Well I think that was the Jackal. That whole demon was the Jackal. It was a retcon because in the original the Jackal supposedly birthed Damien, but in this one the Jackal impregnated Margaret. Brennon mentioned the Jackal in the first act, I'm pretty sure. They even showed the Jackal in the fire at the end. I definitely don't think it was a demon, I think that was full on the Jackal. I also have a theory that in The Omen (1976) when Brennon told Robert that Damien's mother was a Jackal was a way to protect Margaret and Carlita.

This movie actually has the same feel as the 1976 'Omen'.

Nell Tiger Free deserves an award.

So glad to hear you enjoyed The First Omen. The movie seems to be surprising folks with its quality. Most critics I've seen are very enthusiastic, with the couple that had a more reserved reaction grudgingly admitting it's at least not awful. Like you, I believe Jerry Goldsmith's score was a major part of the effectiveness of the first three movies, so I'm especially relieved to hear folks mentioning that the score is very good.

Note: This is the SIXTH entry, not the fifth. My bad. The remake doesn’t count it's the same movie.

Saw it today. Loved it.

I saw it at a matinee with barely anyone in the theater. It actually made it even more intense. This was a 1030 am showing and it actually stuck with me all day. Time to rewatch the first 3.

I had zero interest in this but based on the KZfaq reviews, especially yours, i am going to see it! Thanks for all your work man! Glad this movie turned out good.

The jackal thing can easily be worked around with saying the jackal was possesed and thus the demon............... The crap about a church creating an antichrist to make people scared and turn back to them is harder to wrap my head around. Like what happens when people come back and you can't defeated what you created?

i was thinking about they could do an Omen spin-off series about Buganhagen. He was an exorcist, it would show him when he young in the catholic church, moving from being a priest to becoming an exorcist…That would be interesting i think.

They should have gotten the Akasha Stevenson to direct the Exorcist trilogy I loved her style

I really liked it. The final act... Wow.

I believe the demon on the basement was a jackal demon, or jackle like demon. At least physically it looked like it, and they also mention the jackal in the movie

Just saw it last night and your review is bang on with my own thoughts! :) SO GOOD!!

I'm glad you're saying this is good because a) I have a huge crush on the lead and b) I think the Omen is a slept on feature. But I realized I hate the title when I saw a post on reddit that said 'What did you think of The First Omen'. This is a meme at this point for people who title movies. They're torturing me.

I got a First Omen Poster at Days of the Dead Horror Convention. Looking forward to seeing this

Great review man! Can't wait to see this one in theatres over the weekend (& the second part of this video of course lol)!!

I’m so glad I found your channel. I absolutely love how you talk about films. It feels like having a conversation with someone very well-read on film and who can teach me something without coming off any kind of way. You’re awesome.

This channel is the definition of underrate 😯😯

Heya, I've seen your channel multiple times (on TV) and your videos are really good! I've subscribed to your channel now 👍

This has got me so pumped to see it!

This movie was awesome some of the best cinematography I've seen in a while. Love your channel man, and I like the non-spoiler / spoiler sections 🎃

I'm genuinely pleasantly surprised! I'm afraid to be excited but I might actually go see this in the cinema. The og omen is only 2 years older than me. That this could be the best Omen in approx half a century is wild and also makes me feel old like Jaime Lee Curtis in Freaky Friday 😱😱 I digress. Yay!

another great review !! great job Pal

Enjoyed that, thanks. I agree that the "new reason" for the existence of Damien was a good and interesting one. Also I came to the same conclusion about the grave of Damien's mother actually being his father (we could be made to think we only assume that's Damien's mother in the grave). The only plot point I really struggle to come to terms with is Father Brennan's role in the prequel. We know from The Omen that he bears the 666 birthmark, and he is also very clear that he was present at the birth, and we are left in no doubt he was involved in bringing Damien in to the world. In The First Omen he seems to have no part in it, wasn't present at Damien's birth, and was actively against the whole idea. This is the part I'm struggling with.

You’re very good, man. Second video I’ve watched and I am a fan.

I was shocked at how much I loved this.

I looooved this film and really enjoyed this review - thank you!

I loved this movie I’ve been watching any and all content about it since then, also this video is really well done looking forward to future videos!

Just got my ticket. Super excited.

