Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Decent scares, relevant themes in gory nun-horror movie.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The First Omen
What's the Story?
In THE FIRST OMEN, Margaret (Nell Tiger Free)—who is preparing to become a nun—arrives in Rome, taking up residence in a church and orphanage where her former mentor, Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy), works. Margaret's roommate, Luz (Maria Caballero), is a novitiate who wants to have a good time before she takes her vows. Margaret also meets a mysterious older child, Carlita (Nicole Sorace), who resides at the orphanage, and Father Brennan (Ralph Ineson), who warns her of a great evil going on at the church and asks for her help. If she can steal certain records from the orphanage's archive, then they can prove Father Brennan's sinister theory: The church is conducting secret experiments to birth an Antichrist.
Is It Any Good?
This horror prequel doesn't waste too much time trying to explain its relationship to the 1976 original, instead concentrating on solid scares and surprising smarts. Director Arkasha Stevenson (making her feature debut) focuses The First Omen on women's rights to control their own bodies, and the movie's villain is a force that's trying to rule the world through fear rather than compassion—the story may be set in the early '70s, but it's very relevant today. Stevenson handily avoids dumb jump scares and other clichés. An early fright in which an intruder seems to appear in Margaret's room is elegantly and organically done, without the cheap, percussive sound effects designed to trigger a jump.
The horror here seems to come from a human place, a place of hurt and uncertainty. It doesn't much matter that certain supernatural elements are glossed over in order to get to the point; we just accept them. Of course, The First Omen is obligated, in its final wrap-up, to tie directly into the events that begin The Omen (including a photo of Gregory Peck in a file folder), but it mainly feels like its own movie, disconnected from—and rising above—the rest of the series.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about The First Omen's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Is the movie scary? Why do people enjoy horror movies? Why is it sometimes fun to be scared?
What's the difference between ruling through fear and ruling through compassion?
How does this movie compare to the others in the Omen series? What's compelling about the idea of an Antichrist?
Movie Details
- In theaters : April 5, 2024
- On DVD or streaming : May 28, 2024
- Cast : Nell Tiger Free , Maria Caballero , Nicole Sorace
- Director : Arkasha Stevenson
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : 20th Century Studios
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Fantasy
- Run time : 120 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : violent content, grisly/disturbing images, and brief graphic nudity
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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