The Omen
| release date | June 25 1976 |
| studio | MGM |
| director | Richard Donner |
| writer | David Seltzer |
| starring | Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Billie Whitelaw, Harvey Stephens |
| rating | R |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
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A film I always go back to. This movie is great from start to finish. Another must see and in my opinion must like to consider yourself a horror fan.
Undeniably slow and boring and offers almost no scares.
“This movie plays with the intellect. It is frightening for what is not seen. From the grey overcast that blurs the skies of London and the dead stillness of the great Pereford mansion that houses the ill-fated Thorn family to the deepest recesses of civilization in the hollow underground of an ancient excavation site, the film effectively captures the viewer’s interest and draws them into a world that is on the verge of the ultimate disaster – the birth of the anti-Christ.
Born into the world of politics and wealth, little Damien Thorn is the darling of the beautiful and privileged Robert and Katherine Thorn. Mysterious accidents and the overall feeling of death begin to shadow their lives until the horrifying truth of Damien’s birth is uncovered millions of miles away in a grave in a decaying pagan cemetery in Italy. Gregory Peck gives a fine performance as ambitious politico Robert Thorn, a man who slowly discovers that his fate is interlinked in ancient biblical prophecy. With escalating horror, he uncovers a grand design that’s unfolding under the unsuspecting eyes of the entire world – and he and his perfect family are at the centre of it. His search for the truth is one of the best in films, taking him to the farthest reaches of the globe and climaxing in an exciting and bizarre confrontation between himself and the face of evil.
Lee Remick is ethereal as his beautiful and tragic wife. The rest of the cast – Billie Whitelaw as the creepy Mrs. Baylock, David Warner as the doomed Jennings and Leo McKern as the mysterious archaeologist Bugenhagen – give the movie its singular dark and moody quality. THE OMEN has a few disturbing moments that shock rather than disgust, but the film is loaded with memorable scenes that are ingenious. It’s the ‘feeling’ that the film incites that makes this movie unique. The haunted performances of the actors, the creepy-crawly musical score, the insinuation that doom is slowly creeping into the world with the birth of one lone child, all succeed in making THE OMEN one of the truest horror films.
Sometimes it’s the knowing that something is going to happen that is more frightening than actually seeing it happen …” — Christiancrouse, imdb.com
one of the most famous movies of all time, i dont know quite what to make of this film, it has it’s interesting moments, but the subject material is either hit or miss with individuals.
This movie is a classic, the story ,the acting all comes together in the chills that run down your back…This movie creeped my husband out so much he refused to let me name our son Damien …
This film is not scary at all but it is fun to watch! It’s worth watching and the music score is creepy. Actually there is one thing thats scary about this film DAMIONS NANNY!! Watch out for her she gave me the creeps!
***
Out Of
*****
I hear middle-aged men spout their outdated, biased wisdom all the time. “Modern horror movies are just gory, not scary. The old movies, boy, now those were scary because you didn’t always see the monster. If you want scary go watch . . .” And they always finish their statement with whichever popular 70s horror film they first watched in their pre-teens and peed their pants over. To them, there could never be anything scarier because that movie is so ground into their psyche. To the modern viewer, there could never be anything funnier because we’ve matured and realized the real world is infinitely more terrifying than creaky staircases. There are a handful of exceptions to that last sentence–Alien (`79), The Shining (’80), Black Christmas (`74)–but for the most part, it’s a fairly realistic view. While I hoped The Open could have been one of the few exceptions, it isn’t. Doesn’t even come close.