I saw the movie yesterday and it’s a MUST SEE for horror fans! I agree the first act is a little slow. But the cinematography is so beautiful that even the slow parts are a feast for the eyes. Towards the middle and end the movie is just non stop disturbing and I loved it

Yassss I love spoiler videos 🥳

I need to watch it now 😁😁

I am a big fan of the original; I need to see this now with your take. 👌

Excellent review of a fantastic movie! I was so surprised by the quality of this movie. To me it was like a hybrid of The Omen (original) and Rosemary’s Baby. I’d actually love to see you do a review of Rosemary’s Baby at some stage.

SPOILER-ISH// Hey bud I really appreciate the spoiler section and the (unintentional? lol) trigger warning about SA in the film! It’s not inherently a deal breaker for me (depending on how it’s handled) but I do appreciate a heads up going in. Thanks! Anyway, as I’ve never seen the original Omen I’m not worried about retcons, so I think I’ll enjoy this film! Bout time we got some good horror this year. EDIT: holy crap I love your commentary on the MPAA’s bs as well. As Kevin Smith has said, it’s less offensive for a film to show violent r*pe than a woman experiencing an O. It’s really quite warped. Glad I subscribed!

Total agree Adore original 1976 This is pure art Mesmerising in ewery level Al pari original some kind of way Bigest surprise of the decade Instant clasic in may heart So real evokative period 70 is Rome 1971 Just adore Greetings from Croatia

Alright! I’ll pause at the spoiler section and go see it tomorrow night. I’ll be back! EDIT: I’m back. It was good. Go watch it. When that score kicks in at that one part… bruh. And great shots throughout! Frfr 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Oh hell yes if you covered this. Thumbs up before I even listen to the review. Somebody spread the word about this guy👍👍

I really thought the main lead was gonna be the maid/nanny that hangs herself in the original and her backstory about how she became brainwashed

I miss the Jackal. It takes something away from the first movie. Something genuinely not human that pushes Peck over the edge. And creates a massive disconnect for me. Taken on it’s own, this movie is fab. But the continuity being messed up means I won’t think of it as direct entry. More like a weird off shoot with some of the Halloween movies.

Just saw the movie, I loved it. Nell Tiger Free was amazing! I also loved her in “Servant” on Apple TV. I think it did have that old school horror kind of vibe which made it so great. Can’t wait to see it again. 😈

I loved it too! I thought the story was very clever and totally worked for me.

The retcons and the member berries were very odd choices, for a film that in large part was quite competent in an art house kind of way

I love The First Omen. It wasn't a prequel that I asked for, but I'm damn sure glad that we got it. I don't know if I enjoyed it more than Late Night With The Devil. I'll have to revisit them both and make my decision. Great stuff.

HOLY SHIT DID I ENJOY THIS. I though it was gonna suck and I had no respect for it.. and then I saw it and I was blown over haha. The last 20 mins is just .....nice.

Great video. Considering I'd never even heard of this movie until recently,terrible marketing,I'm looking forward to it.

I started watching Indonesian and Thai films. Seeing religious horror from another religious perspective is FANTASTIC.

They really should have had Mrs. Baylcok in this...bad choice not to!

the demon was the Jackal! At the end when she is watching the demon be engulfed in flames you can see it looks like a demonic jackal (werewolf-esque). I could see it being easy to miss, but it jogged my memory about the whole Jackal element,

The last scene before the birth felt very possession inspired

The size difference in the jackal bones😂 idk why it’s so funny. I really liked this movie, gave it a 4/5 stars just cuz it lost some points with the marvel ending. I haven’t heard too many reviews mention it, but I loved the throwback opening of this movie. I thought it was one of the most ominous scenes. The first birth scene was almost too much for me, it was gnarly

This may be the first movie review where I've heard the word cooch. Lol

The jackal was still included, they just made it the inseminator. I don’t know it fit fine for me.

Let’s go o o o o o o spoiler talk baby 😎😎😎😎😎😎😎

I really was also pleasantly impressed with this film. The retcon was a minor problem for me but I think it is actually a more complex and sinister origin for Damien than the original film. I like your interpretation that the demon at the end was a jackal. Would also love a sequel that is completely separate from the OG trilogy and focuses on the implications in the conclusion of the film.

