nominally named soft franchise reboot and the vastly superior (if accidental) answer to Neon’s “Immaculate” with Sydney Sweeney, also in theaters now.
Yes, both horror films explore what happens when a child of Christ is involuntarily forced to carry a demon baby to term. And yes, both movies have some merit; trite but true, Damien just doesn’t have that “Cassie from ‘Euphoria’” pull. But only Stevenson’s spin on “The Omen” can tie its borderline Nc-17 terror to a multi-decade genre legacy suddenly feasting on noticeably improved visual artistry and a narratively satisfying revamp of stale IP.
In “The First Omen,” Nell Tiger Free stars as Margaret, an American nun in training come...
- 4/4/2024
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Nobody could predict that a theatrical Omen prequel would go as hard as Arkasha Stevenson’s The First Omen. There’s minimal wiggle room for narrative surprises leading into 1976’s blasphemous horror tale about the antichrist, yet Stevenson oversees a frightening and stimulating franchise origin. Rosemary’s Baby and The Omen surface as obvious sources of inspiration, but The First Omen compares cleanest to Neon’s religion-roasting Sydney Sweeney vehicle Immaculate. Stevenson unleashes astonishingly graphic imagery that’d make Immaculate blush, and despite how the two-hour running time presents laggy pacing issues, The First Omen successfully executes standalone appeal while fulfilling its promise of being all for you, Damien.
The film’s events occur in Rome’s Vizzardeli Orphanage, where American candidate Margaret Daino (Nell Tiger Free) transfers to earn her status as a Sister. Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy) extends a familiar welcome since he’s known Margaret since childhood.
The film’s events occur in Rome’s Vizzardeli Orphanage, where American candidate Margaret Daino (Nell Tiger Free) transfers to earn her status as a Sister. Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy) extends a familiar welcome since he’s known Margaret since childhood.
- 4/4/2024
- by Matt Donato
- DailyDead
When compared to "classier" Satanic contemporaries like "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Exorcist," Richard Donner's 1976 hit "The Omen" is the pulpiest of the lot. "The Omen" had no interest in the sexist panic of the former, nor the religious angst of the latter, settling instead in the realm of spooky thrillers, replete with cool kills, portentous Satanic language, and an awesome score (a score that brought Jerry Goldsmith his only Oscar). There's no ambiguity to "The Omen," being clear from the start that Gregory Peck and Lee Remick are indeed raising the Antichrist. The pop Satanism "The Omen" introduced into the lexicon has now become standard horror fare, and was even spoofed at length in the TV series "Good Omens."
"The Omen" spawned one okay sequel ("Damien: Omen II" in 1978), one risibly bad sequel ("The Final Conflict" in 1981), and one miserably bad sequel ("Omen IV: The Awakening" in 1991) before succumbing...
"The Omen" spawned one okay sequel ("Damien: Omen II" in 1978), one risibly bad sequel ("The Final Conflict" in 1981), and one miserably bad sequel ("Omen IV: The Awakening" in 1991) before succumbing...
- 4/4/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
It’s a bit of a mixed bag being a nun in The First Omen. One minute you’re enjoying smutty talk with the sisters while peeling potatoes, or jumping on a trampoline smoking a cig, and the next you’re at the center of a terrifying conspiracy which could change the world as we know it.
A direct prequel to the original 1976 Richard Donner movie, at it’s best The First Omen is an intriguing bit of new lore for a beloved franchise that is also very much its own film—and an intensely female one at that. Director Arkasha Steveson, who makes her feature debut here but is best know for TV including Channel Zero, Legion, and Brand New Cherry Flavor, shows whispers of the indie auteur in her directing style. There’s an art house, elevated body horror within the trappings of this franchise movie which marks...
A direct prequel to the original 1976 Richard Donner movie, at it’s best The First Omen is an intriguing bit of new lore for a beloved franchise that is also very much its own film—and an intensely female one at that. Director Arkasha Steveson, who makes her feature debut here but is best know for TV including Channel Zero, Legion, and Brand New Cherry Flavor, shows whispers of the indie auteur in her directing style. There’s an art house, elevated body horror within the trappings of this franchise movie which marks...
