Directed by: Arkasha Stevenson [1], Osgood Perkins [2], Parker Fin [3] || Produced by: David S. Goyer, Keith Levine [1], Dan Kagan, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Nicolas Cage, Dave Caplan, Chris Ferguson [2], Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Isaac Klausner, Parker Finn, Robert Salerno [3]
Screenplay by: Tim Smith, Arkasha Stevenson, Keith Thomas [1], Osgood Perkins [2], Parker Finn [3] || Starring: Nell Tiger Free, Tawfeek Barhom, Sônia Braga, Ralph Ineson, Bill Nighy [1], Maika Monroe, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt, Nicolas Cage [2], Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Ray Nicholson, Dylan Gelula, Raúl Castillo, Kyle Gallner [3]
Music by: Mark Korven [1], Zilgi [2], Cristobal Tapia de Veer [3] || Cinematography: Aaron Morton [1], Andrés Arochi Tinajero [2], Charlie Sarroff [3] || Edited by: Bob Murawski, Amy E. Duddleston [1], Greg Ng, Graham Fortin [2], Elliot Greenberg [3] || Country: United States || Language: English
Running Time: 119 minutes [1], 101 minutes [2], 127 minutes [3] || 1 = The First Omen, 2 = Longlegs, 3 = Smile 2
A couple years ago, I wrote a review of three financially successful, critically well received 2022 horror pictures made by both major and independent Hollywood film studios: X, the start of an informal A24 slasher franchise by Ti West and based around the versatile performances of star Mia Goth; Barbarian, the debut sophomore feature by former comedian Zach Cregger, perhaps the ultimate spooky movie about spooky basements; and Smile, another demonic curse horror film (see also Ringu [1998], It Follows [2014], etc.) with obvious social commentary that might be my favorite scary movie of the past several years. Given how we just passed the second greatest holiday of the year this 2024, I thought I should write another similar essay.
Top: Nell Tiger Free attempts to survive a brutal riot in 1970s Rome in The First Omen. Middle: Much of Longlegs is bathed in oppressive shadows, including here when Maika Monroe studies the Satanic code of Nicolas Cage’s serial killer. Bottom: A nightmarish demon conjures the spectres of Naomie Scott’s backup dancers in a key sequence at the end of the second act of Smile 2.
The First Omen, Longlegs, and Smile 2, like the three aforementioned features, exemplify the sheer diversity as well as quality execution of contemporary horror. The genre has withstood the dominance of FX-heavy franchise films since the 2000s through the 2010s, and may yet outlast them into the 2020s. The genre’s ongoing versatility and profitability may help explain this, regardless of whether we analyze established franchise, burgeoning franchise, or original intellectual properties (IPs).
The First Omen is an example of the former, as well as a legacy prequel to a much older classic film, The Omen (1976), starring Gregory Peck and directed by Richard Donner. Given the nature of its parent IP — a rogue Catholic and/or Occultist conspiracy group switches an unsuspecting family’s newborn child with that of the infant antichrist — one might expect a prequel to The Omen to echo storytelling beats from Rosemary’s Baby (1968), and that is indeed the case. The First Omen is set in 1971 Rome and follows an American novitiate (Nell Tiger Free) during the Years of Lead protests. The Roman location-photography, tons of extras, and a considerable budget for a horror picture ($30 million) help sell the period setting and distinguish The First Omen from feeling like a tourism video. At the same time, its tone is soaked in dread thanks to a dizzying array of nightmarish dream sequences and surreal supernatural phenomena. Explicit sexual imagery and tight editing techniques furthermore heighten tension without exhausting the narrative pace, hinting at a promising career for first-time feature filmmaker Arkasha Stevenson.
Next up is Longlegs, the latest movie from slow-burn horror filmmaker Oz Perkins. The film combines elements of crime drama, specifically federal law enforcement investigations, with serial killers and Satanic panic a la The X-Files (1993-2002); Maika Monroe stars as a rookie Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent and our main character, who navigates a creepy series of familicides and even creepier static long-takes. Those static shots aren’t interrupted by equally ominous motion-controlled tracking shots until the end of the first act, after which flashback sequences depicting the above mentioned familicides in 4:3 aspect ratio heighten the moody weirdness to almost minimalist fantasy levels. Notable complaints with the movie have to do with the obviousness of certain narrative “twists” given how small the main cast is, yet those weaknesses are minor compared to the film’s powerful cinematographic tone and the distracting hysterics of Nicolas Cage’s titular villain.
Last of this bunch is Smile 2, the sequel to writer-director Parker Finn’s debut feature and star-vehicle for new potential scream queen, Naomi Scott. To say I disliked how the sequel deviated from the previous film’s surviving castmembers would be an understatement; with that said, Smile 2 won me over thanks to (1) Scott’s committed, multilayered lead performance, which includes extensive on-screen singing and dancing, not to mention how (2) her diegetic pop star character (think Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Bebe Rexha, or Dua Lipa) is so different from Sosie Bacon’s protagonist from the original. The returning villain and its many hallucinogenic tricks, therefore, feel fresh in a different context; Smile 2, in an odd move, explores less backstory of the demonic entity haunting its main character than the original one, instead preferring to explore the details of Scott’s tragic history and how it dovetails with the intricacies of fame.
Beyond the sheer range of Scott, Finn’s command of the visuals by returning cinematographer Charlie Sarroff imbue Smile 2 with more dynamic energy than the first film. The photography rarely calls attention to itself and yet balances lighting FX with complex actor choreography with ease, begging the question as to how Parker would handle an action or musical film.
Although character actor extraordinaire Kyle Gallner is not the focus of Smile 2 as I wanted him to be, his one-take prologue starts the film with a bang and blends some crime drama into the script’s primary horror tone.
In total, these three disparate horror experiences showcase the impressive breadth and depth of the genre today, encompassing both major studio (e.g. 20th Century Studios’ First Omen, Paramount Pictures’ Smile 2) and independent productions (Neon’s Longlegs remains the highest grossing independent American film of 2024 as of this writing). Action filmmaking has regenerated most of its testosterone thanks to the influence of The Raid (2011) and John Wick (2014) on various blockbuster franchises throughout the 2010s, but retains a niche following; comedies have been chased out of multiplexes for the most part; and dramatic cinema exists to garner industry recognition for high-profile actors and seemingly nothing else… but horror endures. There may be numerous psychosocial, business, and artistic reasons for this, but they all boil down to the genre’s remarkable consistency.
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SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION: The First Omen more or less functions as a soft reboot of the long established Omen (1976-1991) franchise; Longlegs is one of many successful original horror IPs of the modern era; Smile 2, last of all, is a worthwhile sequel to a newer horror IP established this decade. Whether you’re into religious Occult horror, serial killers with supernatural riffs on Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Seven (1995), or the highest quality jump-scares in Hollywood, these movies have something for almost everyone.
— However… The First Omen and Smile 2 are nearly and just over two hours long, respectively, which is meaty for a horror picture. Longlegs is more depressing than Seven and its villainous performance by Nicolas Cage isn’t as charismatic as Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs.
—> All three of these films come RECOMMENDED, nonetheless.
? Between Prey (2022), Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Alien: Romulus, and The First Omen (all 2024), I’d say Walt Disney has handled their legacy 20th Century Studios (formerly 20th Century Fox) IPs quite well.
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