The Omen (1976)

Director:

Richard Donner

Writer:

David Seltzer (written by)

Release Date:

25 June 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

OUR FINAL WARNING.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Priest | Ambassador | Stillborn Child | Hospital | Death

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

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
Robert MacLeod	...	Horton
Bruce Boa	...	Thorn's Aide
Don Fellows	...	Thorn's Second Aide
Patrick McAlinney	...	Photographer
Dawn Perllman	...	Chambermaid
Nancy Mannigham	...	Nurse (as Nancy Manningham)
Miki Iveria	...	First Nun
Betty McDowall	...	American Secretary
Nicholas Campbell	...	Marine
Burnell Tucker	...	Secret Service Man
Ronald Leigh-Hunt	...	Gentleman at Rugby Match
Guglielmo Spoletini	...	Italian Taxi Driver
Ya'ackov Banai	...	Arab (as Yakov Banai)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Harvey Bernhard	...	Man walking across street (uncredited)
Leo McKern	...	Carl Bugenhagen (uncredited)
Bill Reimbold	...	General (uncredited)
Christine Spooner	...	Funeral mourner (uncredited)
Damian John Spooner	...	Boy at top of slide (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Donner

Writing credits
David Seltzer		(written by)

Produced by
Harvey Bernhard	....	producer
Mace Neufeld	....	executive producer
Charles Orme	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Jerry Goldsmith

Cinematography by
Gilbert Taylor		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Stuart Baird

Casting by
Maude Spector

Art Direction by
Carmen Dillon

Makeup Department
Stuart Freeborn	....	chief makeup artist
Patricia McDermott	....	hairdresser (as Pat McDermott)

Production Management
Claude Hudson	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Steve Lanning	....	second assistant director
David Tomblin	....	assistant director
Stuart Baird	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
George Ball	....	property master
Tessa Davies	....	set dresser
Reg Richards	....	construction manager
George Richardson	....	assistant art director
John Chisholm	....	property master (uncredited)
Tom Jung	....	poster artist (uncredited)
Tom Jung	....	poster designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Gordon Everett	....	sound recordist
Christopher Lancaster	....	dialogue editor (as Chris Lancaster)
Doug E. Turner	....	dubbing mixer (as Doug Turner)
Les Wiggins	....	dubbing editor
Charlie McFadden	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
John Richardson	....	special effects
George Gibbs	....	special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Roy Field	....	optical effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Alf Joint	....	stunt coordinator
Vic Armstrong	....	stunts (uncredited)
Alf Joint	....	stunt double: Lee Remick (uncredited)
Wendy Leech	....	stunt double: Holly Palance (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Gerry Anstiss	....	camera operator
Bob Penn	....	stillsman (as Robert Penn)
Ron Taberer	....	chief electrician
Peter Bloor	....	electrician (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Tiny Nicholls	....	wardrobe supervisor (as G.W. Nicholls)

Editorial Department
Chris Ridsdale	....	assistant editor
Mark Nakamine	....	colorist (digital color correction) (uncredited)

Music Department
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Lionel Newman	....	conductor (uncredited)

Other crew
Carolee Danz	....	assistant to producer
Jeanne Ferber	....	production assistant/secretary
Judy Friesen	....	special assistant to director
Bernard Hanson	....	location manager
Robert Munger	....	religious adviser to producers
Elaine Schreyeck	....	continuity
Don Williams	....	religious adviser to producers (as Rev. Don Williams Ph.D)
Ben Woodgate	....	dogs owned and trained by
Joan Woodgate	....	dogs owned and trained by

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (presents) (as Twentieth Century-Fox)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Productions (made by) (as Twentieth Century-Fox Productions Limited)
• Mace Neufeld Productions

