Cook review: ‘The First Omen’ is a good sign for horror fans

Two movies about American nuns finding secrets in their new convents have hit the big screen within weeks of each other.

Here’s how to tell the difference: This is NOT the one with Sydney Sweeney.

‘The First Omen’ (IMDb)

“The First Omen,” although it bears a resemblance to ‘Immaculate,” which does star Sweeney as a young nun – an American who has just taken her vows at a convent in Italy – is bound to be confused with the other film on neighboring screens.

This one takes us back to the era of the original 1976 horror classic “The Omen.”

Nell Tiger Free stars as Margaret, who is about to take her vows. She decides to take a last night out in a club before she is fully committed to convent life.

This convent also has an orphanage, where Margaret meets the somber abbess (Sonia Braga) and a troubled girl whom Margaret ends up befriending.

It doesn’t take long before all you-know-what breaks loose in a film that earns its “R” rating with wince-inducing violence and gore.

Bill Nighy, the only actor I know whose range runs the gamut from an aging rocker playing guitar in the buff (“Love, Actually”) to the creepy Cardinal you’ll see here, gives an especially shudder-worthy performance.

Director Arkasha Stevenson nails the feel and look of the 1970s, even in the background that seethes with political unrest. Her clever, disturbing nod to a familiar scene involving the words “All for you” is one of the most memorable in the film.

It wouldn’t be fair to reveal too much more about this prequel. But if you’re familiar with the original, you’ll see and appreciate some familiar sights in a lesser-but-worthy origins story.

3 stars

Rated: R for foul language, gore, violence and disturbing images.

Running time: Two hours.

In theaters.

Watch the trailer here.

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