The Omen (1976) User Reviews

He's evil. Pure evil!

[lost-in-limbo · 8/10 · 24 March 2006]

Robert Thorn the American ambassador to Great Britain watches his wife's pregnancy when a priest tells him that his newborn has died, but he convinces him to substitute the baby (the wife not knowing) with another child that lost its mother in labour at the same time. Watching their young child growing up, he starts show unnerving signs, which the parents slowly start picking up on and also bizarre tragedies start occurring. This leads Robert on a whirlwind investigation that all points to his son being the Anti-Christ.

Right off the heals of 'The Exorcist' successful stint with moviegoers comes another one of those endless 70s religious themed horror flicks involving Satanism. 'The Omen', I'd definitely say is one of the better horror films in the shadow of "The Exorcist', but I'll even go to say its an vast improvement over it's influencer. That might be a surprise for some, but I found this film superior as it was more entertaining, fascinating and truly creepy in its context and shocks. Everything about it has a knack for falling into place. From the impending doom that's achieved by its coldly layered atmosphere to a premise that teases the viewer on how it's all going to play out. I won't deny that it seems silly enough when you pay close attention to it all, but with such conviction in the performances and that off confident direction, these factors makes sure that it doesn't slip overboard into cheesy daftness. Another stroke of brilliance would be Jerry Goldsmith's memorably, nerve-wrecking score with those explosive chants scattered throughout.

On a grand scale the film was efficiently catered with well established cinematography and polished set-pieces that had penetrating might, which director Richard Donner handled with precise skill. Even when there wasn't much happening he knew how to keep things compellingly tight with good pacing and impressible imagery. Though, when it came to the essential thrills, he caps off some remotely tense (dogs' attack) and macabre moments (infamous decapitation) that display bite and flair. The climax is great and the ending is a fitting imprint too. The plot is filled with shocking revelations, interesting characters and it emits a glorious amount of excitement and dread from it mysterious outset.

The performances are that of top quality by a stellar cast. Gregory Peck and Lee Remick are convincingly excellent as Mr and Mrs Thorn. David Warner turns in a marvellous performance as the photographer Keith Jennings. Then Billie Whitelaw is genuinely creepy as Damien's nanny Mrs. Baylock. Patrick Troughton is superb as the withering Father Brennan. But my applause goes to Harvey Stephens' who's the epitome of evil… well; he definitely looked the part and had a memorizing awe as Damien. Although, Peck deserves more credit really, as he brought such devotion to his character that we honestly feel the pain and confusion that hits home.

One of the true benchmarks of horror, along the same lines of 'The Exorcist', but for me it beats that film all ends up. Expect a devilishly good time!

Horrifying and genuinely frightening movie that really impacted during the seventies

[ma-cortes · 8/10 · 6 October 2010]

Well made horror movie where numerous people meet horrible deaths by terrible demonic forces . This terror movie fundamentally centers on the rebirth of the anti-Christ, it's a creepy story where occur gruesome and bizarre deaths concerning Satan's son . American diplomat's family ( Gregory Peck and Lee Remick) adopts a baby , he's named Damien and has the devil mark : 666 . One time grown-up , young boy possessed with mysterious demonic powers causing wreak havoc and bizarre killings wherever he goes . The parents hire a nanny (Billie Whitelaw) and she schemes that delightful child anti-Christ can carry out all the evil plans . The little boy seems to be around when inexplicable deaths happen including rid of several interfering adults with the aim for world domination . Damien is poised for ruling devil over earth . Meanwhile the father is warned by a priest named Brennan (Patrick Thoughton) and a photographer( David Warner) and going on inexplicable deaths , as numerous of the roles come to a sticky final . At the ending the film puts a Biblic phrase : ¨Here is wisdom, let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast : for it is the number of a man , and is number is 666¨. Book of Revelation Chapter 13 verse 18 .