I have a lot of appreciation for the slow opening that builds emotional impact and atmosphere. However, it seems that I can count the films that actually pulled off that style without just adding pointless scenes for the sake of pointless scenes on one hand. In The Omen, the slow build not only adds a lot of pointless scenes–running animals, OH MY!–but it makes the viewer fail to see the difference between this and a Lifetime move. The slow build never once emphasizes the imminent doom hanging over the family’s heads; it just pumps the movie full of boredom and cheese. Unless you’re frightened by running animals and a kid riding his tricycle, there is nothing subtly frightening here. I’ll give The Omen credit for having one well-done abrupt moment of shock near the beginning, but after that it goes back to cliché drama. Horror directors/writers have a false idea that if they immerse you in the daily life of the characters, you’ll care about them when they’re killed or are nearly killed. The reason that is untrue is because all the characters in The Omen are all flat clichés. Who would have guessed the husband doesn’t believe in the supernatural, then by the end is converted into believing the absurd storyline? Who would have guessed the wife is a spineless women who just whines and acts dumb in every scene she has? Drama doesn’t build an attachment to characters. It didn’t in 1970, it doesn’t today. What builds an emotional attachment to characters is characters that actually have CHARACTER. Characters that actually have a personality.
The other problem with The Omen is the absurdity of it all. A man’s adopted son is really the antichrist–that I can take seriously. Everyone associated with the antichrist is marked with sacrilegious symbols and must be contended with in religious ways–that’s just stupid. The stupidity of religious horror movies always makes me laugh. Instead of actually following scripture and creating a genuinely terrifying experience, there always has to be retarded gobbledygook thrown in to cheese everything up. Instead of accurately portraying a realistic Christian or non-Christian, every last person in these religious horror films have to be a religious extremist of a diehard atheist. There is just no realism. People site The Omen as one of the movies that subtly frightens you to the point of terror, but that simply isn’t true. The Omen bashes you over the head with cheesy, over-the-top Hollywood conventions. I find it ironic: modern horror films bash you with gore and it’s not scary; older horror films bash you with cheese and it’s REALLY not scary. When I wasn’t bored, I was laughing.
The Omen isn’t a terrible movie, though. The directing is solid. The slow-mo close-ups of predictable plot points, however, got really stupid really fast. The acting from everyone but the wife is very solid. The actual story, if they were to have taken out the gobbledygook, is fairly solid and interesting, even if it isn’t anything new or original. And that’s all the good I can say.
As I said, I appreciate a lot of what made parts of The Omen a solid movie and gained it its classic status. That doesn’t mean I can take it seriously, because I can’t. It’s too ridiculous and pumped with too much cheese. When I think of true terror, I most often think of something realistic. People say “torture porn” and gore isn’t scary, but it hits far more raw nerves with me and other horror fans because it’s something that could really happen. It’s not campy or fun. It’s real. It’s disturbing. Isn’t that what true horror is supposed to be? That doesn’t mean I hate old horror movies. Straw Dogs (’71) was the forerunner for Saw (’04). Just because something’s old doesn’t mean it’s good, and just because something’s new doesn’t mean it’s bad. And vice versa. But it’s impossible for me to give a high score to The Omen. A lot of my older horror movie reviews spark responses that absentmindedly claim: “You’re not a true horror fan because you didn’t like this. Go review comedies.” To which I respond: I thought I was.
I will say this, if you are a fan of recent teen slash fast paced horror films, you are probably not going to like this film. On the flipside, if you like to think, this film is certainly a classic worth watching. Films such as these keep my faith in horror films alive when films like The Unborn or The Strangers keeps trying to tear my faith down. Great acting, great story, and a chilling ending that leaves you thinking what comes next.
CLASSIC!
excellent horror movie, the remake was pretty good too
Once again, it sucks reviewing the classics. They’re classics for a reason: they’re freaking awesome.
This movie totally invented the “main character and a reporter or detective go on a complex journey to gradually unveil plot points and solve a creepy mystery” genre. Not to say that’s bad, just that too many movies follow this formula since.
This is actually my second favorite Omen movie, my first being the third starring Sam Neil as Damien. Totally badass and a great end to the trilogy (even though a shitty 4th one was made).
a must-see. basically not considered a horror fan if you havent seen The Omen. Damien is absolutely brilliant. He is so demonic and evil. So original and to this day still pretty scary from the day it came out. you have to check this movie out.
