The First Omen

Anyone familiar with previous installments in the 48-year-old horror franchise can guess that The First Omen ends with the birth of demon spawn Damien.

Therefore, the primary mystery concerns the identity of the mother in this slick prequel to the 1976 original, which features some scattered frights and haunting imagery. However, it also relies on jump scares, obvious symbolism, and Catholic horror tropes rather than maintaining consistent suspense.

The story follows roughly the same chronology from the first film. It’s set in early 1970s Rome, against a backdrop of shifting church demographics, cultural rebellion and upheaval, and a dwindling trust in traditional faith figures.

Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) is a novitiate assigned to an orphanage, where she becomes especially drawn to troubled teenager (Nicole Sorace) who always seems timid and withdrawn.

As she witnesses some disturbances, church leaders remain nonplussed. “The miracle of life can be a messy business,” explains the cardinal (Bill Nighy) who oversees the parish alongside a stern nun (Sonia Braga).

Margaret is prompted to snoop around further, uncertain who she can trust. With help from the ostracized Father Brennan (Ralph Ineson) and a younger priest (Tawfeek Barhom), who’s unafraid to ruffle feathers.

They eventually suspect a massive coverup involving the incubation of a potential antichrist embryo. Meanwhile, Margaret experiences a spiritual crisis complete with hallucinations, blasphemous outbursts, and other red herrings.

As a fellow outsider, Margaret is our window into this creepy world of dark secrets and random violence, except she’s too naïve and idealistic to initially recognize the red flags. However, Free (Settlers) later generates sympathy through her character’s resilience and resourcefulness in the face of institutional corruption.

Rookie director Arkasha Stevenson confidently crafts an ominous atmosphere through creative use of light, shadows, camera angles, and other visual gimmicks. She also throws in some fun references for Omen aficionados.

The climax is effectively chilling — and very bloody — as it explores more of a body horror angle, although it’s not worth enduring the convoluted buildup in a labored screenplay the calls for more than divine intervention.

A stylish compilation of genre cliches, The First Omen is an unnecessary new chapter in a mythology that didn’t require resurrection.

Rated R, 119 minutes.