Mike Flanagan praises gripping” new prequel to cult classic horror movie and says it "knocked him out cold"

Horror master Mike Flanagan has high praise for The First Omen, the sixth installment in the cult classic franchise.

"I absolutely loved THE FIRST OMEN. Gripping, vicious, and downright scary," Flanagan tweeted. "Nell Tiger Free is exceptional, but Arkasha Stevenson's direction knocked me out cold. Expect great, great things from her."

The filmmaker linked his Letterboxd review, part of which reads: "Arkasha Stevenson roars onto the scene with this absolute knockout debut feature that is wicked, vicious, elegant, beautifully directed, and downright SCARY [...] As the credits began to roll, I found myself actively hoping for another installment."

The First Omen, a prequel to the original 1976 film, follows an American woman named Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) who is sent to work at a church in Rome where she uncovers a conspiracy to bring about the birth of the Antichrist. The cast includes Ralph Ineson, Sonia Braga, Tawfeek Barhom, Charles Dance, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Eva Ras, and Bill Nighy.

A prequel to Richard Donner's Omen was first announced back in 2016 with Antonio Campos, creator of Netflix's true crime series The Staircase, attached to direct. In 2022, it was announced that Stevenson would take over in her feature directorial debut. Stevenson, who helmed season 3 of Syfy's creepypasta anthology Channel Zero, directs from a script penned by herself, Tim Smith (Brand New Cherry Flavor), and Keith Thomas (Firestarter).

The First Omen is in theaters now. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2024 and beyond, or, skip right to the good stuff with our list of movie release dates.