Surely a prequel to a nearly 50 year old horror classic has no business being this good right? I had little to no interest in seeing this when I heard it was being made, but after reading some positive early reviews claiming it to have the look and feel of a traditional 60’s/70’s period Euro Horror film, I just had to check it out.
Another reason why I felt compelled to watch a horror ip prequel was that it’s directed by Arkasha Stevenson. Who’s work on the underrated show Brand New Cherry Flavor I really dug, so much so that I’ve watched it twice. She has a very distinct and unusual visual style which she uses to great effect here. Most notably with costume/set design and especially the artistic lighting and camera work from cinematographer Aaron Morton. Her framing is also something that really stood out throughout, and at times certain shots almost felt like paintings.
Horror period pieces can often be a tough sell, especially when based in a country whose films had such a distinctive look during that period, but the production design and aforementioned set/costume design are spot on. Amazing attention to detail. There’s a 35mm version getting around that would also help its cause, but even seeing it in digital gave heavy film vibes. The casting is also smart. With all of the actors looking like they actually belong in this period (well, maybe with the exception of Nighy).
Story wise, it’s a nice tie in to the original whilst also adding it’s own spice to the lore of the series. I’m not religious in the slightest, but I’ve always found convent settings to be extremely unnerving. Pretty much anything to do with the Catholic church and secret sects as well. And this is where the narrative takes us. The writers delve into the whole “two sides of the church” angle and the reasoning as to why they want to bring the antichrist into the world. I enjoyed where they went, even though I feel like some people (you know who) may not.
There's some legit scares and gore gags as well. I say gags, but there’s a couple of kills and some imagery that's pretty damn confronting. One kill in particular that had me wincing and half covering my eyes. And like the visual flare shown in other areas of the film, the kill scenes are no different. While being quite intense, they still manage to have an artistic quality to them (think Argento/Bava etc).
The cast is also a strong sell. It features several prominent character actors with the likes of the awesome Charles Dance, Bill Nighy and even Sonia Braga (great to see her again). Ralph Ineson probably gets the largest role out of the supports and is as solid as always, but it was the lead actress who is getting all the praise (sorry) and rightfully so. Nell Tiger Free (what a name!) was a complete unknown for myself and she really impressed the hell out of me. This role would’ve been challenging (the birth!) to say the least, but she nails it. Her character Margaret is meant to be somewhat naive and a bit vulnerable, but that doesn’t stop her from being fierce when needed. She really runs the gauntlet of emotions throughout and does a fantastic job.
I know the film will probably be in cinemas for another week or two at best, but this is well worth checking out for fans of 60’s and 70’s Euro horror, artistically shot horror, Nunsploitation and of course The Omen franchise.
FOUR out of FIVE stars.
Comments