After the ¨Exorcist¨ , ¨Richard Donner's Omen¨ was one of the most famous films of all time and the major possession movie of the 70s and created an authentic sensation , originating various sequels: ¨Damien, Omen 2 ¨ with William Holden and Lee Grant ,in which Damien is again adopted by a basic couple and proceeds to wreak havoc wherever he goes ; ¨The final conflict¨ with Sam Neill and ¨Omen 4, the awakening ¨ with Faye Grant and Michael Woods ; furthermore a modern remake . The chief excitement lies in seeing what new and amazing victim can be dreamt by the believable effects . Meantime Damien seems to dispatch new bizarre killing every few minutes of the movie . Charismatic performance of excellent protagonists , Peck and Remick , and all around with special mention to Patrick Thougthon as unfortunate priest and Billie Whitelaw as nasty servant . Impressive score by Jerry Goldsmith , deservedly winner one Oscar and colorful cinematography by Gilbert Taylor . The motion picture is originally written by David Seltzer an compellingly directed by Richard Donner .Followed in 2006 by a remake by John Moore starred by Liev Schreiver and Julia Styles , the inevitable comparison between Schreiber and Gregory Peck reveals that Liev is just too cool for this role and though redundant to original film is a fitting description of the director John Moore ,however is sometimes a shot-for-shot recreation but it doesn't insult the viewer's intelligence. ¨ The Omen¨, the story about a little boy possessed with mysterious demonic powers who murders those persons who anger him was a phenomenon and remains one of the highest horror pictures of all time. The movie's intelligence , believable Fx , breathtaking score, luxurious photography all combined to make it a classic and its influence cannot be overstated . Along with ¨The exorcist¨spawned a wave of demonic possession movies that goes on unabated nowadays .

Before 'creepy' gave way to 'gross'

[lavaside-60237 · 8/10 · 18 July 2023]

This movie was back when you had to be creepy to scare people, vs gross.

And there's nothing creepier than scary movies with religious undertones.

This movie is one of the rare good ones that came out of the 70s, still watchable today.

But you'll have to like older films in general, to be able to enjoy it.

It seems the negative reviews are all people who hate religion - but still put on a movie revolving around religious undertones. Lol It's not the movie's fault they're an idiot.

Historically, this is a great flick - because you can really see what 90s films would eventually be, in it.

Way ahead of its time, as to directing.

One of the Best

[Christiancrouse · 10 November 2001]

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 ...

One of the best....

[LoneWolfAndCub · 10/10 · 10 June 2006]

The Omen is one of the best horror films to have come out in the 70's. It isn't gory, it doesn't have sex, it is just plain terrifying. Everything about the movie contributes to feel of the movie. Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar winning score, the great acting, the cinematography and the scary as hell ending.

It's the 6th hour on the 6th day of the 6th month. Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) has just found out his newborn son is dead. He can't let his wife Katherine (Lee Remick) know though, since it would devastate her. But when a priest offers him another newborn whose mother died, all problems are solved, they name him Damien.....

The Omen is one of my favourite horror films. When I first saw it, it scared the living hell out of me. The score, done by Jerry Goldsmith is now one of the most famous horror movie scores. It sets the mood and sends a chill up your spine. The acting is outstanding (especially Billie Whitelaw as Mrs. Baylock). Gregory Peck and Lee Remick are, as usual, fantastic. Billie Whitelaw is pretty much flawless as the evil nanny and Harvey Stephens, although he doesn't say much, is very good as little Damien.

The last thing that makes the movie scary are some of the most bizarre deaths. The most known of them is a decapitation which is one of the scariest deaths in horror history.

5/5.

Still atmospheric and genuinely frightening

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 30 December 2010]

The Omen... it's a great film, and one of the best of the horror genre. It still remains atmospheric and genuinely frightening after all this time, and no matter how many times I've watched it the impact is still there. One or two parts may have dated slightly, other than that, and knowing me it's me being picky, there's little to complain about. the Omen is especially held together by a truly unsettling atmosphere and some imaginative death scenes. Jerry Goldsmith's score is also fantastic, and the film looks very nice. Richard Donner's direction is excellent, the pacing is just about right and the cast is distinguished, not only from Gregory Peck but also from David Warner, Leo McKern and especially Lee Remick as well as a genuinely terrifying Billie Whitelaw. In conclusion, just great and highly recommended. 9/10 Bethany Cox

He's here! And he want rusks!

[Bezenby · 7/10 · 20 November 2012]

Gregory Peck looks suitably concerned as it turns out that the baby he hastily adopted on the night of his own baby's death may be the son of the devil. Turns out the book of revelations details the second coming of the Antichrist or something, so it's an all out adventure for Peck and sidekick David Warner as they try to get to the bottom of the conspiracy.

Good old Christian doctrine comes into play here as we've got the doubting (at first) Peck, who writes off Damien's behaviour as that of a normal five-year-old. As the proud father of my own little Damien, I have spent many an hour checking my kid's scalp for three sixes, especially after he's tried to put our budgie in a blender or destroyed a piece of furniture, but at least I haven't had a priest turning up at my door pleading for me to kill my own child. Also, I'm sure that when our babysitter killed herself it was just due to the brimstone tinged contents of our kid's nappy, rather than being compelled to swing from a rope by a persuasive dog.

