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The First Omen trailer has landed - and jumps are guaranteed

It's a glimpse that might just reveal the Antichrist's origins

04 January 2024

The trailer for The First Omen has officially landed - and let's just say it's guaranteed to provide jumps at no extra cost.

Damien has long been hailed as the ultimate character where timeless thrillers are concerned, establishing himself as one of the most iconic characters in cinema history.

After all, we're still talking about him 50 years on from The Omen's original release.

Now, though, we're poised to unearth his decidedly dark past, with this first-look trailer revealing more than a handful of easter eggs.

Soundtracked by low chanting and a handful of dead nuns for good measure - guys, it's The Omen for crying out loud - this first trailer is all that we'd hoped it would be.

According to the trailer's synopsis: “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.”

Acting as a prequel to the original 1976 release, the new (much-hyped) 20th Century Studios thriller marks the franchise's dramatic return - but will it be another unnecessary addition latching onto the success of a pre-existing release?

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Possibly. But from the looks of things, The First Omen is set to clear up much of Damien's backstory, revealing the events that led to his earthly arrival.

It's certainly distancing itself from the lacklustre 2006 remake, but will demonic possessions and a smattering of religion be enough to tempt audiences back to the cinema?

"To control those who don't believe, creates something to fear," reads the trailer's ominous captions.

Flashing into view between cut-aways of nuns, priests and frighteningly innocent children playing ring-a-ring-a-roses, there's no doubt this film is setting itself up to be the ultimate in twisted

Created by Arkasha Stevenson (who co-wrote the project alongside Tim Smith), the writer's feature debut is an ambitious one, despite notable credentials which list FX’s Legion and Netflix’s Brand New Cherry Flavor among recent credits.

We can't wait to give ourselves the ultimate scare and discover whether this new incarnation is any match for Richard Donner’s original film.

The Final Omen is due to land in cinemas on April 5.