The First Omen Embraces the ’70s With Retro Trailer

The world of movies as a whole and specifically the horror genre has changed a lot since the original The Omen landed in theaters in 1976, and with the upcoming The First Omen setting the stage for that story, an all-new promo for the upcoming prequel embraces the spirit of trailers from that era to honor the genre. From the aspect ratio to the film quality to the pacing of the promo, there are multiple elements in the video that pay respect to that era, with the most faithful nod being the style of voiceover that was an ominous staple of horror films from the time. You can check out the promo below before The First Omen hits theaters on April 5th.

In The First Omen, 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. The First Omen stars Nell Tiger Free (Servant), Tawfeek Barhom (Mary Magdalene), Sonia Braga (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Ralph Ineson (The Northman), with Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), and Bill Nighy (Living).

The film is directed by Arkasha Stevenson based on characters created by David Seltzer (The Omen), with a story by Ben Jacoby (Bleed) and a screenplay by Tim Smith & Arkasha Stevenson and Keith Thomas (Firestarter). The producers are David S. Goyer (Hellraiser) and Keith Levine (The Night House) and the executive producers are Tim Smith, Whitney Brown (Rosaline), and Gracie Wheelan.  

Just a few years before The Omen hit theaters, The Exorcist was released and quickly earned an impressive reputation for being one of the most frightening movies of all time, a reputation that still holds true. Both films were successes for the ways in which they presented their supernatural subject matter, and both films earned a number of follow-ups and reimaginings over the decades. In 2004, fans were delivered Exorcist: The Beginning, which served as a prequel to the 1973 film, while 2005 saw a reimagined version of that film released as Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist.

Star Free previously acknowledged how prequels to beloved franchises aren’t typically well-regarded outings.

“Let’s call a spade a spade here: the bar for these kinds of prequels and sequels and remakes, especially with these iconic horror franchises, is not particularly high,” Free confirmed to SFX Magazine. “I think expectations might be low. It will be satisfying to show what we’ve made because I don’t think that it’s what people are going to be expecting, whatsoever.”  

The First Omen lands in theaters on April 5th.

What do you think of the new promo? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!