THE FIRST OMEN

*CUT TO THE CHASE*

NOTE: This spoiler was submitted by Evan B

In 1971, the original film’s Father Brennan (here played by Ralph Inneson) visits a Church under construction. He goes into a confessional and speaks to Father Harris (Charles Dance), revealing a picture he’s acquired of a baby and three Church members. On the back of the photo is the name “Scianna.” Harris is taken aback by the picture and reluctantly begins answering questions Brennan has about the photo. Harris explains that the Church engaged in a religious ceremony whereby a devout Catholic woman was hooded, tied to an altar, and forced by the clergy to fornicate with Satan The baby in the photo is the product of that coupling. Harris then flees, with Brennan in hot pursuit. As they rush outside, a pole falls off the construction site, shattering a stained glass window and splitting open the back of Father Harris’ head.

Cutting to Rome, Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy) meets a young American novitiate named Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) as she arrives in Italy. Lawrence helped Margaret, an orphan raised by the Church, overcome hallucinations and manic behavior she experienced as a child and has acted as a mentor to her ever since. He has invited her to Rome so she can complete her training and take her vows to become a nun. On the drive, the pair see protestors. Lawrence explains that although some of the protests are due to people seeking establishment of employment practices, the majority of protests are led by young atheists who resent authority (including the Church). He hopes believers like Margaret can bring young people back to the Church.

Lawrence brings her to an Abbey run by Sister Silva (Sonia Braga). Sister Silva explains that her Abbey houses orphans and also assists unwed, pregnant mothers in delivering their children. Margaret meets a teenaged girl named Carlita (Nicole Sorace) who is shunned due to her bad behavior. The two bond as Margaret recognizes that Carlita is experiencing similar issues that she did as a child

Margaret shares a small apartment with another novitiate named Luz (Maria Caballero). Margaret is surprised to learn that Luz sneaks out at night, wearing sexy outfits and partying at nightclubs. Luz says that this is an important experience as taking her vows will mean nothing if she never experiences the life she could have outside of the Church. Later, Margaret is horrified to learn that Silva locks Carlita in a stuffy room when Carlita acts out. Margaret herself suffered such mistreatment as a child. She is also freaked out by a nun that taunts her throughout the Abbey.

One night, Luz convinces Margaret to dress in provocative clothing and join her at a nearby club. As Margaret has grown up in the Church, she’s never had the chance to go out like this before. A man named Paolo (Andrea Arcangeli) buys her a few drinks. Loosening up as she becomes inebriated, Margaret joins Paolo on the dance floor and makes out with him before blacking out. Margaret wakes up hungover at her apartment the next day, having no memory of how the night ended (and unbeknownst to her, had a spider crawling on her face as she slept). She stumbles into the living room where Luz says that she stopped Margaret from doing anything too naughty and brought her home to sleep off her hangover. Later that day at the Abbey, Margaret observes a woman giving birth. To her horror, Margaret sees a demonic hand emerge from the woman’s privates. Horrified by the seeming hallucination, Margaret flees the Abbey.

While regaining her composure, Margaret is approached by Father Brennan. He hurriedly tells Margaret that he needs her help tracking down Scianna in the photo and shows it to Margaret. Brennan explains that Scianna is living in the Abbey and is in grave danger by the Church. He is barred from the Abbey, but trusts Margaret to help him as she is new. Brennan also says Margaret will be able to track down the girl in the photo because that girl will be a witness to great misfortune. Margaret refuses to help, but Brennan gives her his address in case she changes her mind.

The next day, Margaret sees the creepy nun showing a picture of a pregnant woman to Carlita. Feeling that such behavior is inappropriate, she forces the nun to leave Carlita alone. The nun leaves, but then appears drenched in gasoline with a noose around her neck on a balcony on the upper floor. The nun proclaims “its all for you” before igniting herself on fire and leaping from the balcony to hang herself.

Now believing Brennan’s warnings and suspecting Carlita is secretly Scianna, Margaret pays Brennan a visit. Brennan explains that there are two contingents in the Church – those of true faith who wish to follow god’s path, and those who seek only to preserve the Church’s power. As more people have turned away from the Church, those in the latter contingent have decided to take extreme measures to regain power. Standing against this sect, Brennan has been excommunicated. He describes to Margaret the rite that Father Harris confided to him and explains that the Church engaged in the rite to produce a child sired by Satan. The photo of Scianna is a photo of the child of Satan. The pair agree that Carlita may be Scianna.

Brennan then tells Margaret that the Church plans to conduct another rite whereby Satan will impregnate his own daughter with the Antichrist (who must be a boy). The Church wants to do this because the birth of the Antichrist will result in the apocalypse. The apocalypse, in turn, wil cause people to return to the Church and allow the Church to regain its historic level of power. Brennan asks Margaret to find files hidden in the Abbey concerning Carlita’s birth. If Carlita was born on the 6th day of the 6th month at 6 AM (666, the mark of the Devil), then it will confirm she is the child of Satan and must be rescued. Brennan also notes that a birthmark in the shape of “666” would also be hidden somewhere on Carlita’s body if she is the spawn of Satan.

Margaret is shaken, but does not want to believe Brennan’s claims. She first asks a priest named Gabriel (Tawfeek Barhom) for help finding Carlita’s records, but he declines. She then talks to Carlita and asks why she acts out. Carlita says she hears voices and sees horrifying visions. Margaret dismisses Carlita, explaining that she herself experienced such visions as a child but learned they were mere hallucinations. Carlita asks Margaret how she can be so sure that they were just hallucinations. Just then, a riot is caused by nearby protestors. As the students and nuns flee, Margaret suffers a major “hallucination” where she is assaulted by a demonic figure that only she can see. As she screams and writhes, a disapproving Sister Silva looks on.

