Major spoilers for "Immaculate" and "The First Omen" follow.
There's a history of movies with oddly similar premises premiering within months of each other. "Armageddon" and "Deep Impact" both hit theaters in the summer of 1998, much like the Earth-shattering meteors featured in both films. The year before, there was "Volcano" and "Dante's Peak." 2022 gave us not one but two "Pinocchio" movies (with a clean victory for Guillermo del Toro's version).
This past month saw the latest case of dueling movies: "Immaculate," released on March 22, 2024, and "The First Omen," released on April 5, 2024. Both films are about American nuns who fly off to a new life in Italy. Once they arrive at the convent, the young sister discovers a sinister conspiracy at work and becomes pregnant via an unnatural conception. Unlike Mother Mary, the fruits of their wombs are not blessed.
"Immaculate," starring new starlet Sydney Sweeney as Sister Cecilia and directed by Michael Mohan,...
There's a history of movies with oddly similar premises premiering within months of each other. "Armageddon" and "Deep Impact" both hit theaters in the summer of 1998, much like the Earth-shattering meteors featured in both films. The year before, there was "Volcano" and "Dante's Peak." 2022 gave us not one but two "Pinocchio" movies (with a clean victory for Guillermo del Toro's version).
This past month saw the latest case of dueling movies: "Immaculate," released on March 22, 2024, and "The First Omen," released on April 5, 2024. Both films are about American nuns who fly off to a new life in Italy. Once they arrive at the convent, the young sister discovers a sinister conspiracy at work and becomes pregnant via an unnatural conception. Unlike Mother Mary, the fruits of their wombs are not blessed.
"Immaculate," starring new starlet Sydney Sweeney as Sister Cecilia and directed by Michael Mohan,...
- 4/7/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Damien Thorn is the antichrist, and the trilogy that tells his unholy tale remains popular almost fifty years later. Indeed, while putting together this Omen movie ranked list and revisiting the original franchise, I was surprised at how well the old movies held up. Omen fans will be happy that the series has been restarted in a pretty interesting way this weekend, with The First Omen a surprisingly excellent prequel to the original trilogy (check out our interviews with the director and cast here), even if it takes one large liberty involving Damien’s birth that some fans may have an issue with. So, how do the Omen films rank against each other? Let’s take a look, but remember that the Fox TV movie, Omen IV: The Awakening, is not included, as I’m sticking with feature films.
The Omen (2006):
There’s honestly no reason for this movie to exist.
The Omen (2006):
There’s honestly no reason for this movie to exist.
- 4/7/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Plot: A young novitiate in Rome (Nell Tiger Free) is warned by an ex-communicated priest (Ralph Ineson) that she’s at the center of a sinister conspiracy at her church dedicated to spawning the anti-Christ.
Review: I’ve always really enjoyed The Omen as a franchise. Even as a kid, I found something about the original trilogy centring around Damien Thorn especially gripping. However, I never had much use for the cheap TV movie sequel (Omen IV: The Awakening) or the scene-for-scene remake, which, despite a game cast, didn’t come close to recapturing the grisly spirit of Richard Donner’s original.
As such, I figured The First Omen would be just another would-be franchise starter, but I have to give 20th Century Studios and Disney credit – they made one hell of a cool horror flick (pun intended). In some ways, it’s a bit like Wonka (bear with...
Review: I’ve always really enjoyed The Omen as a franchise. Even as a kid, I found something about the original trilogy centring around Damien Thorn especially gripping. However, I never had much use for the cheap TV movie sequel (Omen IV: The Awakening) or the scene-for-scene remake, which, despite a game cast, didn’t come close to recapturing the grisly spirit of Richard Donner’s original.
As such, I figured The First Omen would be just another would-be franchise starter, but I have to give 20th Century Studios and Disney credit – they made one hell of a cool horror flick (pun intended). In some ways, it’s a bit like Wonka (bear with...
- 4/5/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
The episode of The Best of the Bad Guys focusing on Damien Thorn was written, narrated, and edited by Mike Holtz.
The Prince of Darkness. Heir to both Hell and Thorn Industries. The antichrist himself and guy who gets his haircut at Great Clips, Damien Thorn. The titular character of The Omen franchise will be praised not by his usual followers but by us as we dive into the second edition of The Best Of The Bad Guys, where we rank the best work of cinema’s most evil villains.
Damien Thorn’s run of evil has spanned five films including an utterly pointless shot-for-shot remake and a TV series with another prequel on the way in The First Omen. And though The Omen IV: The Awakening doesn’t follow Damien himself; his presence is felt. The franchise started in 1976 with legendary director Richard Donner giving us the first version...