The first Omen film is rather good. It's filled with dread and there's some pretty good set pieces in there, plus when you've got decent actors like Peck and Warner playing it pretty straight that helps things too. It's still worth a watch after all these years, but sad to say any of the sequels don't really stand up to the original.

Unnaturally Supernatural

[TheAll-SeeingI · 9/10 · 22 May 2019]

Classic. You bring the devil to your film and do it well, then you're competing with The Omen as much as you are The Exorcist, which to this day are arguably still the gold standards when it comes to Beelzebub showing up on screen.

Also a benchmark for creepy music adding additional creep: Gregorian chants start as a murmur, and built to a ratcheted intensity that simply put the film way over the top in the best possible way. This was 1976, remember, so what you'll get - and I'd say as an added bonus - is the very Seventies look and feel that movies had during this very unique era.

When Peck exhumes the grave, and when the film closes with young Damien smiling, the hair on one's back shoots through the roof. The Omen is simply all-time.

Revelation Comes To Life

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 10 June 2007]

The Seventies brought both devil worship and Bible prophecy as subjects for the cinema and the two best known examples of the genre were The Omen and The Exorcist.

Gregory Peck is a rich American industrialist whose wife, Lee Remick, has just lost her child at birth. In a moment of vulnerability he makes a deal with some rather strange people who provide him with a newborn as a substitute. Lee and Greg leave the hospital in Rome with Lee none the wiser. Shortly after that Peck is appointed the American Amabassador to the United Kingdom.

When people start meeting all kinds of strange and bizarre ends around young Harvey Stephens as Damien, a few bells do start going off. But the film ends with most of the cast dispatched by satanic forces looking to protect the devil's own.

Peck and Remick do fine in the leads, they both realize that the roles and the film will indeed be subjects for satire later on, but perform without any tongue in cheek at all. My favorite in the supporting cast is Patrick Troughton, best known as the second of the Doctor Whos, and he plays a corrupt Roman Catholic priest. In bizarre endings he meets one of the most bizarre. Ditto to Holly Palance, Jack's daughter who plays young Damien's first governess.

These films aren't exactly my cup of tea. But The Omen made a mint back in the day and who can argue with that?

One Of Scariest Movies Of The Modern Era

[ccthemovieman-1 · 10/10 · 8 June 2006]

This movie scared the heck out of me when I saw it in the theaters in 1976, and it's still creepy today. It was almost 30 years later when I finally saw it for the second time and I thoroughly enjoyed it again, although it wasn't terrifying to me anymore. The DVD version is excellent because it presents the movie in the 2.35 widescreen mode, which is essential to the viewing of this film if you are a fan of cinematography. A VHS formatted-to-TV picture would lose too much of the great camera-work done in this film. I was amazed how beautifully filmed this movie is, so if you love this film and don't have the DVD, please consider getting it.

The story was a bit slower than I remembered it back in '76 but still provides enough action and plenty of chills. This time around, I found the nanny (Billie Whitelaw as "Mrs. Baylock") to be more scary than the devil/kid! I didn't even remember her from 30 years ago but she got my attention on the DVD. It was a very effective job of acting by that woman.

In the meantime, I always enjoy looking at Lee Remick's gorgeous face with her magnetic eyes and Gregory Peck is usually rock-solid in roles he plays. This is no exception.

Although I question some of the supposed quotes from the Book Of Revelation from the Bible (there is no "s" in Revelation, the screenwriters showing their biblical ignorance.), the movie is still a good witness to people who don't believe in Satan. They might after viewing this movie.

This is one of the classics of the '70s and often underrated. The sequels to this were simply not memorable and not worth your time. I don't know about the re- make that just came out, but it would be tough to top this film. I think I'll stick with this one and I won't wait another 30 years to see it again. Maybe tonight!!

Classic movie!

[White_Lighter · 7/10 · 28 October 2003]

When I first saw this movie I just could not believe how well it had been put together by director Richard Donnor. Harvey Stephens was the perfect choice to play Damien "cute but evil". The Scene where he looks at the dog and waves is just a classic! and then there is the score...Jerry Goldsmith won a well deserved Oscar for this movie in which he created two excellent themes "Ave Satani" and "Piper Dreams" which carry this movie along with brilliance.