- 4/4/2024
- by Rosie Fletcher
- Den of Geek
Nell Tiger Free is a terrified nun who discovers a dark secret at the heart of the Catholic church. Here’s our The First Omen review.
After what felt like an eternity of no decent or exciting horror films, we’re incredibly lucky to have three land in our laps within a few weeks. We’ve already been impressed by Sydney Sweeney’s powerhouse performance in Immaculate and terrified silly by David Dastmalchian’s talk show horror with a satanic spin in Late Night With The Devil, but I doubt any of us expecting The First Omen, a prequel to Richard Donner’s 1976 film The Omen, to join those two as early favourites for the best horror films of 2024.
We’ve been burned many times with these prequels, reboots and sequels which heavily borrow from some of our favourite classic horror films. The Exorcist: Believer is still all too fresh in our minds…...
After what felt like an eternity of no decent or exciting horror films, we’re incredibly lucky to have three land in our laps within a few weeks. We’ve already been impressed by Sydney Sweeney’s powerhouse performance in Immaculate and terrified silly by David Dastmalchian’s talk show horror with a satanic spin in Late Night With The Devil, but I doubt any of us expecting The First Omen, a prequel to Richard Donner’s 1976 film The Omen, to join those two as early favourites for the best horror films of 2024.
We’ve been burned many times with these prequels, reboots and sequels which heavily borrow from some of our favourite classic horror films. The Exorcist: Believer is still all too fresh in our minds…...
- 4/4/2024
- by Maria Lattila
- Film Stories
Hunter Schafer learns that not all European getaways are particularly relaxing in the first trailer for horror flick Cuckoo.
Neon releases Tilman Singer’s feature in theaters Aug. 9. Cuckoo stars Schafer as Gretchen, a teen who gets more than she bargained for after accepting a job from Herr König (Dan Stevens) at a resort in the German Alps. Rounding out the cast are Jessica Henwick, Jan Bluthardt, Marton Csokas, Greta Fernández and Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey.
“How would you like to come work for me at the resort?” Stevens asks in the trailer. Later, Schafer wants to know, “Why did you bring us here?”
Singer (Luz) wrote and directed the movie that premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February and also screened at SXSW. Thor Bradwell, Markus Halberschmidt, Ken Kao, Ben Rimmer, Josh Rosenbaum and Maria Tsigka serve as producers.
In his review for The Hollywood Reporter, chief film critic David Rooney wrote,...
Neon releases Tilman Singer’s feature in theaters Aug. 9. Cuckoo stars Schafer as Gretchen, a teen who gets more than she bargained for after accepting a job from Herr König (Dan Stevens) at a resort in the German Alps. Rounding out the cast are Jessica Henwick, Jan Bluthardt, Marton Csokas, Greta Fernández and Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey.
“How would you like to come work for me at the resort?” Stevens asks in the trailer. Later, Schafer wants to know, “Why did you bring us here?”
Singer (Luz) wrote and directed the movie that premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February and also screened at SXSW. Thor Bradwell, Markus Halberschmidt, Ken Kao, Ben Rimmer, Josh Rosenbaum and Maria Tsigka serve as producers.
In his review for The Hollywood Reporter, chief film critic David Rooney wrote,...
- 4/4/2024
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
CuckooScreenshot: Neon/YouTube
It’s finally Hunter Schafer’s turn to lead her own blockbuster after her Euphoria co-stars Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, and Jacob Elordi paved the way, and—like Sweeney in Immaculate—she’s veering hard into bloody, in-your-face body horror. The Daily Beast was right when they called...
It’s finally Hunter Schafer’s turn to lead her own blockbuster after her Euphoria co-stars Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, and Jacob Elordi paved the way, and—like Sweeney in Immaculate—she’s veering hard into bloody, in-your-face body horror. The Daily Beast was right when they called...
