Is The First Omen scary? (And just how gory and disturbing is it?)

Horror fans often get condescending questions about the latest film in theaters as people ask if it was actually scary or later lament they didn't think it was. The First Omen is one of the best new horror movies of 2024, and it is genuinely frightening.

A prequel to The Omen (1976), Servant star Nell Tiger Free plays an American nun who travels to Rome to begin her life as a nun. While working at the church, she learns the organization is harboring a dark secret.

Now that The First Omen is on Hulu, more people will be inclined to check it out. If you're hesitant to try it because of its disturbing content, this guide should help you determine whether or not to watch it. Mild spoilers ahead.

The First Omen is rated R for violent content, grisly/disturbing images, and brief graphic nudity.

The First Omen is a terrifying film

The First Omen preys on real fears and uses its storytelling to create a sense of anxiety and tension. There aren't many jump scares, but this movie is scary in other ways. Satanic rituals, demonic entities, and at least one frightening monstrosity are present in the film.

The storyline in this movie and Nell Tiger Free's chilling performance will leave you feeling uneasy when it's over. Depending on how well you handle disturbing content, this could be a very horrific movie.

Here's what you need to know about the gore and disturbing content

One of the most disturbing moments happens around 40 minutes into the film when Margaret stumbles upon a woman giving birth to what appears to be a demonic entity. For a few seconds, the camera pivots to the examination table, and viewers see her vagina, specifically a demonic hand ushering forth from her birth canal. The scene was disturbing enough that the MPAA wanted to give the film an NC-17 rating until it was cut down significantly.

Most of the film's goriest moments revolve around women giving birth and its aftermath. There's a bloody depiction of a cesarean birth, a graphic abortion scene, and other moments along those lines. Many of them are explicit and show viscera and other bodily fluids—a definite squick factor for anyone who is easily disturbed.

Other graphic scenes show a man getting cut in half when he's hit by a truck and a woman setting herself on fire and then committing suicide by jumping off of a roof with a noose tied around her neck.

Disturbing content also includes rape (there aren't any graphic rape scenes, but it's still implied and discussed), satanism, and people being drugged against their will.

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