User reviews

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!

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.

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 .

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 ...

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

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.

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 *****

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!!

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?

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

Who would have thought that an occult film based on the story of anti-Christ would be so good ?

Damian Thorn who is born from a Jackal was switched at birth with son of an ambassador. He's the anti-Christ, and has the mark of 666 on his head. The story unfolds as his father gradually finds out what his son really is.

Not only was the theme sensational, so was the intricacies of the plot, and the story itself. Not to mention the very stylish and gory ways people gets killed. The only movie I can think of that comes close is "Eyes Wide Shut".

First class acting by the stars also adds to the quality of the movie.

One of the best horror movies to be made. This one is definitely worth the watch.

The Omen does NOT deserve its classic status, not in my opinion. It's no different than any other 70s exploitation flicks. Whereas rubbish like Last House on the Left and others were considered trashy and confined to grindhouse cinemas, The Omen (a really crap title when you think about it) undeservedly got a higher status because of the cast and studio.

LHOTL was honest about being nonsense, but The Omen, desperate to be the next Exorcist, manipulated and preyed upon the naive public's fears of THE DEVIL (dun, dun DUUUUUUUN) with a load of gobbledygook hocus-pocus and characters so stupid you wish they'd just die horribly and get it over and done with.

Gregory Peck (a highly respected actor) seems so stiff and bored in his role that every scene with him is difficult to watch. The only actor worth watching in this gibberish is the underrated David Warner.

It's just garbage. Cheap, nasty, exploitative garbage and a classic in no way whatsoever. The 2006 remake achieved the impossible and actually made it worse.

Oh, and by the way, 'O Fortuna' by Carl Orff has nothing, NOTHING to do with The Omen. Jerry Goldsmith wrote the score to this film (and won an Oscar) and never used this piece, which has bugger-all to do with the Devil, in a single cue. It's an urban legend.