People seem to always compare this movie to "The Exorcist"....why???, The Exorcist is a classic all on it's own. The Omen deals with a completely different subject to The Exorcist, while The Exorcist deals with possession, The Omen deals with the child of the devil 'the antichrist'.

The Omen has one thing The Exorcist does not have "a classic score". The Exorcist used Tubular Bells with great effect which actually was never written for the movie. The Score written for The Exorcist is still vertically unknown to this day.

The movie opens with the silhouette of a young boy, the shadow of which gradually turns into a cross. It's simple, yet very chilling, and sets the tone. We then meet Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck). It's Rome, and it's 6am, on the 6th day on the 6th month. His wife Kathy (Lee Remick) has just given birth to a child, which died almost immediately. At the hospital a priest named Spiletto convinces him to secretly adopt a child, whose mother died during childbirth. Thorn agrees and keeps it a secret from his wife. They name the child Damien. Thorn is then promoted, from American Ambassador to Italy to Ambassador to Great Britain. We see the happy family in London, the perfect life. It however all starts to go wrong at Damien's fifth birthday party and to make matters worse Damien's adopted father Robert Thorn eventually learns that he is actually the devil's son (The Antichrist).

This movie is a horror classic and will remain a classic for many year to come.

***** out of *****

Always avoid people born on the 6th June!

[Spinetinglers · 10/10 · 13 June 2006]

Always avoid people born on the 6th June – especially if they are called Damien and bizarre violent accidents seem to happen to those around them!

Since this film has recently been remade, I thought it would be a good time to look back at the original – a horror classic!

In 1973, 'The Exorcist' broke all boundaries; previously, horror movies had only concentrated on the dark side, there were hardly any references to main stream religions. The basic rule was if the Devil was in it, God wasn't. Even Rosemary's Baby released five years before has hardly any reference to God or a more heavenly supreme being. The reaction that followed the release of The Exorcist was that the public loved it but the censors didn't and it was banned in the UK for twenty five years. The Exorcist may have fallen foul of the censors but it opened the flood gates for this sort of movie and three years later The Omen was released on 06/06/1976.

What do you think a good horror movie should have? Is it a superb cast, a brilliant score, a battle of good versus evil artfully portrayed on screen, or maybe a sinister and ambiguous open ending? No matter which of these sways your opinion 'The Omen' has all these and much, much more!!!

Firstly, let's look at the cast, Lee Remick and Gregory Peck are the leads, these two names are nothing short of Hollywood elite. Lee Remick is perfect as the mother who as the movie progresses realises there is something very wrong with her child. (I'm not sure what tipped her off – was it the baboons attacking her car or her son's feral reaction at the thought of entering a church?) Gregory Peck again is perfectly cast, as no one does noble and principled like Mr Peck. However, it is not only the leads that are terrific, the supporting cast includes David Warner and Tommy Duggan who both put in notable performances but it is Billie Whitelaw that eclipses them all as Damien's overly polite yet sinister nanny.

The score of a horror movie is very important, it has to chill to the bone and help create and maintain a feeling of an ever present danger. Jerry Goldsmith's soundtrack is probably one of the best scores ever written for a horror movie. It is perfect for The Omen, gloomy, disturbing, chilling music, interlaced with what sounds like religious choirs portending the end of the world. It really is that good and if you don't believe me, consider the fact that it won Jerry Goldsmith an Oscar the following year.

By this stage, I know that most of you who were considering going to see the new Omen film at the cinema are now thinking to yourselves 'maybe I will rent the old one instead!' but for the few that are still on the fence here are a few other points to convince you. The 1976 version had a great plot, a child adopted into the corridors of power, whose destiny is to destroy the world, this is a simple and perhaps unoriginal premise however David Seltzer quotes Revelations at every turn and comes up with very original ideas to kill people off. Today, we are used to seeing a lot of blood and gore when people get killed in this genre but this is one thing that the omen lacks. Gore is pre-empted by well choreographed violent outbursts, each one being more frightening and compelling than the last, from a priest being impaled by a church spire to a reporter being decapitated by a pane of glass. These events all build to the foreboding finale. In the last scene we see a little boy, holding the hand of the President of the United States, turning around and smiling at his father's funeral. What greater ending could there be!?!

The Omen stands out in this genre and has stood up to the test of time. To-day horror movies are packed with the latest teenage idols and gratuitous violence has replaced good plots and imaginative thinking. (There are exceptions to this of course, Dog Soldiers, The Ring etc.) The Omen combines, a great cast, a great score, and brilliant storytelling without a teenage idol in sight.