A very good movie, extremely creepy. The Damien actor in this movie blows the new one out of the water. This a great, classic movie, with an amazing scene involving a large pane of glass.
This movie packs chills that many evil-kid movies couldn’t. The acting is great. And the kid who played Damien is sooo creepy.
This is the best Omen film off all. The sequeals to this about Damien are good as they focus on different parts off his life. But the fourth sequeal is dull. Damien is dead (Watch the third film to see that part) and instead the Devil’s daughter comes along. Her name is Deliah. That is probably the best part of the film. After it gets out of hand. She is eviler then Damien. The 4th sequeal is a film you think will be good but turns out to be crap. Overall the first film is the best one. The remake is good but not as good as this one.
The Omen may be a classic, but I didn’t find it all that amazing. Nonetheless, it is moderately creepy, and has the odd cringe-inducing scene.
I guess I am a little biased as it is away from my usual kind of horror, but I found it a bit of a disappointment after seeing the eerie front cover, and hype about it being one of the scariest films ever. I did, after all, see ‘The Exorcist’ a few weeks previously and it had that to live up to.
Just thought I’d voice my opinion, because I disagree with the bloody disgusting review of 9/10.
Worth a 6 or a 7/10
I used to love watching this movie as a kid, to me its a classic and can do no wrong in my books.
This movie is a masterpiece! One of my favorites! The score, the actors.. everything about this movie is amazing! One of the best films of all time! It deserves all the positive things that can be said about it!
This horror film is a classic and should be viewed by all fans of the genre at least once. While The Omen isn’t particularly bloody or violent, it’s scary in the old-fashioned sense and is thefore perfect for midnight viewings.
Some classics receive that title for a reason, and this film is no exception. Doesn’t rely on cheap scares to make you nervous, but builds for almost two hours to get to the final payoff. Fits in with the Unholy Trinity of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist. Good to see horror films having as much time spent on making them as any other film, rather than throwing in lots of fake blood and boobs and hoping for the best. However, this movie might have been better with more boobs, who knows. More details here:
http://thewolfmancometh.com/2010/09/10/the-omen-1976/
excellent fuckin movie!! so good on so many levels. IF, and i mean a big IF, god really exists and the bible isn’t just a bunch of bullshit, were all fucked!! can’t wait for the end baby!!
Classic.
love!!! 666
One of the greatest films ever.The story,acting,the score,all of it is on point.Perfect example of how an updated remake can never touch the original.
Awesome!!!!! One of the best movies of all time by adding all the genres, a true classic. I can not believe that someone has put a score of 2 to this movie.
Impalements, decapitations, religious undertones, and indeed, predictions of unfortunate events to come are all things that characterize “The Omen” to make it the classic that it is regarded as today. What I’ve mentioned already has been done in films both before and after this one; but they haven’t quite done it like it’s done here. “The Omen” surprises and scares in the most bizarre of ways, ranging from pure shock value to actual atmospheric creepiness (courtesy of Jerry Goldsmith’s Award Winning original score). I loved it back when I saw it about two years back, and I still love it now. In fact, I think I love it even more that I’ve seen various homages to the film, and have already seen it once. It’s the kind of movie that actually improves the more times you see it; you begin to appreciate it more-and-more each time, up until the moment where you realize that it’s very much possible to love it. It’s a brilliant film; not only for its genre, but as a film…in general. It inhabits the “religious horror” realms of its genre, one of my favorite places to be when watching a film like this one. Strong religious messages and themes in films like this one can often elicit some sort of response – good or bad – from me, even though I wouldn’t call myself religious. “The Omen” does not require me, you, or anyone to be; and that’s what I love about it.
Most horror films are defined by what we see, what we hear, and what we feel; not necessarily what we’re told. A lot of horror films that I like rely on atmosphere, surrealism, and pure imagery over story; which they often have, but some aren’t so lucky. This is one of those rare genre pictures that has it all; and yes, that includes an outstanding, intelligent plot with characters that we care about. It’s wonderfully acted and takes an intellectual approach to its material; much unlike the mediocre remake, which actually isn’t all that bad, but by no means can it measure up to the craft exercised here.
