While I can’t say for sure if Arkasha Stevenson made a deal with the devil to somehow make prequel The First Omen work against all the odds, I can certainly attest to her apocalyptic world-building.

| Jan 2, 2025

The First Omen is a serpentine dance with evil and the demonology of power. Complex and filled with fright, it confronts the horror of trusting in those who claim to love you. It succeeds in giving The Omen franchise a new reason to exist.

| Jan 1, 2025

'The First Omen' has a lot of cool imagery and circles a message we should all be on board with. However, it buckles under the weight of the films it references, including the original 'Omen'. When it does get out of its own way, it's a fine time.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 30, 2024

Overall, though, it's way more chilling than it has any right to be, reminding us that originality can find unlikely ways to thrive even in a landscape of remakes, sequels and prequels.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 30, 2024

I was stunned by how well The First Omen is constructed...

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Oct 21, 2024

[Arkasha Stevenson] can build atmosphere, that's for sure, but I'm still not convinced there's much substance to her filmmaking beyond her impeccable style

| Oct 11, 2024

As a prequel to The Omen trilogy, there's no question (what) we're talking about... The cast ensemble elevates what could have been standard fare into a compelling story in spite of a foregone conclusion... fans of the franchise shouldn't mind it.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 6, 2024

In terms of recent horror franchise revivals, it’s not just one of the best in recent years, but in certain aspects it walks hand-in-hand with the widely-adored original film.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 5, 2024

Evidently no one in the production camp was too worried about Roman Polanski raising a stink over resemblances to Rosemary's Baby. Wonder why that is.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 27, 2024

The best-looking studio horror movie since The Empty Man is a coming-out party for its director, Arkasha Stevenson, who's got an eye for images that you don't so much see as feel at a gut level...

| Jul 23, 2024

The resultant work doesn’t require foreknowledge to understand and manages to create its own horrific atmosphere to tell an evocative tale that still works within the known mythology.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 21, 2024

The franchise lives on. Ho-hum.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jul 21, 2024

"Super epic, 'burned into your brain' kind of moments for fear and gore in here… Classic like its daddy."

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 9, 2024

The First Omen is an assured piece of work that makes its mark by taking its concept seriously. [Arkasha] Stevenson weaves a wicked tale that’s as scary as it is critical of organized religion.

| Jul 9, 2024

Nell Tiger Free is spellbinding as novitiate fighting evil in Arkasha Stevenson's impressive prequel "The First Omen"

| Original Score: B+ | Jul 5, 2024

What makes The First Omen intriguing is its solid story that doesn’t rely heavily on jumpscares to stress you out.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 3, 2024

[The film] deals in duality. The twists and turns are hardly shocking, but the film doesn't ever pretend they should be. They're less for our benefit than that of the characters.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jun 21, 2024

An unchained cinematic beast that captures the spirit of the original horror classic, while leaving its own mark. [Full Review in Spanish]

| Jun 15, 2024

A genuine surprise. This is how a prequel should be (aside from the final minutes). Nell Tiger Free is fully committed here and this should cement her status as one of the most intriguing actors in horror working today.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 10, 2024

A spooky air of gloom and dread hangs over the film, and Stevenson isn't afraid to explore the darkness at the heart of the concept

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 4, 2024