Sightlines · reception

How The First Omen was received

2024 · Arkasha Stevenson · The First Omen on Sightlines

The arc

It was dismissed in advance as a pointless prequel cash-grab. Then it surprised critics with strong reviews, made only a modest box-office showing, and found a bigger audience on streaming, where people now call it one of the best legacy horror revivals of the 2020s.

What’s debated

Fans keep arguing over which of spring 2024's two Catholic pregnancy-horror films is better: this one or Sydney Sweeney's Immaculate, released just weeks earlier.

Its footprint

It's remembered as the year's 'better than it had any right to be' franchise surprise, and Nell Tiger Free's full-body convulsing breakdown circulates as a standout horror performance clip.

Where it stands

It's a horror-community favorite that keeps climbing as the prequel that earned its existence, and it's usually recommended alongside Immaculate as a nunsploitation double bill.

Did you know? Arkasha Stevenson said the MPA made her alter a shot in the birth sequence to avoid an NC-17 rating. She pointed out that this kind of imagery of the female body got flagged when far more violent horror didn't.

Named by the director

• The Omen (1976) — Stevenson built the prequel to lead straight into Richard Donner's original, recreating its imagery and 70s Rome-set dread.
• Possession (1981) — Stevenson pointed to Żuławski's film and Isabelle Adjani's unhinged performance as a touchstone for Margaret's physical hysteria.