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 *****
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 *****