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1976) (USA) (theatrical) (released by) (as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation)
• CBS/Fox Video (1984) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Fox Films (1976) (Finland) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2009) (Brazil) (DVD) (Blu-Ray)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2000) (Canada) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Abril Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox (1984) (USA) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox (198?) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Encore Entertainment (1996) (UK) (video) (laserdisc)
• FS Film (2001) (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• FS Film (2006) (Finland) (DVD) (6-disc Omen: Ultimate Collector's Edition)
• Fox Video (199?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Fox Video (1992) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Fox Video (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Gativideo (2006) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2006) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Hollydan Works (1999) (Yugoslavia) (DVD)
• Magnetic Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1998) (2000) (2003) (Finland) (TV)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1979) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• R-Video (1980s) (Finland) (video)
• TV3 (1989) (Finland) (TV)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Ford Motor Company  automobiles furnished by courtesy of
• Music Centre, The  music recorded at (as the Music Centre, England)
• National Screen Service  titles (as National Screen Service Limited, London)
• De Lane Lea  re-recorded at (as De Lane Lea, London)
• Officers and Men of U.S. Marine Barracks, London, England, The  group cast members (as The Officers and Men of U.S. Marine Barracks, London, England)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

111 min | Germany:107 min (cut version)

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | Latin | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:MA (25th anniversary special edition) | Australia:R (original rating) | Canada:R | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1976) | France:-12 | Norway:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | USA:R (certificate #24560) | West Germany:16 | New Zealand:(Banned) (video release, 1989-1991) | New Zealand:R16 (1992 re-rating) | New Zealand:R18 (original rating) | Iceland:16 | UK:X (original rating) | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2006) | UK:18 (video rating) (1987) (1999) | Sweden:15 | Spain:18 | South Korea:15 | Canada:R (video rating) | Portugal:M/16 | UK:15 (tv rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Brazil:16 | Argentina:13 (re-rating) | Argentina:18 (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating: 30th anniversary edition) (2006) | UK:15 (video rating: special features, additional material) (2008) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1992) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (2001)

Filming Locations:

All Saints Church, Fulham, London, England, UK

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

One of the films included in "The Fifty Worst Films of All Time (and how they got that way)" by Harry Medved and Randy Lowell.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The guide wire can be seen on the pole that falls from the church.

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in What a Girl Wants (2003)

Soundtrack:

The Piper Dreams

Much Better Than THE EXORCIST

This movie appears in the book 50 Worst Movies Of All Time alongside such fare as ROBOT MONSTER . This is completely undeserved because i rate THE OMEN as one of the best horror movies from the 1970s , if not all time . The book in question makes a big deal of how young Damien's parents experience some ghastly going ons without realising something is seriously wrong , but this is churlish since the audience ( like in most horror movies ) are one step in front of the protagonists , we instantly know what's going on even if the characters on screen don't and this is what makes the narrative so suspenseful , we're waiting for Ambassador Robert Thorn to put two and two together . It should also be pointed out that these types of tradgedies do happen in life and there's a rational explanation with no supernatural causes involved

Comparisons with both THE OMEN and THE EXORCIST will be made but this is by much the better film I think . Both films deal with satanic powers and both are very dead pan but unlike THE EXORCIST the serious tone of this movie doesn't go against it , THE EXORCIST goes out of its way to shock the audience while THE OMEN keeps its discipline and is all the better for it . Richard Donner brings shock moments where it's needed like the revelation of the priest after the fire , the scene in the cemetery and the lorry accident at Megiddo and unlike the shock scenes in THE EXORCIST they're never unintentionally funny . Giving roles to well known Brit character actors like Patrick Troughton , Billie Whitelaw , Leo McKern and David Warner also helps the movie a lot

The only real criticism I have is that it's not as good as I originally remembered after seeing it for the first time , but that's a problem with a great number of movies I've seen , or that the biblical city of Megiddo is nowhere near the location described in the screenplay ( It is in fact a few short miles west of the border of the West Bank on the route to Jenin ) but that won't matter to 99.9% of the rest of the audience . If I ever write a book called 50 Best Horror Movies Of All Time THE OMEN will definitely feature in it