Movies

That Finished 2023 ‘Omen’ Prequel Just Disappeared, Is it Cursed?

Published

9 months ago

July 30, 2023

It has been seven years since it was announced that a prequel to the 1976 Satanic child horror movie The Omen was getting made. But all these years later we still haven’t seen it. Is it cursed like the original? We know that it is being directed by Arkasha Stevenson, based on a script by her and Tim Smith.

We also know that the film has already been made and is supposed to have a 2023 release.

Back in January of this year the star of the movie, Nell Tiger Free (Servant), told The Hollywood Reporter, “I can tell you that we have finished shooting. We have made the movie. It matches Servant with how much I truly loved the project and how excited I am about it. Even though there are notes and elements that are similar to Servant and (her character on the show) Leanne, it’s so wildly different. So it’s going to be really cool. At least I hope it’s going to be really cool. I’m very proud of it. So, hopefully, it’s going to be out this year. I don’t know when.”

Moreover The First Omen is being produced by Phantom 4, the production house behind Netflix’s The Sandman, Antlers and Terminator Dark Fate. However a quick search of their site doesn’t list the The First Omen as a project they are working on.

There haven’t been any updates on why there has been such a delay in its release or when it will get out of “Post-production” purgatory. It could be that the movie just isn’t that good and oftentimes in the movie business if they aren’t good they get shelved, reworked, or (yikes!) sent to streaming.

However, director Stevenson has some pretty good content under her belt. She has done episodes for the highly-rated shows Channel Zero and Legion and also directed the insanely entertaining Netflix series Brand New Cherry Flavor (2021).

Then there is the prolific actor Bill Nighy (not the kid’s TV scientist) who also stars in the film. He is well-respected in the industry having appeared in such films as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Underworld: Evolution, and Shaun of the Dead.

Maybe it’s “the curse.” Several movies including Poltergeist, The Exorcist, and The Crow are rumored to have been cursed. The Omen (1976) is also a part of that group. A slew of tragedy hit that production, including deaths and plane crashes. It’s been reported that the Rotwieller used in the movie turned on its trainer.

Curses aside, nothing seemed to happen to the 2006 remake starring Julia Stiles and Liev Schrieber other than it has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 26%.

There are no plot details for The First Omen, other than it takes place before the events of the original. Hopefully, they are waiting for fall to give it a Halloween window, that would be smart. They could be waiting for the same marketing opportunity they used for the remake which was to release it on June 6, 2006 (6/06/06). But that opportunity won’t come around again until 2106. It can’t be that bad.

Whatever the reason, there are plenty of horror movies to keep us satisfied in 2023 — we don’t need another Omen movie. There is, of course, Exorcist: Believer, The Nun 2, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and Last Voyage of the Demeter still to come.

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Related Topics:The First Omen The Omen Prequel

Movies

Shelter in Place, New ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ Trailer Drops

Published

20 hours ago

May 9, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The third installment of the A Quiet Place franchise is set to release only in theaters on June 28. Even though this one is minus John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, it still looks terrifyingly magnificent.

This entry is said to be a spin-off and not a sequel to the series, although it’s technically more a prequel. The wonderful Lupita Nyong’o takes center stage in this movie, along with Joseph Quinn as they navigate through New York City under siege by bloodthirsty aliens.

The official synopsis, as if we need one, is “Experience the day the world went quiet.” This, of course, refers to the quick-moving aliens who are blind but have an enhanced sense of hearing.

Under the direction of Michael Sarnoski (Pig) this apocalyptic suspense thriller will be released the same day as the first chapter in Kevin Costner’s three-part epic western Horizon: An American Saga.

Which one will you see first?

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Movies

New Windswept Action Trailer for ‘Twisters’ Will Blow You Away

Published

2 days ago

May 8, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The summer movie blockbuster game came in soft with The Fall Guy, but the new trailer for Twisters is bringing back the magic with an intense trailer full of action and suspense. Steven Spielberg’s production company, Amblin, is behind this newest disaster film just like its 1996 predecessor.

This time Daisy Edgar-Jones plays the female lead named Kate Cooper, “a former storm chaser haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado during her college years who now studies storm patterns on screens safely in New York City. She is lured back to the open plains by her friend, Javi to test a groundbreaking new tracking system. There, she crosses paths with Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), the charming and reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures with his raucous crew, the more dangerous the better. As storm season intensifies, terrifying phenomena never seen before are unleashed, and Kate, Tyler and their competing teams find themselves squarely in the paths of multiple storm systems converging over central Oklahoma in the fight of their lives.”

Twisters cast includes Nope’s Brandon Perea, Sasha Lane (American Honey), Daryl McCormack (Peaky Blinders), Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Nik Dodani (Atypical) and Golden Globe winner Maura Tierney (Beautiful Boy).

Twisters is directed by Lee Isaac Chung and hits theaters on July 19.

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Lists

Unbelievably Cool ‘Scream’ Trailer But Re-Imagined As A 50s Horror Flick

Published

2 days ago

May 7, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Ever wonder what your favorite horror movies would look like if they had been made in the 50s? Thanks to We Hate Popcorn But Eat It Anyway and their use of modern technology now you can!

The YouTube channel reimagines modern movie trailers as mid-century pulp flicks using AI software.

What is really neat about these bite-sized offerings is that some of them, mostly the slashers go against what cinemas had to offer over 70 years ago. Horror movies back then involved atomic monsters, scary aliens, or some sort of physical science gone awry. This was the era of the B-movie where actresses would put their hands against their faces and let out over-dramatic screams reacting to their monstrous pursuer.

With the advent of new color systems such as DeLuxe and Technicolor, movies were vibrant and saturated in the 50s enhancing primary colors that electrified the action happening on screen, bringing a whole new dimension to films using a process called Panavision.

^{“Scream” reimagined as a 50s horror movie.}

Arguably, Alfred Hitchcock upended the creature feature trope by making his monster a human in Psycho (1960). He used black and white film to create shadows and contrast which added suspense and drama to every setting. The final reveal in the basement would probably not have been if he had used color.

Jump to the 80s and beyond, actresses were less histrionic, and the only emphasized primary color was blood red.

What is also unique about these trailers is the narration. The We Hate Popcorn But Eat It Anyway team has captured the monotone narration of 50s movie trailer voiceovers; those over-dramatic faux news anchor cadences that emphasized buzz words with a sense of urgency.

That mechanic died out long ago, but luckily, you can see what some of your favorite modern horror movies would look like when Eisenhower was in office, developing suburbs were replacing farmland and cars were made with steel and glass.

Here are some other noteworthy trailers brought to you by We Hate Popcorn But Eat It Anyway: