The First Omen (2024): A Feminist Horror That Demands Bodily Autonomy
The First Omen (2024): A Feminist Horror That Demands Bodily Autonomy
“Not every miracle is divine—and not every institution deserves your trust.” — 4/5 Stars
In the post-Roe era, horror has become a vital space for reckoning with the erosion of bodily autonomy. The First Omen (2024) doesn’t just participate in that conversation—it weaponizes it. This is not a haunted house story. It’s a procedural thriller about institutional gaslighting, reproductive control, and the quiet violence of faith used as a tool of patriarchal power.
Set in 1971 Rome, the film follows Margaret Daino (Nell Tiger Free), a young American novitiate sent to the prestigious Mater Lachrymarum Convent to prove her devotion. But from the moment she arrives, something is wrong. The nuns are cold, the priests evasive, and the orphanage next door houses girls who vanish without explanation. When a series of “miracles” begin to unfold—blood on walls, levitating bodies, a child born with demonic markings—Margaret realizes she’s not witnessing divine intervention. She’s witnessing a cover-up.
Horror as Institutional Critique
What makes The First Omen so potent is its refusal to treat the Church as a backdrop. It’s the antagonist. The film meticulously traces how faith is weaponized to silence women, erase consent, and sanctify control. The convent isn’t a sanctuary—it’s a gilded prison. The priests aren’t shepherds—they’re gatekeepers of a system designed to extract, exploit, and erase.
And at the center of it all is Margaret—a woman who dares to ask questions. Her journey isn’t about exorcism. It’s about awakening. Every time she’s told to “trust in God,” she asks, “Whose God? And who benefits?” That’s the real horror: not the demon, but the machinery that creates it.
If you recently watched Immaculate, you’ll recognize the same thematic DNA—but here, it’s executed with confidence, clarity, and conviction. The First Omen is the film Immaculate wanted to be: a true feminist horror that refuses to flinch.
A Masterclass in Atmosphere and Restraint
Director Arkasha Stevenson (Black Mirror, Legion) delivers a film that’s visually sumptuous and tonally precise. The 1970s Rome setting is rendered in rich, shadow-drenched detail—every cobblestone, every candlelit corridor feels lived-in and ominous. The score, by Mark Korven (The Witch), thrums with dread without ever tipping into melodrama.
Nell Tiger Free gives a career-best performance—quiet, watchful, and fiercely intelligent. She doesn’t scream; she observes. And when she finally acts, it’s not out of fear, but fury. The supporting cast—including Tawfeek Barhom as a compassionate priest and Sonia Braga as a knowing nun—adds layers of moral ambiguity that elevate the film beyond simple good vs. evil.
Final Verdict: A chilling, politically urgent horror that uses the language of faith to expose its abuses. It may not reinvent the genre, but it reclaims it—for women, for truth, and for those who refuse to be silent. 4/5 stars.
Official trailer for The First Omen (2024)
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