The Prince of Darkness. Heir to both Hell and Thorn Industries. The antichrist himself and guy who gets his haircut at Great Clips, Damien Thorn. The titular character of The Omen franchise will be praised not by his usual followers but by us as we dive into the second edition of The Best Of The Bad Guys, where we rank the best work of cinema’s most evil villains.
Damien Thorn’s run of evil has spanned five films including an utterly pointless shot-for-shot remake and a TV series with another prequel on the way in The First Omen. And though The Omen IV: The Awakening doesn’t follow Damien himself; his presence is felt. The franchise started in 1976 with legendary director Richard Donner giving us the first version...
- 4/5/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The Omen was a blessed success upon its release, earning a spot among the top 10 highest-grossing films of 1976. One of those ticket buyers was Wes Craven, who had already made his debut with The Last House on the Left and was gearing up for his sophomore film, The Hills Have Eyes.
“I remember thinking, ‘Big studio, won’t have a cutting edge to it. Gregory Peck, how can he be scary? I like him, but.’ And it was. I was totally amazed,” the master of horror recalled in a 2006 DVD special feature in which he waxes poetic about The Omen for some 20 minutes.
“I think [Richard] Donner is just one of our primo filmmakers.” Craven had been watching the future Superman and The Goonies director’s work since his early days helming episodes of classic TV shows like The Twilight Zone and Gilligan’s Island. “Every so often, he just knocks something...
“I remember thinking, ‘Big studio, won’t have a cutting edge to it. Gregory Peck, how can he be scary? I like him, but.’ And it was. I was totally amazed,” the master of horror recalled in a 2006 DVD special feature in which he waxes poetic about The Omen for some 20 minutes.
“I think [Richard] Donner is just one of our primo filmmakers.” Craven had been watching the future Superman and The Goonies director’s work since his early days helming episodes of classic TV shows like The Twilight Zone and Gilligan’s Island. “Every so often, he just knocks something...
- 4/5/2024
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
This article contains major spoilers for "The First Omen."Hello folks! Welcome back to Nunsploitation 2024: Battle of the Babies.
When last we left the saga of Damien Thorn, it was 1981, and Damien was played by the devilishly handsome Sam Neill in "The Final Conflict." In that film, the Antichrist nearly fulfilled his evil purpose in halting the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, but was foiled by his one-time lover, journalist Kate Reynolds (Lisa Harrow), who through the grace of God and her own strength was able to fatally stab Damien with the magical dagger of Megiddo, the weapon that poor Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) failed to use against his adopted son Damien (Harvey Spencer Stephens) when he was a child in 1976.
If a 33-year-old Damien in 1981 seems implausible given that the first film sees Damien as merely five years of age and the 1978 sequel, "Damien: Omen II" follows the...
When last we left the saga of Damien Thorn, it was 1981, and Damien was played by the devilishly handsome Sam Neill in "The Final Conflict." In that film, the Antichrist nearly fulfilled his evil purpose in halting the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, but was foiled by his one-time lover, journalist Kate Reynolds (Lisa Harrow), who through the grace of God and her own strength was able to fatally stab Damien with the magical dagger of Megiddo, the weapon that poor Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) failed to use against his adopted son Damien (Harvey Spencer Stephens) when he was a child in 1976.
If a 33-year-old Damien in 1981 seems implausible given that the first film sees Damien as merely five years of age and the 1978 sequel, "Damien: Omen II" follows the...
- 4/4/2024
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
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
Richard Donner’s The Omen begins June 6, at 6 am in Rome, with the birth of the Antichrist and his adoption into an affluent American family. Damien Thorn’s birth and subsequent reign of terror, preordained by franchise canon, make approaching a prequel to a heralded horror classic a daunting task. Director Arkasha Stevenson makes it look effortless with The First Omen, a masterclass in form matched by its compelling horror and characters.
The First Omen, set in 1971, follows American novitiate Margaret Daino (“Servant” star Nell Tiger Free) as she’s sent to Rome to work in an orphanage before she takes the veil. As Margaret adapts to not just her new vocation but an entirely new country and a city in the throes of unrest, she finds herself drawn to socially withdrawn orphan Carlita (Nicole Sorace). It’s through her bond with and concern for Carlita that Margaret notices something amiss within the convent.
The First Omen, set in 1971, follows American novitiate Margaret Daino (“Servant” star Nell Tiger Free) as she’s sent to Rome to work in an orphanage before she takes the veil. As Margaret adapts to not just her new vocation but an entirely new country and a city in the throes of unrest, she finds herself drawn to socially withdrawn orphan Carlita (Nicole Sorace). It’s through her bond with and concern for Carlita that Margaret notices something amiss within the convent.
