The First Omen, on DVD

Recently, nuns have been like the red-shirted disposable crew-members of horror movies, especially in Immaculate, which wasn’t otherwise special in any way. A new novitiate is duly in for very similar treatment in this film. In fact, it could almost be considered a remake, even though it only opened in theaters a few weeks later, but [badly] retconned into the Omen franchise. One thing is for certain, someone must be getting pregnant eventually in Arkasha Stevenson’s prequel, The First Omen, which releases today on DVD and BluRay.

Ironically, the prologue serves up the film’s scariest scene, featuring a slightly younger Father Brennan (played by Patrick Troughton, the second Doctor [Who] in the original film). Alas, it is mostly downhill from there. Eerily like Sydney Sweeney in Immaculate, naïve prospective “Sister” Margaret has been lured to an ominous Italian convent-orphanage by Cardinal Lawrence, her old trusted priest, who now is part of a shadowy cabal within the Church.

Again, she befriends a comparatively free-spirited fellow novitiate, Luz, in whom Margaret confides her concerns, including the apparent abuse of Carlita, an orphan who suffers from disturbing visions. Sound familiar yet? However, First Omen has Father Brennan to warn Margaret there are sinister things afoot at the convent, if she hadn’t noticed yet.

By far, the best thing going for First Omen is the perfectly cast Ralph Ineson as Father Brennan. He definitely has the right sort of grizzled Peter Cushing-esque intensity for Antichrist-busting priest.

However, the film waters down Fr. Brennan’s backstory, ditching his past sexual transgressions, which allowed the Satanic faction temporarily corrupt him. Stevenson and co-screenwriters Tim Smith and Keith Thomas go further, somewhat de-Satanizing the secret Devil-worshiping cabal, turning them into bizarre uber-Catholic fanatics seeking to hasten the Antichrist’s arrival to “scare” people back to the Church. Right, what could go wrong with that plan?

The Omen (1995 Pilot)

The Omen franchise had a lot of success on the big screen, but its TV history is spottier. The made-for-TV Omen IV: The Awakening does not have many champions, whereas the A&E-produced Damien was not bad, but short-lived. A lot of fans missed the first attempt at an Omen series, because the pilot was not picked up for a full series. (It is also dismissed as non-canonical and related in name only.) Yet, because it was produced in the 1990s, NBC aired it anyway, because the networks took their viewers for granted back then. Nevertheless, it was indeed broadcasted, so it technically counts as a “vintage episode.” With The First Omen releasing this week, it is a fine time to look back at the 1995 pilot for The Omen, if you don’t mind searching for a grainy internet version.

Dr. Linus is about to find his missing colleague, strung-up dead, in a ritualistic manner. Tragically, it was most likely of his friend’s own doing, to prevent an evil parasite from devouring another victim. Of course, Linus inadvertently releases it back into the world.

Being a man of science, he is not sure what to make of what he saw, even when he is visited by Aaron Rainier, a self-described “hunter,” who dedicated his life to fighting the all-consuming entity. However, photojournalist Jack Mann has become a believer, after watching the viral-like demon possess and destroy his pregnant wife. He will follow its trail to a Boston hospital, where Dr. Linus has been called in to consult on an inexplicable contamination afflicting Annalisse Summer, a nurse who contracted it from late sister.

In a way, the viral hot-zone-like aspect of the 1995 pilot is a lot like the Star War prequels demystifying the Force with scientistic Midi-chlorians, except it is much more interesting. Although there is more science to explain the ancient entity’s powers, it still directly addresses issues of good and evil.

According to Rainier, most people burn themselves out trying to fight the evil virus, or whatever, which rather implies most people are inherently good. However, when it lands in an evil host, they develop a symbiotic relationship, in which the human accepts its presence, in return for power. At the end of the pilot, we learn the unseen force is heading west, as if it is searching for something. Could that have been a nasty little boy named Damien Thorn?

Unfortunately, we will never know, but the pilot holds up okay as a stand-alone. The pacing is quite snappy, which makes sense, since it was directed by Jack Sholder, who also helmed Nightmare on Elm Street 2 and The Hidden (which also features an unearthly entity hopping from person to person). There are a lot of big genre names involved, starting with Richard Donner, the director of the original film, who was on-board as an executive producer according to IMDb (but his name was not included in the broadcast credits).

Damien: His Father’s Son

In the original Omen films, Damien Thorn was truly his father’s son. In the Marvel universe, Daimon Hellstrom, a.k.a. The Son of Satan, was also the spawn of the evil one, but he rejected his infernal legacy. This time around, the potential antichrist appears to be somewhere in between. Regardless, the end times might just be coming judging from the promising first episode of Damien (promo here), A&E’s new series adaptation of the Omen franchise, which premieres this Monday.

It is hard to believe parents still name their boys Damien (or Daimon or the especially evil Damon), but apparently they do. It has be thirty-some years since the original trilogy (the subsequent made-for-TV sequel, failed mid-1990s Fox pilot, and 2006 remake do not count). Traumatized by the events of his childhood (which technically took place in the late 1970s), Thorn is now a present day war photographer who has repressed most of his early memories. He has a history of behavioral issues, but presumably he is no longer the hellion he once was. In fact, he rather earnest and responsible. Thorn even broke up with his former colleague, Kelly Baptiste, to protect her from the evil vibes that follow him around.

While on assignment in Syria, Thorn encountered an intense, chador-wearing woman who seemed to know way more about him than she should. Having been expelled by the Assad regime, Thorn seeks out help from his contacts at a Council on Foreign Relations type group to renew his visa. There he encounters Ann Rutledge, who positions herself as Damien’s equivalent of the X-Files’ cigarette-smoking man. Apparently, she has been watching Thorn for some time—and she’s not the only one.

Frankly, it is cool to see Damien reference the original films with stills of Gregory Peck portraying Robert Thorn doubling as Damien Thorn’s family photos. The pilot gives us reason to suspect Thorn will try deny his antichrist destiny to some extent. Of course, if we are to assume the series is an updated account of the events between Omens II and III, than he must inevitably turn into Sam Neill. However, it could be entertaining to watch showrunner Glen Mazzara wrestle with those constraints.

It is worth noting two intriguing characters will not survive to see the second episode, so clearly Mazzara isn’t pulling punches. Those Walking Dead habits die hard. He also shrewdly incorporates recognizable imagery from the original films, including the iconic black hellhound (or in this case hellhounds). So far, the contemporizing elements also feel quite fitting, such as the sinister business in war and oppression-stricken Syria.

It is hard to really judge from only one episode, but in the title role, Bradley James seems suitably confused while hinting at Thorn’s profound dark side. The premiere episode shows a lot of potential, but even if the rest of the season craters, horror fans should still enjoy the opener’s hat tips to the classic source film. Worth starting (and hopefully worth finishing, only time will tell), Damien debuts this Monday (3/7) on A&E.