The Omen

[CinemaSerf · 7/10 · 3 June 2023]

OK, so at times this is a bit far-fetched, even for a horror movie, but I reckon it is still my favourite from the genre made in the 1970s. From a rather murky start in a Roman hospital, we see Gregory Peck and wife Lee Remmick head to London where he is to be US Ambassador - along with their new baby son "Damien" (cue the squeaking violins). Not long after their arrival, their nanny commits suicide - rather gruesomely, as it happens - facilitating the arrival of "Mrs. Baylock" (a rather menacing Billie Whitelaw). As the boy ages, and fuelled by some rather ghastly prophesies by Patrick Troughton's "Father Brennan", Peck slowly concludes that there is something a little dodgy about him. Thing is, can he thwart the evil contained within the youngster? Richard Donner does well to build and to sustain a sense of peril from pretty much the outset of this film - aided, ably, by a Jerry Goldsmith score that uses maniacal choral vocals and strings to keep you behind the sofa. Peck isn't at his best, and some of the scenes - especially in the graveyard with the Baskervillian hounds - do stretch the imagination, but for the most part it seizes your attention and keeps it. I have to admit to being disappointed by the ending - just why did the police have to give chase?

Interesting, but often slow. Gregory Peck shines

[aidanratesmovies · 5/10 · 7 August 2020]

Slow paced and slow natured, but timely and well acted, The Omen may not be the strongest horror film of the 70's but it is certainly worth a watch. The film can be at times quite a bit formulaic, with its plot often going in circles as cliches are circled throughout themselves. However, Donner makes this work in a decent enough way with his impressive direction skills, as well as Gregory Peck in the lead role, with his excellent performance. The film does have a nice haunting score which can prove to be quite good at times, and certainly worthy of its Oscar win. The acting, aside from Gregory Peck, is still rather decent. No one shines as great as Peck, but Billie Whitelaw does provide an impressive performance as Mrs. Baylock, and truly brings a admirably originality to the role. In the end, The Omen had me a bit bored at times, and it could be a bit predictable. But more often than not, the talent both behind and in front of the camera is the reason why such a simple story succeeded in the end, and I am glad that it did so. My Rating: 7.25/10

Worthy of its classic status

[Woodyanders · 9/10 · 18 March 2009]

Ambitious American ambassador Robert Thorn (an outstanding and dignified performance by the inestimable Gregory Peck) begins to suspect that something is amiss with his adopted son Damien (well played by gifted child thespian Harvey Stephens) following a troubling series of odd and fatal "accidents." Thorn and cynical photographer Keith Jennings (the always excellent David Warner) embark on an investigation which takes them all over Europe in order to uncover the truth about Damien's possibly satanic origins.

Director Robert Donner and screenwriter David Seltzer give the fantastic supernatural premise a semblance of plausibility by firmly grounding said story in a believable everyday world. Moreover, Donner maintains a steady pace throughout, keeps the tone resolutely creepy and serious (there's a welcome absence of any dumb and obtrusive humor), and stages a few elaborate murder set pieces with breathtaking go-for-it verve (an impalement on a huge spike and a stunning decapitation by a large runaway pane of glass are especially effective while a cheery young nanny happily hanging herself at a birthday party proves to be genuinely shocking and disturbing). Better still, the special effects are used in an admirably judicious manner and the picture overall primarily relies on developing and sustaining a potently unsettling gloom-doom mood to get under the viewer's skin. The tension gradually builds to a nerve-wracking fever pitch and culminates in a truly harrowing last third. The uniformly sterling acting by a first-rate cast qualifies as another major asset: Peck and Lee Remick as Torn's sweet, yet frail wife Katherine bring a tremendous amount of class to the film, Billie Whitelaw gives a positively chilling portrayal of sinister governess Ms. Baylock, Patrick Troughton excels as intense priest Father Brennan, and Leo McKern contributes a neat cameo as occult expert Carl Bugenhagen. Kudos are also in order for Gilbert Taylor's glossy cinematography and Jerry Goldsmith's supremely shivery'n'spooky Oscar-winning score. A superior mainstream horror hit.

