"Hiding won't absolve your sins."
Following the moribund 2006 remake, this prequel to the 1976 horror classic takes us back to Rome five years before the events of the original film, where kindly young American novice Margaret is posted to an orphanage to start her career in service to the church, unwittingly playing her part in a long-planned conspiracy that leads to the birth of the son of the Antichrist. The film is atmospheric and well-plotted, its retro stylings and sounds adding to the film's place in the timeline well. Well-played moments foreshadow some of the events in the 1976 film nicely, and the film's slow-burn approach moves effectively from glimpses and suggestions of unpleasantness into more overt terror as the film progresses. With a strong and compelling performance by Nell Tiger Free in the central role, The First Omen is a surprisingly effective horror/thriller and it is a welcome addition to the presumed-dead franchise.
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