There’s more than one terror afoot in The First Omen and nobody should be surprised that something new is added to continue this franchise. Back when it all started, writer David Seltzer and director Richard Donner may have had only two ideas in mind: Satanism was on the rise and cults existed at places few communities least expected. This film arrived before the book Michelle Remembers was published. These days, new revelations debunk this publication, but in what this latest offers, what’s getting mapped into the canon gets sinister.
When I first saw the movie that started it all, that parting image of Damien delivering a fourth wall breaking smile was spine-tingling. Anyone who knows that film well understands the spirit locked within has a plan. And when he becomes an adult, that vessel can do nasty things. I was a fan of Patrick Troughton (Doctor Who) and the character he played knew a lot about what’s going on. Unfortunately, time on screen to prevent the unholy from gaining a foothold got cut short.