True masterpiece, within the genre and in general

[Bored_Dragon · 10/10 · 27 April 2018]

Richard Donner's horror classic "The Omen" is not nearly the most terrifying, but it certainly is the best film of this genre I have ever watched. And I watched a lot. The creators adhered to the golden rule that there must be nothing in it that can not happen in reality, which, on the one hand, limits the possibilities of leaving the imagination at will and make the film visually shocking, but on the other hand, it makes it more realistic and believable, and therefore more essentially dreadful. If we ignore the basic premise that Damien is literally the son of the Devil, story development, characterization and the way in which gradually builds up the atmosphere, make this film more eerie drama than a real horror. On the technical side, there's hardly any flaws, and among the actors in particular stand out performances of five-year-old Harvey Stephens in the role of Antichrist and Billie Whitelaw as a hellish nanny. And as icing on the cake, the greatest asset of this film is original music by Jerry Goldsmith, for me one of the greatest masterpieces of film music, for which he deservedly won an Oscar.

10/10

The quantity of jinx that followed the film was too big to be just a coincidence, so many believe that the movie touched in things that are better be left alone and thus earned the "curse of The Omen". Star Gregory Peck and screenwriter David Seltzer took separate planes to the UK, yet both planes were struck by lightning, and in Rome, lightning just missed the producer Harvey Bernhard. The plane that Peck was supposed to fly to Israel, from which he gave up at the last minute, crashed and there were no survivors. Rottweilers hired for the film attacked their trainers. A hotel at which director Richard Donner was staying got bombed by the IRA and he was also struck by a car. Several other members of the crew survived a frontal collision on the first day of shooting, and during post-production, John Richardson, in charge of special effects, suffered an accident in which he was injured and his girlfriend was beheaded. It only remains for us to hope that the "curse" refers only to creators, not to the audience.

Kids Can Be Hell.

[tfrizzell · 30 October 2002]

Rightfully tense and spooky thriller from director Richard Donner that grabs its audience and does not let go until the shocking finale. American Ambassador Gregory Peck has come up with an idea after his new-born son dies at birth: he decides to pass another child off to wife Lee Remick as their own. Life in England seems grand for a few years, but as the child becomes a toddler (in the form of the young Harvey Stephens) strange murders start to occur. The child is really the son of Satan, born of a goat, and his only goal is to grow up and take over the world for his unearthly father. As the truth slowly unfolds, the film twists into disturbing murders and highly unholy situations. Not a film for the faint of heart and certainly not a perfect film, but still one of the stronger films of the usually luke-warm genre. 4 stars out of 5.

Some kids aren't that cute...

[oneguyrambling · 7/10 · 30 October 2010]

When a Mummy and a Daddy love each other very much, and they unfortunately have a baby who does not survive the birth, the Daddy shouldn't agree to take a newly orphaned baby without telling Mummy first.

That's the first few minutes of The Omen, it opens in Rome and pretty much runs as described above. The father is Gregory Peck as Robert, a prominent politician (who has a great "I AM ACTING!" voice), and the mother is Lee Remick as Kathy. Faced with the choice of telling Kathy that the baby did not survive, or taking the opportunity handed when another mother dies during her own son's birth, Robert takes the latter way out.

At the time the local priest says "God has given you a son."…… yeah, right. Let me know how that works out for ya.

Cut to about 3 years later, Robert is promoted to be the US ambassador to the United Kingdom, resulting in an immediate move for the family and the young Damien.

When Damien turns 5 they throw a big party at their home, this is where it gets messy. The family nanny sees a dog lurking nearby, a pitch black dog (a rottweiller?), for whatever reason the nanny seems impelled to take dramatic action, she goes to the first floor and wraps a noose around her neck and throws herself off the edge. But not before screaming something to the effect of "This is all for you Damien!" In the resultant chaos Damien spies the dog, still lurking, and gives him a friendly wave.

At the party - and at most major events that occur to the family over the next cinematic hour - a photographer is snapping away all the while.

A few days later in rolls Father Brennan to the embassy who asks to speak to Robert, who initially agrees. After he goes off on a bit of a tirade rabbitting on all sorts of ominous doomsday stuff, he is turfed.

Enter the SuperNanny Mrs Baylock, she arrives unintroduced and unrequested at the home, and while she appears quite nice and professional you can tell immediately something ain't quite right with her (especially when she goes into Damien's room and it appears that she doesn't have any white parts in her eyes!) Evidence keeps building up against the poor little tacker, obviously the nanny suicide being exhibit A - for now...

Over the ensuing few days: - A trip to church sends Damien into a cuckoo-bananas frenzy, forcing them to abandon the sermon and; - A day out at the local drive-through safari park shows Kathy that even animals have fear and hatred for Damien, especially the baboons who go (wait for it) apesh**.