- 4/3/2024
- by Emma Keates
- avclub.com
Neon’s official trailer for Cuckoo features Hunter Schafer (Euphoria) as a teenager whose job at a resort is…possibly literally…pure hell. Dan Stevens (Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire) continues to dive into weird characters as the man who runs the resort.
“Reluctantly, 17-year-old Gretchen leaves her American home to live with her father, who has just moved into a resort in the German Alps with his new family. Arriving at their future residence, they are greeted by Mr. König, her father’s boss, who takes an inexplicable interest in Gretchen’s mute half-sister Alma,” reads Neon’s synopsis. “Something doesn’t seem right in this tranquil vacation paradise. Gretchen is plagued by strange noises and bloody visions until she discovers a shocking secret that also concerns her own family.”
The horror film’s cast also includes Jessica Henwick, Marton Csokas, and Mila Lieu. German filmmaker Tilman Singer...
“Reluctantly, 17-year-old Gretchen leaves her American home to live with her father, who has just moved into a resort in the German Alps with his new family. Arriving at their future residence, they are greeted by Mr. König, her father’s boss, who takes an inexplicable interest in Gretchen’s mute half-sister Alma,” reads Neon’s synopsis. “Something doesn’t seem right in this tranquil vacation paradise. Gretchen is plagued by strange noises and bloody visions until she discovers a shocking secret that also concerns her own family.”
The horror film’s cast also includes Jessica Henwick, Marton Csokas, and Mila Lieu. German filmmaker Tilman Singer...
- 4/3/2024
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Nearly two years have gone by since we heard that production had wrapped on Cuckoo, a new horror film from writer/director Tilman Singer that stars Hunter Schafer (Euphoria), Dan Stevens (The Guest), Jessica Henwick (Love and Monsters), Marton Csókás (Freelance), Greta Fernández (Santo), and Jan Bluthardt (Tatort). We’re going to have our chance to see how it has turned out when it reaches theatres on August 9th – and today a trailer for Cuckoo has arrived online to give us a preview of what the film has in store for us. You can check it out in the embed above.
Here’s the official synopsis: Reluctantly, 17-year-old Gretchen leaves her American home to live with her father, who has just moved into a resort in the German Alps with his new family. Arriving at their future residence, they are greeted by Mr. König, her father’s boss, who takes...
Here’s the official synopsis: Reluctantly, 17-year-old Gretchen leaves her American home to live with her father, who has just moved into a resort in the German Alps with his new family. Arriving at their future residence, they are greeted by Mr. König, her father’s boss, who takes...
- 4/3/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
"Why did you bring us here?" "Your family belongs here..." Neon has revealed the incredible full trailer for Cuckoo, a freaky horror film coming this summer. It premiered at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival and also played at SXSW recently. Cuckoo is the second feature from German filmmaker Tilman Singer after Luz. Gretchen travels to the German Alps with her father & stepmother, where she comes across dark secrets. She hears strange noises and is plagued by visions of a woman chasing after her, drawn into a conspiracy involving bizarre experiments by the resort’s owner that echoes back generations... Following his festival hit Luz, Singer has once again succeeded in creating an atmospheric & visually outstanding horror trip with an original plot and perfidious twists. Shot on 35mm, this stars Euphoria's star Hunter Schafer alongside a brilliant and terrifying Dan Stevens. The full cast also includes Jessica Henwick, Marton Csókás, Jan Bluthardt,...
- 4/3/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Up next from writer/director Tilman Singer (Luz) is Neon’s strange horror movie Cuckoo, starring Hunter Schafer (“Euphoria”). Neon unveiled a new trailer this morning that teases just how Cuckoo Singer’s latest may get.
Look for Cuckoo to now arrive in theaters nationwide on August 9, 2024.
Watch the new trailer below to get a feel for the strange horror ahead.
