The Omen (1976)

Mysterious deaths surround an American ambassador. Could the child that he is raising actually be the Antichrist? The Devil's own son?

Director:

Richard Donner

Writer:

David Seltzer

Stars:

Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, Harvey Stephens

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gregory Peck	...	Robert Thorn
Lee Remick	...	Katherine Thorn
David Warner	...	Keith 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 nothing 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:

nanny | priest | hospital | baby | catholic hospital | 

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Taglines:

You Have Been Warned. If Something Frightening Happens To You Today. Think About It. It May Be "The Omen."

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mike Hodges was offered the chance to direct the movie. He refused, but actually went on to direct three weeks of Damien: Omen II (1978) before he was fired over creative differences.

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Goofs

When the taxi driver in Rome first exits the cab, his finger is bandaged. A minute later, it has no bandage.

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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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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: ROME JUNE 6TH-6AM

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Alternate Versions

In the Swedish version, the scene showing Jennings being decapitated has been cut by 11 seconds.

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Connections

Featured in The Curse of 'The Omen' (2005)

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Soundtracks

The Piper Dreams
(uncredited)
Music by Jerry Goldsmith
Arranged by Arthur Morton
Lyrics by Carol Heather Goldsmith
Sung by Carol Heather Goldsmith

User Reviews

Classic Satanic schlock.

'The Omen' scared the bejesus out of me as a kid. Watching it again all these years later much of its impact has worn off, and yes, it has dated quite badly, but it's still a wonderfully entertaining movie, probably second only to Polanski's 'Rosemary's Baby' in the Satanic/apocalyptic genre. It definitely wipes the floor with recent pretenders like 'Lost Souls' and 'End Of Days'.

One of the reasons it still works is that the actors take the (sometimes silly) material so seriously. And when you have actors of the calibre of Gregory Peck and David Warner it certainly helps. Peck is utterly convincing as the Ambassador who doesn't want to believe the shocking facts staring him in the face, and Warner, who often found himself in second rate b-grade rubbish, obviously relished his role as the inquisitive reporter who helps convince Peck that things are not as normal as they seem. Along with Peckinpah's 'Cross Of Iron', one of his best roles. Lee Remick is strong as Damien's worried mother, Billie Whitelaw chilling as the mysterious governess, and Patrick Troughton ('Dr Who' #2) is very good as a dying priest who knows the truth about the Thorn's son.

Forget the sequels, 'The Omen' is classic Satanic schlock, and still has more than a few scares left in it. Essential viewing for fans of 70s horror.

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Latin Italian

Release Date:

25 June 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Birthmark

Filming Locations:

Parliament Square, Westminster, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$2,800,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,273,886, 27 June 1976

Gross USA:

$60,922,980

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$60,922,980

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Harvey Bernhard Productions, Mace Neufeld Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min 107 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby Digital (Blu-ray version) DTS (Blu-ray version)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1