The horror movie world is littered with prequels. Occasionally, some are great (Orphan First Kill, Annabelle Creation), most are pretty terrible (we don’t have to list those here), and at least a few are surprisingly interesting (Leatherface, Alien: Covenant, Dominion: A Prequel to The Exorcist). Now The Omen is adding a new prequel of its own to the list, called The First Omen, and the initial teaser seems to start things off on the right track.
The teaser, which was released on Wednesday, plays everything in reverse to make sure the Satanic panic vibes are rolling nice and strong. We see a convent, and a woman who seems to be a nun having a child — presumably Damien himself — along with a few flashes of demonic images that tease a pretty fun horror movie.
While the teaser itself is light on plot details, its YouTube description is a little more revealing:
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.
Returns to horror franchises haven’t had a great track record lately, between Netflix’s stab at a Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie and last year’s awful Exorcist entry. But it’s never a bad time for the on-screen return of the Antichrist, and The First Omen already seems to be taking a more fun and unique tone than either of those dour and self-serious films.
The First Omen stars Nell Tiger Free (Game of Thrones), Bill Nighy (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest), and Ralph Ineson (The Witch). The film is directed by Arkasha Stevenson (Legion). The movie is set to be released in theaters on April 5.