- 4/4/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
‘The First Omen’ Director Arkasha Stevenson Says Classic Horror Franchise Has Plenty of Stories Left
In her feature directorial debut, The First Omen filmmaker Arkasha Stevenson has pulled off the delicate balance between homage and invention. Prequels are always tricky in this regard, but it’s especially difficult when it involves Richard Donner’s horror classic, The Omen (1976). Stevenson’s assignment, in conjunction with her co-writer and producer Tim Smith, was to tell the origin story of how Damien Thorn came into the world and who gave birth to the franchise’s indelible Antichrist character.
Set in 1971, Stevenson’s story begins with the arrival of novitiate Margaret Daino (Nell Tiger Free) at a Rome-based orphanage, and she soon discovers a sinister plot to birth the Antichrist in order for the Catholic Church to regain its grip on the counterculture society of the ’60s and ’70s. But, before she’s knee deep in the conspiracy, Margaret witnesses a pregnant mother giving birth to something that causes...
Set in 1971, Stevenson’s story begins with the arrival of novitiate Margaret Daino (Nell Tiger Free) at a Rome-based orphanage, and she soon discovers a sinister plot to birth the Antichrist in order for the Catholic Church to regain its grip on the counterculture society of the ’60s and ’70s. But, before she’s knee deep in the conspiracy, Margaret witnesses a pregnant mother giving birth to something that causes...
- 4/3/2024
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Creating a horror prequel is trickier business than a sequel. The rules are far less rigid in sequels, with expanded body count and lore most often being the primary goals. But a horror movie prequel has the tougher needle to thread in ensuring all of its pieces nestle neatly within the previously established framework without contradicting any details.
This week brings the arrival of The Omen prequel, The First Omen, charting the events leading up to Antichrist Damien Thorn’s adoption. It makes for the perfect excuse to revisit horror prequels that successfully earned their spot in their franchises through unique shifts in setting, tone, and style without veering too far off the beaten path.
This week’s streaming picks highlight horror movie prequels that get weird or dial up the horror in intense ways while further fleshing out familiar characters and storylines.
Here’s where you can stream them this week.
This week brings the arrival of The Omen prequel, The First Omen, charting the events leading up to Antichrist Damien Thorn’s adoption. It makes for the perfect excuse to revisit horror prequels that successfully earned their spot in their franchises through unique shifts in setting, tone, and style without veering too far off the beaten path.
This week’s streaming picks highlight horror movie prequels that get weird or dial up the horror in intense ways while further fleshing out familiar characters and storylines.
Here’s where you can stream them this week.
- 4/1/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
20th Century Studios’ The First Omen is a true prequel to The Omen, arriving almost fifty years after the Richard Donner-directed horror classic introduced Antichrist Damien Thorn and terrified audiences. The film’s legacy is front and center in an exclusive new featurette.
First released in 1976, The Omen stars Gregory Peck as affluent diplomat Robert Thorn. It begins on June 6, at 6 am in Rome, where Robert Thorn learns his newborn has died, and the Church convinces him to accept an orphaned infant in its place. Robert’s wife, Kathy (Lee Remick), is none the wiser.
As the child, Damien, turns five, it coincides with a wave of strange happenings and coincidences that leads Robert down a harrowing journey where he’ll discover his adoptive son may be the Antichrist.
Written by David Seltzer, The Omen was a massive commercial success upon release in theaters. Donner injected plenty of dread and shocking deaths,...
First released in 1976, The Omen stars Gregory Peck as affluent diplomat Robert Thorn. It begins on June 6, at 6 am in Rome, where Robert Thorn learns his newborn has died, and the Church convinces him to accept an orphaned infant in its place. Robert’s wife, Kathy (Lee Remick), is none the wiser.
As the child, Damien, turns five, it coincides with a wave of strange happenings and coincidences that leads Robert down a harrowing journey where he’ll discover his adoptive son may be the Antichrist.
Written by David Seltzer, The Omen was a massive commercial success upon release in theaters. Donner injected plenty of dread and shocking deaths,...
- 3/28/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Horror can always be counted on to transform the most innocuous concepts into unsettling nightmares, especially when it comes to exploring themes of parenthood.
In horror, children frequently veer straight into creepy territory with unsettling statements and empty stares. Creepy kids in horror have been a long-running archetype, turning out iconic characters like Antichrist Damien Thorn in The Omen, The Bad Seed’s Rhoda Penmark, and the possessed Regan MacNeil in The Exorcist.
