The Omen (1976)

An American ambassador learns to his horror that his son is actually the literal Antichrist.

Director:

Richard Donner

Writer:

David Seltzer

Stars:

Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gregory Peck	...	Robert Thorn
Lee Remick	...	Katherine Thorn
David Warner	...	Jennings
Billie Whitelaw	...	Mrs. Baylock
Harvey Stephens	...	Damien
Patrick Troughton	...	Father Brennan
Martin Benson	...	Father Spiletto
Robert Rietty	...	Monk
Tommy Duggan	...	Priest
John Stride	...	The Psychiatrist
Anthony Nicholls	...	Dr. Becker
Holly Palance	...	Nanny
Roy Boyd	...	Reporter
Freda Dowie	...	Nun
Sheila Raynor	...	Mrs. Horton

Storyline

Robert and Katherine Thorn seem to have it all. They are happily married and he is the US Ambassador to Great Britain, but they want more than to have children. When Katharine has a stillborn child, Robert is approached by a priest at the hospital who suggests that they take a healthy newborn whose mother has just died in childbirth. Without telling his wife he agrees. After relocating to London, strange events - and the ominous warnings of a priest - lead him to believe that the child he took from that Italian hospital is evil incarnate.

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Plot Keywords:

priest | ambassador | stillborn child | hospital | death | 

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Taglines:

Good morning. You are one day closer to the end of the world. You have been warned.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English Latin Italian

Release Date:

25 June 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Antichrist

Filming Locations:

All Saints Church, Fulham, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$2,800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Twentieth Century-Fox Productions, Mace Neufeld Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min 107 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The biggest problem with shooting with Mrs Baylock's ominous dog was that the animal was nothing like the creature he was supposed to be portraying. He wanted to lick and play with his co-stars rather than threaten them.

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Goofs

Visible breath from the dog at the last scene of the birthday party - in June.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Father Spiletto: [voiceover] The child is dead. He breathed for a moment. Then he breathed no more. The child is dead. Dead. The child is dead.

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Connections

Spin-off The Omen (1995)

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Soundtracks

"The Piper Dreams"
Music by Jerry Goldsmith
Arranged by Arthur Morton
Lyrics by Carol Heather Goldsmith
Sung by Carol Heather Goldsmith

User Reviews

A great supernatural thriller, undeservedly bashed over the years

"The Omen" was included in a recent book I read of THE 1000 MOVIES YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE! - ironic since fellow IMDb user Theo Robertson claims it was included as an entry in a similar book titled THE 50 WORST FILMS OF ALL TIME.

I've always really liked "The Omen" and, like Theo, think it is superior to "The Exorcist." It's more chilling and freaky and subtle. There isn't any fake pea soup here, either. Which isn't to say that "The Exorcist" isn't any good - but it hasn't fared as well over the years.

"The Omen" is just really good. It was released the same year as Exorcist if I'm not mistaken and Gregory Peck gives a fine performance. The part where a character's head is lopped off and rolls across a street in slow-motion, and then director Richard Donner cuts to a whole new sequence, is really chilling and bizarre.

It's that sort of eerie unexplained stuff that makes this, in my opinion, superior to a lot of the other stuff out there - i.e. many other trashy supernatural flicks that don't hold anything against this.