A child dies in labor. The father, Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) is told this through-phone by a priest; who instantly gives him an alternative to being the messenger of bad news. He asks Mr. Thorn if he would like to adopt a new child; and not have to let his wife (Lee Remick) know anything of it. Robert takes the priest up on his offer, and takes the child to his wife. They name their baby boy Damien.
The film, being within the horror genre, does not begin like most films of its type do – or should. We know it’s a horror film from the beginning because (1.) we’ve most likely heard of it or know the plot details, (2.) the film’s opening consists of creepy music playing over the credits, and (3.) there’s always a sense of dread. Yet, we are treated to scenes where the Thorn family is happy. Eventually, five years have passed; Robert has been named U.S. Ambassador of Great Britain (where the family now resides), and little Damien is celebrating his fifth birthday. Things are going well until the nanny gleefully – all too gleefully – hangs herself from a noose.
As the audience, we see more than the characters genuinely do. When the new nanny (Billie Whitelaw) comes along, we know things aren’t going to end well between her, Damien, and the Thorn family. We see black rottweilers prowling gardens and at one point, even the insides of the Thorn mansion; the source of their presence being the nanny, who let them in to “protect” Damien. There’s also a photographer who has observed some strange things in his photographs containing a presumably paranoid priest who speaks of bad omens, terrible future events, and the true nature of Robert’s son. In time, we’ve come to terms with reality; Damien is not a sweet innocent child, he may not even be human. He has been given the ability to control animals and even other people at birth. He is, as you probably know, the Antichrist; the son of Satan. This is confirmed in many ways, so many ways that, in fact, I’d be spoiling too much if I went any further.
This is such a smart movie. “The Omen” makes use of whatever it’s got; Gregory Peck, the original score, the cinematography, and the religious elements of its story. This is some seriously well-researched and intellectually stimulating stuff, people. In the end, I can say that I was very pleased; and I was. I’m genuinely tired of the genre crap that Hollywood tends to send our way nowadays; and “The Omen” is a fresh reminder of better days, in other words, the days when Hollywood still had potential in this industry of horror. Instead of just gory and shocking, “The Omen” is suspenseful, creepy, smart…and also gory and shocking. This is not a horror film that is meant to be “fun” or even “playful”. It isn’t a party movie by any stretch of the imagination. But in the sense that its subjects are handled in such a disturbing but delicately caring matter; it’s still entertainment nonetheless. This is a real horror movie; the kind I live for. It doesn’t get much better than this, it really doesn’t. Shame on he who hasn’t seen it yet; for “The Omen” defines a time, a generation, a style, and of course, scenes of decapitation and grotesque grandeur.
This is one of the best Horror’s i’ve ever seen!!! Richard Donner makes an amazing Horror Film. With a dark, creepy and chilling storyline and a perfect cast, this film deserves it’s reputation as being a Cult Classic, an Amzing Horror and a Genre Changing Film. Richard Donner did many great things (he was even the producer of The Lost Boys), but this is his Landmark Film. Love it. Deserves it’s reputation easily.
This is a movie that required a build up. They needed to establish how creepy the little kid was. Problem was, the build up went on too long. I’d be tapping my feet and kind of rolling my eyes waiting for anything to happen that wasn’t trips to the zoo or the mom lying depressed in bed. While I admit this is a groundbreaking film, it just hasn’t kept over the years; the preconception that the movie is awesome often overwhelms the actuallity of it.
I was hoping for a little more from this movie, it was mostly a mystery suspense film, with horror elements. But all in all, and besides a couple cheesy parts, the movie was genuinely upsetting and spooky. The kid was awesome.
My favorite sub-genre of horror film, only there was no real protagonist other than our own faith that Christ would be a worthy opponent to his nemesis. It was a good thrill ride and well made and infinitely more effective and evocative than the garbage spewed out today. I can see why religious horror films today are few and far between and when made, are done rather poorly.