In Cuckoo: “Reluctantly, 17-year-old Gretchen leaves her American home to live with her father, who has just moved into a resort in the German Alps with his new family. Arriving at their future residence, they are greeted by Mr. König, her father’s boss, who takes an inexplicable interest in Gretchen’s mute half-sister Alma. Something doesn’t seem right in this tranquil vacation paradise. Gretchen is plagued by strange noises and bloody visions until she discovers a shocking secret that also concerns her own family.”
Dan Stevens...
Look for Cuckoo to now arrive in theaters nationwide on August 9, 2024.
Watch the new trailer below to get a feel for the strange horror ahead.
In Cuckoo: “Reluctantly, 17-year-old Gretchen leaves her American home to live with her father, who has just moved into a resort in the German Alps with his new family. Arriving at their future residence, they are greeted by Mr. König, her father’s boss, who takes an inexplicable interest in Gretchen’s mute half-sister Alma. Something doesn’t seem right in this tranquil vacation paradise. Gretchen is plagued by strange noises and bloody visions until she discovers a shocking secret that also concerns her own family.”
Dan Stevens...
- 4/3/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: 3Point0 Labs has followed up recent strategic moves by signing In the Summers co-producer Luz Films.
Headed by Sergio Lira, Lynette Coll and Cristobal Güell, Luz was created with a mission to make Latino-focused prestige and elevated-genre content from diverse creatives and producers in the film and TV space. Its debut film, In the Summers, was a prize winner at Sundance earlier this year.
“Sergio, Lynette, and Cristobal bring such an authentic desire to foster family and community in everything they do,” said Andrew Cutrow, Chief Business Officer and Head of the Entertainment division of 3Point0 Labs. “They bring a vision that is so core to 3Point0’s mission to build communities and infrastructure globally. Luz is a rocket ship and we are so humbled to be a part of their growth as they take off.”
As we revealed at the time, Luz Films launched in January with former...
Headed by Sergio Lira, Lynette Coll and Cristobal Güell, Luz was created with a mission to make Latino-focused prestige and elevated-genre content from diverse creatives and producers in the film and TV space. Its debut film, In the Summers, was a prize winner at Sundance earlier this year.
“Sergio, Lynette, and Cristobal bring such an authentic desire to foster family and community in everything they do,” said Andrew Cutrow, Chief Business Officer and Head of the Entertainment division of 3Point0 Labs. “They bring a vision that is so core to 3Point0’s mission to build communities and infrastructure globally. Luz is a rocket ship and we are so humbled to be a part of their growth as they take off.”
As we revealed at the time, Luz Films launched in January with former...
- 4/2/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
U.K. based sales agency Film Republic has picked up Peru’s 2024 Oscar entry “The Erection of Toribio Bardelli,” the latest film from Adrián Saba, one of Peru’s most prominent auteurs on the festival scene.
Film Republic has also shared a first international trailer with Variety. The film screens this week in Los Angeles at the GuadaLAjara Film Festival LA, which runs Nov. 1-3. V&r Films distributes in Peru, Livres Distribution in Brazil.
Set in central Lima, “The Erection of Toribio Bardelli” captures the Bardelli family in deep grief at the death of the wife and mother, Toribio Bardelli, the father suffering erectile dysfunction.
Feeling out of place in a current world, clinging to old world values such as virility but, as captured in a first scene in a brothel, Toribio can’t even get it up.
He mourns the death of his wife, can’t get over...
Film Republic has also shared a first international trailer with Variety. The film screens this week in Los Angeles at the GuadaLAjara Film Festival LA, which runs Nov. 1-3. V&r Films distributes in Peru, Livres Distribution in Brazil.
Set in central Lima, “The Erection of Toribio Bardelli” captures the Bardelli family in deep grief at the death of the wife and mother, Toribio Bardelli, the father suffering erectile dysfunction.
Feeling out of place in a current world, clinging to old world values such as virility but, as captured in a first scene in a brothel, Toribio can’t even get it up.
He mourns the death of his wife, can’t get over...
- 11/2/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
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