Get the latest gossip

"The First Omen" Review: A prequel with style, plus borderline NC-17 body horror

When in Rome, do as the Antichrist does. Arkasha Stevenson’s surprising movie makes the most of all its elements.

But for an essentially unnecessary prequel to “The Omen,” the 1976 hit about one satanically-minded child, two unfortunate parents and three sixes, its virtues point to an auspicious feature debut from director and co-writer Arkasha Stevenson, a former Los Angeles Times photojournalist with an eye for sinister beauty. The fearsome and very obviously secretive Sister Silva runs the place, and with that role taken by the great, gravel-voiced Sonia Braga, and with the disgraced Irish priest (introduced in the first “Omen”) played by Ralph Ineson, that’s a helluva pair of basso profundo voices, nicely suited to unholy menace. Not everything tracks or comes together in “The First Omen”: Father Brennan’s expository dump regarding the church’s plans to retain power feels rushed and confused; some of the narrative and visual references to the ’76 film don’t do much for the one we’re watching.

Get the Android app