The Omen
April 14th 2011 01:30
Director: Richard Donner
Screenplay: David Seltzer (originally titled The Antichrist, then The Birthmark)
Production: UK/USA
Year: 1976
Sub-genre tags: The Antichrist, demonic possession, Satan's work
Tagline: You have been warned.
Logline: After a series of mysterious deaths and religious warnings an ambassador and his wife realise that their young son may be evil incarnate.
Core cast: Gregory Peck (Robert Thorn), Lee Remick (Catherine Thorn), Harvey Stephens (Damien Thorn), David Warner (Jennings), Billie Whitelaw (Mrs. Baylock)
Memorable moment: Robert Thorn, at wit’s end, searching his son’s scalp whilst the boy is asleep, hoping he doesn’t find what the religious warnings heed, and what he fear’s most, while Jerry Goldsmith’s frightening score intensifies.
Curious Fact: Having changed its title from The Antichrist to The Birthmark, the movie seemed to fall victim to a sinister curse. Star Gregory Peck and screenwriter David Seltzer took separate planes to the UK, yet both planes were struck by lightning. While producer Harvey Bernhard was in Rome, lightning just missed him. Rottweiler dogs hired for the film attacked their trainers. A hotel at which director Richard Donner was staying got bombed by the IRA and a car also struck him. After Peck canceled another flight, to Israel, the plane he would have chartered crashed killing all on board. On day one of the shoot, several principal members of the crew survived a head-on car crash. The jinx appeared to persist well into post-production when special effects artist John Richardson was injured and his girlfriend beheaded in an accident on the set of A Bridge Too Far.
Intensity levels:
Blood & gore: low
Fear factor and/or frights: high
Likelihood of bad dreams (disturbing content): medium
Horrorphile’s two cents: Instead of overt Satanism symbols, witches and diabolical supernatural occurrences, The Omen opts for the cumulative effect of small events snowballing. It is this “realism”, the death set pieces, and the pervading atmosphere of doom that provides The Omen with much of its cinematic appeal. It is certainly one of the best of the movies that depicts Satan (or to be precise the Antichrist) and his disciples.
Click here for Horrorphile's movie review.
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