Calling all horror fans and scaredy cats alike! The movie, The First Omen will be available for Digital release on May 28th, on Hulu on May 30th, and on DVD & Blu-Ray on July 30th, and we celebrated the great news at an intimate dinner gathering in SoHo in NYC!
The festivities were hosted by the restaurant The Peasant, in its private space downstairs. Fittingly, two nuns awaited us at the basement entrance as they were surrounded by a projected color of bloody red. Upon first glance I noticed all the attention to detail at the venue – the Holy Bibles, rosaries, the tall burning wax candles, and the beautifully decorated tables that emphasized a mysteriously dark aesthetic, as the party was brought to life by a talented violinist.
Guests were provided a unique folder that featured their new identity and the menu. I was given the character Skianna (Liseth Perez), whose time of birth was 6:00am on June 6th, 1959. The folder remarks began with: “Step forth and behold the gateway to revelation my dear brethren.” Everyone also scanned a QR which created an eerie filter of their selfies.
The dinner party fittingly began 6:06pm and featured a delicious “6-course rustic Italian meal curated by Top Chef Marc Forgione.” As a vegetarian I enjoyed the delicious cesare salad, dipalo burrata, rigatoni alla vodka, broccolini livornese, roasted market vegetables, and the stone ground polenta. We were served featured cocktails such as aperol spritz and negronis throughout, and to end the unique evening, we enjoyed chocolate brownies, wood-fired apple crisps, seasonal cookies and evoo gelato. Between each terrific course, the two nuns rang a bell and provided us with spiritual insight about the world’s troubling state for us to heed carefully, and one of their reoccurring statements was, “all choices have consequences.”
The highlight of the intimate dinner party was enjoying all the meals with star of the film Nell Tiger Free and Director Arkasha Stevenson. Nell openly shared that “women live in a horror film every day,” therefore, she channeled her “feminist rage” to help with her character development and screams. The actress grew up loving horror films that featured the original Pennywise, and she became obsessed with the genre. The actress remains attached to her movie character, as she sentimentally wore the same silver cross necklace as she did in the film. She also shared that some things were surprisingly written in the stars for her, such as living right next to a church in London and finding out post-move in, that that church was where the First Omen was filmed. Nell dotingly spoke highly of the director and their strong chemistry, and both celebrated the rarity and excitement behind a woman directing a horror film and adding her unique perception to it.
The beautiful immersive dinner provided guests with an unforgettable atmosphere and experience. Whether you adore horror movies, or hope to get out of your comfort zone, go ahead and stream the film!
“The First Omen” will be available for Digital release on May 28th, on Hulu on May 30th, and on DVD & Blu-Ray on July 30th.