The Omen (1976) Reviews

• One of the Best

  Christiancrouse2001-11-10

  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 ...

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• He's evil. Pure evil!

  lost-in-limbo2006-03-24

  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!

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• One of the best....

  LoneWolfAndCub2006-06-10

  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.

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• Always avoid people born on the 6th June!

  Spinetinglers2006-06-13

  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.

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• One Of Scariest Movies Of The Modern Era

  ccthemovieman-12006-06-08

  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!!

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