Initially Kathy blames herself for Damien and actually asks for psychological help for herself, where she claims that Damien is not her child, and that he is evil. You'd think that at this point the right thing to do would be for Robert to 'fess up but in his mind the lie got him this far, what more could go wrong? Father Brennan shows again at a local rugby match, telling Robert to meet him the following day for 5 minutes only as his wife is in danger. When Robert meets him Brennan spouts a lot of nonsensical sounding gibberish and tells him he must visit some guy to "Tell him how to kill the child". Upon parting ways, a storm flares up from nowhere and "follows" Father Brennan who seeks solace at a church, though things don't go so well for him when there… The straw that breaks the camel's back is when Damien is fanging around the first floor on his tricycle and seemingly makes a beeline for Kathy as she stands on a table watering houseplants. This scene is quite famous and has been parodied a few times, there are many quick cuts between Damien, Mrs Baylock and an oblivious Kathy, and when she falls off the balcony the camera follows her to the floor.

I don't feel that I'm giving too much away to this point when the poster has a picture of the boy with glowing red eyes. Damien is Satan's spawn.

There I said it.

Anyway once the photographer gets involved and contacts Robert things heat up, Robert decides to investigate for his family's sake and this takes him on a long quest first to a hospital in Rome, then a monastery, then an abandoned cemetery, and finally a city near Jerusalem. He must have racked up some frequent flyer miles! The climax is slightly tacky after such a prolonged deliberate build up and almost felt like a let down, but the final scene was effective and set up the sequel which was apparently inevitable even though this film was made in 1978, and sequelitis wasn't yet rampant in Hollywood.

Even after a movie which dealt with the son of Satan and his attempt to take over the world by using a small boy, I was never actually scared or even nervous watching the movie. I might remind you that The Exorcist came out before this film and it was very edgy and way more scary than this, but The Omen was well acted and for some reason I like movies that pose theological questions or theories.

Final Rating – 7 / 10. Perhaps hasn't aged that well and gore hounds look elsewhere, but a well made film and worth a look to escape the usual "High School Cannibal Cheerleaders 11 - IN 3D!!".

If you liked this review (or even if you didn't) check out oneguyrambling.com

"If there were anything wrong, you'd tell me, wouldn't you? "

[Marc_Israel_365 · 9/10 · 26 April 2013]

The moral dilemmas, the mounting tension, stoic Gregory Peck and Lee Remick coming to their own separate conclusions, the baboons, the Priest, the photographer revelation, the graveyard dogs, that freaking scary Nanny and our beloved Damian: the scariest kid on film as the Antichrist! The mythology needed little explanation and the acting took this horror to the highest level of suspension of disbelief. Director Richard Donner weaves it all together with a Carmina Burana -esque score . And yet the eternal question lingers "What do you know about my son"? How can you not consider what you would do faced with this horror scenario? That is why this is so horrifyingly personal and a must watch!

Great horror film, great performances

[Vigilante-407 · 7/10 · 30 June 2001]

I've always liked The Omen. It's one of the few Gregory Peck movies in which his slightly wooden personas work well with the script. And it is a very horrific movie to boot.

Patrick Troughton is great as Father Brennan, the doomed priest who tries to convince Peck of the evil in Damien, and his death was one of the better deaths in the genre.

The revelations of Damien's true "mother" and Peck's real son are probably the most horrific moments in the film...there is a subtlety to the terror that just connects with you.

David Warner is also outstanding as the photographer who tries to help Peck, and Leo McKern is great, as always, in the small role he has in the film.

Not just one of the best 1970s horror films - one of the best horror films full stop

[Leofwine_draca · 10/10 · 8 September 2016]

A classic religious horror film about the Antichrist, enlivened by fine performances from a distinguished cast, inventive and outrageous special effects, superior Oscar-winning music from Jerry Goldsmith, and excellent production values. This and THE EXORCIST remain the best religious-themed horror films of the 1970s. For once, we get an original tale for this film. As an added bonus, it was filmed in Britain, which adds authenticity for me as a viewer. Gregory Peck is perfectly cast as the father who is forced to realise that his son is evil. The film manages to be genuinely chilling, helped somewhat by the classic music which many films have used since. The best example of this is the build up to Troughton's death, where a storm blows hundreds of leaves around and the music plays loudly, alerting us to the fact that another impending death is due.

