Summary
The First Omenhas utilized a casting trick that helped a nine-year-old horror movie excel. A prequel to the 1976 classicThe Omen, the movie was directed by Arkasha Stevenson and features a cast that includesServant’s Nell Tiger Free,Kiss of the Spider Woman’s Sônia Braga, andPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' Bill Nighy. The movie took in $53.7 million at the global box office, becoming the third highest-grossing horror movie of the year so far behindExhuma($97 million) andNight Swim($54 million).
This may not have been enough fortheFirst Omenreleaseto break even theatrically, given its $30 million budget. However, it was well-received on Rotten Tomatoes by both critics (who gave it a Certified Fresh 81% score) and audiences (who gave it 70%). This positive reception may be in part because of the way that the movie both deploys and subverts horror tropes, including the fact that it utilizes a major casting trick involvingone member of its ensemble of character actors.
When Is The First Omen Set? (How Long Before The Omen 1976 Does It Take Place)
The First Omen serves as a prequel to the popular 1976 supernatural horror movie The Omen – so, in what year does the upcoming film take place?
The First Omen Repeats The Witch’s Ralph Ineson Casting
Ineson Played Similar Characters In Both Horror Movies
One explanation for the overwhelmingly positiveThe First Omenreviewscould bethe fact that the cast includesThe Witchstar Ralph Ineson. Ineson is a consummate character actor who has appeared in quite a few prominent titles including the original UKThe Office,Game of Thrones, and the laterHarry Pottermovies. One of his best-known roles is William from 2015’sThe Witch, a religious zealot who rules his family (which includes a young Anya Taylor-Joy) with an iron fist.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince(2009)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1(2010)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2(2011)
The Northman(2022)
Captain Volodymyr
InThe First Omen,Ineson is asked to play a similar role. His character, Father Brennan, is a zealot of a different stripe who is one of the only people in the Church to believe that there is a conspiracy going on to support the birth of the Antichrist. The actor’s intensity and iconic gravelly voice make his iteration of Father Brennan (a character who appeared in the originalOmenas played by Patrick Troughton) a compelling but potentially dangerous figure.
Is Ralph Ineson Scarier In The Witch Or The First Omen?
One Movie Utilizies Ineson’s Gravity For Better Results
Ultimately, Ineson’s character inThe First Omenisless scary than his character inThe Witch. William is a genuinely threatening presence whose desire to control the behavior of his family leads his daughter to embrace becoming a witch in a believable break from the strict adherence to tradition that he enforces. On the other hand, Father Brennan ultimately proves to be a hero in the newer movie, though Ineson’s previous horror role informs the way that Free’s character Margaret is initially unsure about whether she should trust him.
The First Omen
The First Omen is a horror film from director Arkasha Stevenson that acts as a prequel to the 1976 film The Omen. The film follows a young woman who goes to Rome to become a nun but begins to question her faith after encountering a terrifying darkness that aims to spawn an evil incarnate.
