The First Omen is a prequel to the 1976 horror classic The Omen. The movie follows Margaret Daino, an American woman sent to Rome, where she plans to begin her service to the church as a nun at an orphanage. However, strange occurrences lead Margaret to question her own faith as a sinister evil begins to insidiously invade her life. As she discovers more about a dark plot, it becomes clear that she is being used to bring evil incarnate into the world.
The First Omen is an impressive feature debut for Arkasha Stevenson, as she makes her voice known in the world of horror by reigniting this beloved franchise. The movie nearly earned an NC-17 rating due to the intense body horror, and, while it is R, they lean heavily into this subgenre of horror. Nell Tiger Free brings an impressively visceral performance as Margaret Daino leads an impressive cast in this new installment in The Omen universe.
Screen Rant interviewed The First Omen director Arkasha Stevenson. She explained how The First Omen ties into the original Omen movie and the surprising research she did into Nazi Germany. Stevenson also broke down why the movie was nearly given an NC-17 rating and praised Free’s incredible performance.
Screen Rant: I love The First Omen. I feel like you hit my expectations and surpassed them. I described it as deliciously visceral, and I find films involving religious aspects and horror the most terrifying. What inspired you to take on the challenge of creating a prequel to such a classic horror as The Omen?
Both as the co-writer and director of this film how do you approach blending your vision within the established lore of the original film?
The original Omen from 1976 is such an iconic horror film. What elements from the original film did you find essential that you wanted to retain in this version of The Omen? Because I feel like right off the bat, there’s this great homage.
I want to talk about casting ’cause in terms of casting, what were the qualities you were looking for to ensure that they fit into the Omen universe, especially the Margaret character played by Nell Tiger Free that might connect to the original story?
Speaking of backstory, could you share some insight into how you and the writing team approach the story development for the prequel? Were there any particular challenges in plotting the backstory of an already well-known narrative?
That’s incredible. I love that story. Now, the original film is known for its chilling and sometimes controversial scenes. Without giving too much away, what can we expect from any similarities or impactful scenes from The First Omen? And also, correct me if I’m wrong, that you had a fight for the R rating?
When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.
Check back for our interview with The First Omen producer Keith Levine.