Bruh Damian is still a son of the jackal. Margaret was SAed by the jackal and gave birth to him. What if they put the jackal bones in his mom's tomb to cover up what really happened

I was eh on Immaculate, but loved this 🤷‍♂️

The movie was great!!! I'm watching it again next week

I loved it so much. The Jackal in the grave I take as the demon, which when on fire looked pretty jackal like, to me. Margaret surviving instead of dying during birth is ok, as some of the point for me is the church’s covers things up, so I can buy into it. I would like to see where else they go with this story now. Great video as always, like the format of spoiler free and spoilers Thankyou ☺️

I love that the movie is exactly 2 hours long and a set of twins were born.

“The lore of ‘The Omen’” is such an amusing phrase to me because my first instinct was, “You mean, Christianity?” 😅 I’ve gotta check this out, thanks for the recommendation

I’ve only seen the original film once but I’ve read the novelization at least a dozen times. The retconning also (surprisingly, because omg I hate a retcon) didn’t bother me, it was so well done. I really enjoyed the movie. No way was it better than Late Night With the Devil, though. 😜

I love the movie but what they did wasn´t a simple retcon. Not only was it shown in the first movie but the sequels also dealt with it: the second by the doctors discovering the jackal´s cells on Damien´s blood and the third by Damien himself praising it. Besides, it isn´t like a retcon in comics where it can be done 1. By just mentioning that something was different yet when you go back and read the same old comics doesn´t change it or 2. By having it, somehow, consistent to the original context. For instance, Wonder Woman´s origins. Most people will know by now (either from the comics since 2011 or the movies) that she is a demigoddess but that wasn´t always the case. Since her creation in 1941 her origin was that the Queen of the Amazons sculpted a baby out of clay and asked the gods to give her life. The way it was changed is that, in reality, she was conceived by Zeus but the Queen spread the rumors of the clay creation so that Hera wouldn´t go against Hera and WW. That´s how you retconned something. In this way both origins remain valid. In The First Omen they could have, at the very least, shown or said that they were going to place the skelleton of a jackal to validate the story. More so, since, they "somehow" could have gotten away with it because in the scene where Maragarete is escaping and all is on fire they show (briefly) a jackal. As such, the fact that Damien had jackal´s cells would still have been true. ...and no, the demon wasn´t a jackal. They showed that it was humanoid. More so, you say that in your head cannon they placed the remainings of the demon in the grave. Then how come they didn´t discovered that the remains of Margarete and the baby girl weren´t there? There was also a HUGE thing that didn´t make sense. Damien couldn´t go into the church as a baby. He´d physically suffered. Yet, here we have Margarete that managed to become, basically, a Nun. And even Carlita was raised in a Catholic orphanage. And it wasn´t a problem for them. Still, I wish the movie is a success because it was amazing on its own and, maybe, with a sequel they could fix what they messed here so that First Omen and The Omen don´t contradict each other. What I´d do for a sequel is to make Damien´s sister be Kate. The reporter from The Omen 3.

The 35 mm was dope man. Absolutely fantastic movie.

What did you think of Prey for the Devil and Deliver Us? I did like those, even if they weren't perfect @RocklinGraves?

Full disclosure, I haven't seen the movie yet but I am planning to. From what I am hearing and stuff I am really disappointment that they didn't take more information from the book. According to the book, Brennen not only witnessed the birth, he's the one who killed the jackal and Thorn's child. He's also the one (or it was Mrs. Baylock) who shaved off all the hair on Damien's entire body (given he's born of a jackal) and thought Thorn's baby looked too innocent and hesitated to kill him by smashing his head. He even wanted to runaway with the child but realized he had a duty to fulfill. To somehow make him a good guy and working in favor of Margaret doesn't sit well with me. I think if these scenes were added, loyal fans would have been more thrilled. It can still be a good movie but loyal fans like me would have been more thrilled to see Mrs. Baylock and all that.

I still can't believe how good this film was. Horror is alive and well 🚬

I haven't watched any of the movies yet (but I don't care about spoilers for the older movies), but it seems like the biggest and only complaint people who didn't like the movie had (aside from references to the first film like the "it's all for you" scene which confused me when I first saw the trailer), was the weird and unnecessary retcon with Damien's mother. Like that's it (at least going by comment sections and IMDB reviews). While people who like the movie talk about other things that are worth mentioning, like the fact that there's no jumpscares in this movie! How hard is it to do that Hollywood!? I'm not one of those "jumpscares suck by proxy" people, but Hollywood really has a huge problem when it comes to that.

Excellent, thorough review! I saw this last night. Thought I liked it a lot, but when woke up this morning all I could think about was the movie. It’s actually pretty great. 🍿

The director is why this movie is so good. And Nell tiger of course.

