Mike Flanagan Gives Glowing Review To Horror Prequel That Underperformed At The Box Office

Summary

• Mike Flanagan praises
  The First Omen
  as ”
  wicked, vicious, elegant, beautifully directed, and downright SCARY
  .”
• The film earned an 80% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest for the franchise since the original in 1976.
• Despite underperforming at the box office, positive reviews, like Flanagan’s, may boost the film’s success on VOD and streaming.

Mike Flanagan gives a glowing review to The First Omen after it underperformed at the box office. A direct prequel to The Omen from 1976 and the sixth overall film in the franchise, the horror film follows an American woman who is sent to work at a church in Rome and discovers a sinister conspiracy aimed at ushering in the birth of the Antichrist that causes her to question her faith. Directed by Arkasha Stevenson in her feature debut, The First Omen cast includes Nell Tiger Free, Tawfeek Barhom, Sônia Braga, Ralph Ineson, and Bill Nighy.

After the horror prequel underperformed at the box office earlier this month, Mike Flanagan recently wrote a glowing First Omen review on Letterboxd calling it “wicked, vicious, elegant, beautifully directed, and downright SCARY.” Read his full review below:

Shared on April 14, Flanagan’s full review of The First Omen reads, “Wow, this was absolutely excellent. Arkasha Stevenson roars onto the scene with this absolute knockout debut feature that is wicked, vicious, elegant, beautifully directed, and downright SCARY. Nell Tiger Free is exceptional. I don’t know of another time I’ve seen a franchise I thought was dead gasp so vibrantly back to life. As the credits began to roll, I found myself actively hoping for another installment. Expect great, great things from Arkasha Stevenson.”

Mike Flanagan’s Glowing First Omen Review Adds To The Praise

The Horror Film Received Positive Reviews From Critics

Like Flanagan, critics consider
The First Omen
to be a promising sign for the future of the franchise, which has been plagued by critically panned installments such as
Damien – Omen II
,
Omen III: The Final Conflict
,
Omen IV: The Awakening
, and
The Omen
remake from 2006.

Flanagan’s glowing review of The First Omen only adds to the cacophony of praise for the new horror prequel. The First Omen reviews have been positive, with critics praising the horror film for its frequently frightening moments, while also remaining faithful to a film series that is nearly 50 years old. Like Flanagan, critics consider The First Omen to be a promising sign for the future of the franchise, which has been plagued by critically panned installments such as Damien – Omen II, Omen III: The Final Conflict, Omen IV: The Awakening, and The Omen remake from 2006.

The First Omen‘s positive reviews have earned the film an 80% score on Rotten Tomatoes, coming close to the original classic from 1976, which has an 85% score. Amazingly, the prequel is the franchise’s first fresh Rotten Tomatoes score since Richard Donner’s original 1976 film. The franchise includes three sequels and one remake, all of which were unable to match the success or reception of the original film.

Despite positive reviews, The First Omen‘s box office has been disappointing. The horror film was released in theaters on April 5 alongside Monkey Man and opened to only $8.4 million and finished fourth at the box office that weekend. This disappointment only worsened in its second weekend as the movie fell to seventh place at the box office, overtaken by a surprise surge from Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. However, the rave reviews for The First Omen, especially from a horror aficionado, like Flanagan, should help the horror film as it arrives on VOD and streaming.

The First Omen
is still playing in some theaters.

Source: Mike Flanagan/Letterboxd