Movies

New Violent Prequel For 1976 Horror Classic Was This Close From Getting an NC-17 Rating

New Violent Prequel For 1976 Horror Classic Was This Close From Getting an NC-17 Rating
Image credit: 20th Century Studios

Despite some truly shocking scenes, critics are also impressed.

Summary:

  • Sydney Sweeney ’s Immaculate has become the most-discussed horror of the year so far, but yet another hit of the genre was recently released in cinemas — and, judging by the reviews, it’s way better.
  • The movie comes as a prequel for a 1976 critically acclaimed horror that revolves around the Antichrist’s history.
  • Despite its extremely violent scenes that almost got the NC-17 rating, the brand new film is already demonstrating impressive results with praises from both viewers and critics.

Sydney Sweeney may have captured everyone’s attention after her brand new horror movie Immaculate hit the cinemas back in March — and she even had the guts to make it premiere in a church with two pastors being the main audience.

Despite all the marketing tricks that made the film appear in everyone’s talks, another horror has been quietly released recently — and Sydney Sweeney’s movie doesn’t hold a candle to this one.

The First Omen got its theatrical release on April 5 and came as a prequel to 1976’s The Omen which back then got to be a commercial and critical success with 85% on Rotten Tomatoes.

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The original plot follows a couple of Robert and Katherine who adopt Damien after their own child was stillborn. After a bunch of sinister and mysterious events happen with Damien’s undeniable part in it Robert becomes suspicious of whether they had in fact adopted the Antichrist.

The prequel in its turn gets deeper into the events that preceded what was happening in the original movie and gets its focus on a woman who, while working at a church in Rome, discovers shocking conspiracy details about the Antichrist’s birth.

It took The First Omen only two weeks to repeat the success of its predecessor (or rather successor) by already breaking even in the box office with $36 million against $30 million of the initial budget and earning the critics’ approval confirmed by solid 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.

But putting all the critical acclaim aside, it’s the audience’s reaction that does speak volumes. Despite its relatively short run in theaters so far, The First Omen already got labeled as the horror movie of the year due to its intensely violent scenes that will definitely make some viewers forget about the desire to ever eat something.

Many of the latter ones bring the birth scene up in most of the cases — fair enough, given that the film luckily escaped an NC-17 rating (prohibited for those under 18) which it almost got because of full-frontal nudity included in that scene.

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Still with all its shocking and pretty much revealing scenes, The First Omen is already believed to not only be one of the best horrors that got to be released this year, but also one of the finest prequels which rarely work out that well.

You can still check The First Omen out (if you dare to) in the theaters.