Speaking of deaths, this film has lots of them, and they're all fantastic: hanging, impaling, falling, stabbing, shooting, and finally decapitation, which is the most spectacular of them all, and much remembered by those who have seen the film. They're meaningful and exciting, for a change, unlike those in most slasher flicks I can think of. Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, Patrick Troughton and especially David Warner are all good actors and actresses and it shows. Warner in particular plays a sympathetic but doomed character. The film was hugely successful and has spawned three sequels so far, two of which continue the same formula with Damien, but the last one decided that the evil one was a girl and is best forgotten. Inventive, chilling, and totally convincing, THE OMEN is a must for every movie fan. A classic, what more can I say?

The best Richard Donner film.

[MonsterVision99 · 7/10 · 21 October 2016]

The Omen its a 1976 film, directed by Richard Donner, known for Superman (1978), The Goonies (1985), The Lethal Weapon films (1987- 1998), this is his masterpiece.

The Omen its often regarded as one of the greatest horror films from the 70s, and it is, the film its amazing at building tension and it has some very likable characters, it makes you care for these characters, such as the father, the mother and the photographer, so that when they die it leaves you with this uncomfortable feeling of dread.

My only problem its the ending, not because I didn't liked it from a film point of view, but because its such a dreadful ending and quite sad actually.

There are some great scenes in this movie, the mystery and the tension its really high, some effects may not look as good as others but its OK, it makes up for it.

Overall, the film its a must watch.

a terrifying masterpiece

[disdressed12 · 10/10 · 17 October 2006]

the original The Omen,with gregory peck and lee remick, is a masterpiece of pure terror.possibly the most terrifying film ever made.gregory peck stars as robert thorne,a high level diplomat and lee remick stars as his wife katherine.when katherine miscarries their baby,robert swaps the dead child for another child from an orphanage without his wife's knowledge.not long after, sinister things begin to happen,like people dying horrible deaths under suspicious and bizarre circumstances.without giving too much away,thorne eventually discovers his child is the Antichrist.it is the events that lead up to this point which are truly terrifying.peck is brilliant as the atheist whose beliefs are challenged until he can no longer deny the truth.lee remick is great as thorne's wife who has her suspicions there is something terribly wrong with her son,but she simply dismisses these fears as paranoia.the musical score done by the late,great jerry goldsmith and aided by a choir chanting in Latin,in all the appropriate places is brlliant,adding a feeling of foreboding and doom throughout the movie,which sends chills up your spine.no other movie in recent memory can match The Omen for sheer terror.it should be noted that The Omen did not rely on gore or computer effects to achieve this level of terror but rather on pure psychological suspense and emotion.no movie in modern time can match The Omen for sheer terror.this movie is nothing short of brilliant. 10*

One of the best horror films of the 1970s

[justin-fencsak · 7/10 · 10 January 2018]

When the Omen first came out during the summer of 1976, it became a horror blockbuster and spawned several sequels including a made for tv fourth one as well as a bad remake as well as two short lived tv series. This movie deals with the Antichrist as well as canine carnage. Gregory Peck and Lee Remick play the parents of a young kid named Damien Throne, played by Harvey Spencer Stephens when he was around five, who is fascinated with the devil. The soundtrack is chilling and the special effects are practical but enjoyable. Worth a rental.

yawn

[secretron · 5/10 · 23 October 2001]

In what was an obvious attempt to ride the coattails of The Exorcist from Hell & back and all the way to the bank, Richard Donner's The Omen, with a few rare exceptions, is an out-and-out predictable snoozefest. Gregory Peck & Lee Remick play the stupidest parents in the world, as the plot blatantly & purposefully unfolds to reveal their mysteriously adopted son as the son of the Devil (gasp!). The audience is let in on this nefarious fact about 15 minutes into the film, yet Peck doesn't fully admit this obvious fact to himself until the final reel. The rest of the film is knee deep in plot contrivance, murky religious symbolism, nonsensical logic & lots and lots of Latin, crucifixes, impalings & hounds from Hell.

Peck's right eyebrow remains raised for nearly the entire movie, which I suppose is his way of conveying emotion. Otherwise, he makes for a fine robot. Remick fares no better as the bewildered in-denial Mom. David Warner (nice scarf) is decent as a doomed photographer who "helps" Peck unravel the "mystery" of his son's origin.

Points to Jerry Goldsmith for a memorably creepy score & for the effective casting of a cherubic child actor as Damien. If you're looking for scares & logic, watch The Exorcist twice. Hell, watch The Exorcist 3 twice. 5 out of 10.