The First Omen is now playing in theaters, and there seems to be a lot of chatter surrounding the prequel. Critics can’t stop talking about the gruesome birthing scene, and people are praising the work of Game Of Thrones alum Nell Tiger Free and writer/director Arkasha Stevenson. Oddly enough, there’s another film in theaters that’s being called “wild as hell,” which also features a nun who becomes pregnant under mysterious circumstances. I’m of course talking about Sydney Sweeney’s graphic new horror flick Immaculate. What are the chances of this? Is it simply a coincidence? I had to get to the bottom of it.
While speaking with Nell Tiger Free and Arkasha Stevenson about their upcoming entry into the Omen franchise, they gave me their take on why these films just so happened to come about at the same time, and it honestly makes a lot of sense. Nell Tiger Free said this:
There's movies that seem to come out at the same time with similar themes. And you know what? I've not seen the film (Immaculate) yet, but I will see it because I want to see it. I think it's fantastic to see another story that's, you know, led by a female lead. And I'm sure that they're different, but, you know, these themes are really interesting ones to play with and explore. So I'm not surprised that people are wanting to explore these things. Maybe people can do a double feature.
A double-feature, a la Barbenheimer? That sounds lovely. It’s good to see that Nell Tiger Free isn’t feeling too competitive, and seems to be charmed by the idea that the films came about simultaneously. The First Omen’s director, Arkasha Stevenson, may not have been so supportive that she’d spend interview time convincing the audience to check out Immaculate, but she did have an interesting take on cultural issues that she feels people can’t help but discuss:
I mean, clearly people want to talk about something. I think it people want to talk about the female body. They want to talk about maybe the repression of the female body. And people want to talk about birth, and they want to do it so badly that they made two nun movies.
The similarities between the two films don’t just stop at pregnant nuns. They’re both horror flicks with a mystery to unravel, and they’re both stirring up a lot of fuss regarding the brutal and horrific imagery. Immaculate has really leaned into it, using pastor’s reactions for marketing purposes, and our own Eric Eisenberg references in his The First Omen review that the images “will stay with movie-goers forever.” Needless to say that these movies have a shocking amount in common, but they both have an individualistic tone and identity that sets them apart from one another.
It’s easy to see from the early reactions to The First Omen that this one is worth the price of admission, and in classic horror fashion, it needs to be seen with an audience to experience the collective shock and awe. Immaculate is over a week into its theatrical run, so why not take Nell Tiger Free’s advice and make it a double-feature?
There’s plenty more exciting new films coming our way on the 2024 movie release schedule, so stay tuned with CinemaBlend as we keep you updated on everything you need to know!