This week’s streaming picks highlight some of horror’s most unnerving children.
Here’s where to stream these creepy kid horror movies this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
The Brood – Criterion Channel, Max
Frank Carveth (Art Hindle) is in the midst of an embittered separation process from his estranged wife Nola (Samantha Eggar), a woman currently undergoing experimental therapy. Her psychotherapist, Hal Raglan (Oliver Reed), has developed an experimental process that...
In horror, children frequently veer straight into creepy territory with unsettling statements and empty stares. Creepy kids in horror have been a long-running archetype, turning out iconic characters like Antichrist Damien Thorn in The Omen, The Bad Seed’s Rhoda Penmark, and the possessed Regan MacNeil in The Exorcist.
This week’s streaming picks highlight some of horror’s most unnerving children.
Here’s where to stream these creepy kid horror movies this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
The Brood – Criterion Channel, Max
Frank Carveth (Art Hindle) is in the midst of an embittered separation process from his estranged wife Nola (Samantha Eggar), a woman currently undergoing experimental therapy. Her psychotherapist, Hal Raglan (Oliver Reed), has developed an experimental process that...
- 3/4/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
In Charles de Lauzirika's masterful documentary "Wreckage and Rage: Making Alien 3," producer David Giler laments that the David Fincher-directed sequel was doomed to disappoint because the studio was more focused on making a release date than a movie. Though I think they wound up with a boldly dour film that is every bit as singular as the movies that preceded it, his point is well taken. Setting down rails before you ride a train into town is not a bad idea. But the only thing Hollywood studios hate more than originality is learning from their mistakes.
Which brings us to 20th Century Fox's 2006 remake of "The Omen."
Amusingly, the studio that courted disaster with "Alien 3" 14 years prior opted to resuscitate their dead and decaying "The Omen" franchise because of a release date. 6/6/06 was only ever going to happen once, and, so the reasoning went, you'd be leaving...
Which brings us to 20th Century Fox's 2006 remake of "The Omen."
Amusingly, the studio that courted disaster with "Alien 3" 14 years prior opted to resuscitate their dead and decaying "The Omen" franchise because of a release date. 6/6/06 was only ever going to happen once, and, so the reasoning went, you'd be leaving...
- 1/5/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
“The First Omen,” a prequel to the 1976 horror film “The Omen,” has released its terrifying first trailer.
It follows a woman, Margaret (Nell Tiger Free), who goes to Rome to fully commit to the church. However, she soon faces the emergence of a deadly evil.
Along with Tiger Free, the cast of the horror film includes Bill Nighy, Ralph Ineson and Sônia Braga. The pteque marks the feature directorial debut of Arkasha Stevenson. The writers are Stevenson, Tim Smith and Keith Thomas from a story by Ben Jacoby.
“The Omen” told the story of Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) and his wife, Katherine “Kathy” Thorn (Lee Remick), adopting a son whom they name Damien (Harvey Spencer Stevens). After a series of ominous events, including Damien deliberately knocking Kathy over a balcony and causing her to miscarry, it is revealed that Damien is the son of Satan and the Antichrist. The original...
It follows a woman, Margaret (Nell Tiger Free), who goes to Rome to fully commit to the church. However, she soon faces the emergence of a deadly evil.
Along with Tiger Free, the cast of the horror film includes Bill Nighy, Ralph Ineson and Sônia Braga. The pteque marks the feature directorial debut of Arkasha Stevenson. The writers are Stevenson, Tim Smith and Keith Thomas from a story by Ben Jacoby.
“The Omen” told the story of Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) and his wife, Katherine “Kathy” Thorn (Lee Remick), adopting a son whom they name Damien (Harvey Spencer Stevens). After a series of ominous events, including Damien deliberately knocking Kathy over a balcony and causing her to miscarry, it is revealed that Damien is the son of Satan and the Antichrist. The original...
- 1/3/2024
- by Valerie Wu
- Variety Film + TV
Clockwise from left: The League (Magnolia Pictures), The Last Rider (Roadside Attractions), Black Ice (Lionsgate)Image: The A.V. Club
It’s Thanksgiving time, so give thanks to Hulu if you’re a fan of sports documentaries because the streaming service is stuffing its library with them. Black Ice is about institutional racism in professional hockey,...
It’s Thanksgiving time, so give thanks to Hulu if you’re a fan of sports documentaries because the streaming service is stuffing its library with them. Black Ice is about institutional racism in professional hockey,...
- 10/27/2023
- by Robert DeSalvo
- avclub.com
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