The First Omen trailer gives a glimpse at horror classic's prequel 

Set to release on April 5, The First Omen may already be one of the most promising horror films of 2024, at least amongst the ones that have been announced. The most interesting thing about the film is that it serves as a prequel to Richard Donner's acclaimed 1976 film, The Omen, walking on the offbeat franchise path that has recently taken over Hollywood.

Led by Game of Thrones star Nell Tiger Free, The First Omen has been written and directed by Arkasha Stevenson. After some teasing in the past month, the film has finally dropped a full-length trailer today, giving a glimpse at the remade world of Richard Donner's 1976 classic. The eerie trailer is also enough to send chills down any viewer's spine.

The First Omen also stars Bill Nighy, Tawfeek Barhom, Sônia Braga, and Ralph Ineson, among others.

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The First Omen trailer: Going backwards with chills

The First Omen's trailer is an immaculately made piece of work that features extremely cryptic images and scenes that are reversed, giving an unstable and unsettling feel to the film. Moreover, the trailer also boasts a great sound design that evokes an air of discomfort.

The extreme close-ups, especially the one at the end of the trailer, set the mood for the eerie film, which will focus on everything that happened before the classic movie starring Gregory Peck.

The synopsis for the film reads:

"A young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, but encounters a darkness that causes her to question her faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate."

As indicated in the trailer, the film will deal heavily with faith as well, bringing in anecdotes from the original film.

This original film followed an American diplomat who secretly replaced his child after it died during childbirth, resulting in dire consequences. In the original film, the father is convinced that the child is the antichrist, akin to the plot of Rosemary's Baby.

Arkasha Stevenson previously explained her style of work, which will possibly be seen in The First Omen as well, saying:

"I’m really interested in social realism—that’s very much from my background as a journalist—but then, melding that with surrealism. That’s exactly what I think David Lynch does; I think he’s a social realist on some level."

This film's trailer did seem to indicate the touch of surrealism one would expect from the works of David Lynch.

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Who stars in The First Omen?

So far, only a few big names involved in the project have been announced. This includes Nell Tiger Free as Margaret, the protagonist of the film, Sônia Braga as Silvia, Ralph Ineson as Father Brennan, Bill Nighy as Lawrence, and Tawfeek Barhom in an undisclosed role.

More cast members will surely be revealed as the film approaches its premiere.

The First Omen will premiere in theatres on April 5, 2024.