Set in 1971 and a prequel to the cult hit The Omen, The First Omen follows the story of a young American woman sent to Rome in order to start her services to the Church, who begins experiencing strange occurences which would eventually make her question her own faith while being exposed to a startling conspiracy. The story here may not be very novel given that you do have the regular ingredients for a horror film – a church being a home to quite a few nuns and some strange occurences along the way sprinkled with body horror. Yet, it is the presentation that actually holds your attention throughout with the right extracts of horror that is disturbing and unsettling in many ways. The screenplay standing at a shade under 2 hours doesn’t only focus on the horror which ranges from the conventional jump scares to  atmospheric and eventually body horror. In fact, there is a genuine attempt of world building by including the political climate of Rome with regard to the church that makes for a solid narrative. 

The drama opens with a confession at a church that briefly acquaints the viewers of the things to come. This is followed by a strange occurences wherein the writers alert the viewers that this horror film may not be for the faint-hearted given the amount of gore and graphics that were prevalent in that scene. Soon, you are introduced to the protagonist, a young American woman with a strong faith who visits Rome in order to offer her services to the church. Here, I liked how the writers introduced traces of the political unrest on the streets of Rome very early on in the film, that adds a new dimension to the drama. Even with the strange occurences faced by the protagonist in the view of another character, there is considerable amount of mystery that is built up with occasional jumpscares that are well integrated in the drama. 

The proceedings are engaging and interesting even as you witness the protagonist shed her idea of a religious service while slipping out for a party one night. These stray incidents might seem odd but all of them hold a level of significance in the larger scheme of things. This, as the stakes in the drama are accentuated with few startling occurences with some good use of body horror that is unsettling in many ways. The religious angle in the drama is cleverly integrated with a hint of psychedelic events that always keeps the mystery alive at any point in the screenplay. 

If you will observe the drama closely, you would be well aware of where this drama is headed. Yet, the turn of events and the presentation with the right amount of horror holds up the mystery quite well while keeping you invested throughout. As a result, the ‘startling’ revelation doesn’t really surprise you but there is a feeling of satisfaction with the proceedings. My one little gripe with the drama was that the final act although well shot could have been fleshed out a little more. I did feel it was slightly contrived and a tad too simplistic whereas they could actually have blurred the lines of right and wrong through the sequence of events. A little spin-off at the end does connect its events to the OG horror film The Omen which was definitely the better film, but taking nothing away from the drama which does get most things right in the horror space.