The First Omen: An Eerie, Gruesome Delight That Outshines Its Peers

The First Omen takes familiar horror concepts and polishes them to a chilling brilliance. From the first frame, it's clear director Arkasha Stevenson understands how to build dread. This movie is dripping with atmosphere: every dark hallway, every creaking floorboard, and every whisper of the eerie score adds layers to the tension.

While some might roll their eyes at the plot — a secret society scheming to birth the Antichrist to lure people back to the Church — the film commits fully to its bizarre premise. Because of that commitment and Stevenson’s smart directorial choices, the movie manages to feel both creepy and meaningful. There are moments of genuine terror here, not just cheap jump scares, but sequences that burrow into your mind and stay there.

The cast is a huge reason why it all works. Nell Tiger Free gives a strong performance as Margaret, managing to be both sympathetic and increasingly unhinged as her world crumbles around her. Every performance feels dialed into the movie's tone — serious but not self-serious — and it helps the film sell even its more outlandish moments.

Compared to films like Immaculate, which felt less focused and impactful, The First Omen feels like a return to form for atmospheric, intelligent horror. It's not perfect — some exposition-heavy scenes slow things down — but overall, it's a gripping, unsettling ride that should satisfy horror fans looking for something with both teeth and brains.