I’d say go support this film. It was pretty good!

*SPOILERS* I took it as the Jackal *was* the demon kept in the basement. They reffer to it as a jackal, the creature itself is mostly kept in shadows, and it burns to death in the end. The name "Scianna" also appears to belong to it, since that was the last name linking all of the creature's kids, tying it into the "Maria Scianna" tomb seen in the original movie. It was a fake alias meant to cover up the church's direct involvement in Damien's birth. In my head cannon, Brennan probably reffered to the jackal as Damien's mom to come across as more urgent to Robert Thorn, despite it not being 100% wrong. Does gender even apply to demons? That's an entirely different question lmao.

This is a prequel but actually they gonna make a remake of the original- “a real sequel for the prequel”

Is this the 3rd remake? The second with Julia Styles and Liev Shreiber was pretty good.

twins? and the year fked me up

This movie was so good

I mean technically Margaret is half-jackal, so it's still 50% true

After I got was done watching the first omen I wanted to see the omen more maybe the second. It did leave me wondering about the sister “is there going to be a sequel to the prequel?”

I expected rubbish, went to the movie for kicks and giggles and was massively surprised how good the movie was. It is good as far as plot goes, the lead actress gave a very good performance. The film was beautifully shot, with a lot of love to the original. When the original music kicks in it fits this movie excellently.

When are we getting Omenacculate?

they really messed up the opening scene in my opinion, from all the waythey could've went about it they decide to start the whole movie off with a wtf, whatever moment. like did the guy not even have a skull?

About time it's good it's better than 3 4 the remake

The beautiful cinematography is what has people liking this movie. Would have been a better movie had they shorten it and kept the jackal as the mom part.

Such a great story, the church creates the anti-Christ to bring former followers back, genius! The female ‘anti-Christ Avengers’ sublime, the complete reworking of Father Brennan, perfection. To cap all of this awesome work off, Damien’s mum is no longer a jackal, next level plot twist!

I´m seeing that the movie isn´t doing well. And to me it has to do with several factors: 1. The title. The Exorcist is praised as the most scary movie of all time. Not only has this lasted since its release but anyone that´s into horror or like to be scared would watch it. So the name resonates still. Meanwhile, thats not the case with The Omen and most people won´t know the importance. 2. The type of horror: This movie recreates the horror movies of the 60´s/70s and audiences today are used to horror like The Conjuring Universe, the Insidious movies and such. ...in fact, I love the first Annabelle movie and I believe people hated it for the same reason. It recreated the style of movies from 70s. 3. The connection. Whenever they tried to connect it with the original most of my audience when I went didn´t get it. Particularly the ending when they, basically, shout Damien. You could hear crickets.

Spoiler talk... I don't care that the jackal stuff was dropped in favor of the direction that they went with this one. The fringe church agenda is pretty wild and psychotic. I look forward to a potential sequel/remake of the original that aligns with this story. Imagine the interactions between Margaret and the Thorns, and Margaret with Damian; wicked.

lots of folks thought that this film is mocking the Roman Catholic Church, actually it's not. This is what you called 'HERESY.' and heresy within the church is not a new thing and it happened throughout ages since 1800 or way before that. this movie is about a group of heresy religious clergy moving in shadow within the church.

Wasn/t \damien born of a jackal?

Really like movie but timeline issues make me sad, was almost perfect prequel and they could done so much but damien is 32 in 1971 is thing

Liked and a comment for the Algo

I beg your pardon?! More up it’s what?! 💀

I just got back from seeing it, and I am thoroughly surprised and pleased. I was VERY skeptical about this one (like everyone else on the planet I'm sure). After Exorcist Believer.....why would I trust this potential train wreck wrapped in a dumpster fire? Surpassed my expectations a great deal. NOW, what I will say, is that any further possible sequel they do from here.....what's the point? Not interested in anything further from here.

this movie over dune 2 is kinda insane but go off king

If I’m not mistaken,wasn’t Damien’s twin sister in omen 4?

The whole problem with Damien’s mother not being a jackal just turns this into “what if rosemarys baby was in the omen universe?” Which most people find lazy and uninteresting

Unrelated, but can someone recommend a religious horror movie not based on Catholicism?

If Satan can be a snake, he can be a jackal.

I know that people were annoyed by the changes to the lore, but come on... Every sequel in the original series retconned the original and the previous movie. As did the TV Series.

😎👍