Later, Silva and the other nuns confront Margaret. They claim that her mental health is declining and that Margaret’s paranoia is making things worse for Carlita too. They forbid Margaret from interacting with Carlita any further and also say that she is unfit to take her vows. As she drives home, Margaret sees Paolo walking on the sidewalk and stops to talk to him. Paolo is horrified to see Margaret and apologizes to her, saying “he didn’t know.” She begs Paolo to explain why he is afraid to see her. He begins to explain, saying “check for a birth mark,” but is hit by a runaway car and pinned to a wall. Margaret tries to pull him out of the wreckage, but instead his torso separates from his lower half (killing him). Margaret is despondent and later that night, dreams of spiders.

The next day, Luz is set to take her vows. While all the members of the Abbey are at the ceremony, Margaret sneaks into Silva’s office and finds a hidden passage. The passage leads to a room with a filing cabinet. Therein, Margaret finds multiple files labelled “Scianna.” As she browses them, she finds pictures of numerous deformed and deceased children, each bearing a 666 birthmark. Margaret takes all the files and then tries to get Carlita so that they can escape together. With Luz’s ceremony having just ended, the nuns catch the pair trying to escape. The nuns attack the pair and as they struggle, Margaret sees a 666 birthmark on the roof of Carlita’s mouth as the girl screams in pain. Margaret manages to hide the files before the nuns apprehend her. The nuns lock Margaret in a small room. There, she is tortured by visions of the nun that lit herself on fire.

That night, Father Gabriel breaks Margaret out. He found the files she hid and has also secretly been working with Father Brennan. Carlita is being guarded, so the two sneak out and rendevouz with Brennan. As they review the files, they realize that the word “Scianna” simply refers to the project the Church engaged in to have Satan sire a child. Each file details a separate effort by the Church to birth a child with Satan. Most attempts failed, with the offspring dying soon after birth. One file is missing a photo… the photo that Brennan is in possession of. As the trio closely review the picture, they realize the baby in Brennan’s photo has a 666 birthmark on her scalp. Margaret says the baby in the picture therefore cannot be Carlita as Carlita’s birthmark is on the roof of her mouth. They later find a second file containing Carlita’s information, meaning that there are in fact two living children of Satan.

Margaret thinks back to what Paolo was saying before he was killed and realizes he was whispering that she needed to check herself for birthmarks. Brennan and Gabriel search her scalp and find a 666 mark on her head (meaning Margaret was the baby in the photo Brennan had). Suddenly, her full memory of the night she went to the club returns. Having passed out due to the alcohol, a clearly guilt-ridden Paolo brings Margaret to the Abbey. There, she is carried to a secret chamber, tied to an altar, and offered up to the beastly devil. Margaret is raped by the Devil as the nuns (including Sister Silva) and the other clergy look on approvingly.

Now knowing that she is pregnant with the Antichrist, Brennan and Gabriel help Margaret to a car and begin driving her to an abortion clinic. Before they can get there, the car is T-boned by Church assailants. Gabriel is killed and Brennan is knocked out. Margaret tries to escape but can’t move. To her horror, in mere minutes, her pregnancy progresses to full term and her water breaks. Members of the Church retrieve her as she passes out.

Margaret awakens strapped to a bed and Cardinal Lawrence standing by her side (he was in on the scheme to birth the Antichrist). Lawrence says she should be proud as, through Margaret’s birth of the Antichrist, the Church will become relevant once again and save millions of souls. As the nuns and other clergy look on, a doctor performs a C-Section and removes a sac from Margaret’s uterus. The doctor cuts it open to reveal twins – one boy and one girl. The girl is ignored as the clergy praise the boy as the Antichrist. The doctor sews Margaret back up.

Margaret calls out and asks to hold her child. Lawrence gives the boy to her, believing she has come to embrace her destiny. In fact, it was a ruse to get Lawrence close. She stabs him in the throat with a scalpel she stole and then grabs the baby boy and threatens to kill it. Silva tackles her and the two women fight. Margaret suddenly cries out in pain and turns around to find that her former friend Luz has stabbed her (and was working with Silva and Lawrence the whole time). The clergy retrieve the baby boy as Margaret collapses to the floor. As they leave, Silva orders an underling to burn it all down. He sets the room on fire and leaves. Margaret clutches her daughter (who was also left to die) and prepares to succumb to the flames. To her surprise, Carlita appears and helps Margaret and the baby girl escape the blaze. As the trio depart, they hear a demonic scream. As they look back, they see a jackal-shaped beast (Satan), who impregnated Margaret, howling in pain as the flames consume and kill it.

The members of the Church then kill the baby belonging to the Thorn family and replace it with Margaret’s baby boy (thus setting in motion the events from the original film).

Some years later, Margaret, Carlita, and Margaret’s daughter live in a secluded cabin. Father Brennan arrives and Margaret threatens him with a gun. Brennan says he means them no harm, but is there merely to warn them that the Church has discovered they are alive and are plotting to dispose of all three of them. As Brennan departs, he also notes that Margaret’s Antichrist son, now named Damien, is alive and rising to power.

Both Margaret and Carlita are revealed to be children of Satan (who takes the form of a jackal shaped creature to impregnate women). The Catholic Church successfully has Margaret impregnated by Satan and, despite the efforts of Father Brennan and Father Gabriel to stop it, Margaret gives birth to the Antichrist Damien (and the Church places Damien with the Thorn family, kicking off the events from the original film). After giving birth, Margaret and Carlita escape from the Church along with the daughter (Damien's twin sister) Margaret also birthed and go into hiding.