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 3 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 | death by impalement | photography darkroom | bible prophecy | child's grave | 

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Taglines:

If you see one picture this year, it should be the one you'll never forget.

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of Richard Donner's first requests to screenwriter David Seltzer was to remove all suggestions of the supernatural, such as cloven-hoofed demons and witches' covens. The golden rule was that nothing was allowed in the script that couldn't happen in real life. The idea was that there should be some degree of doubt over whether or not Thorn was deranged.

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Goofs

As Gregory Peck is running towards the fence in the cemetery of Cervette, you can see his raincoat already has the tear and blood stains from his impalement on the fence, though he has not yet reached the fence.

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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

Closing credits epilogue: "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is 666."

Book of Revelation Chapter 13 Verse 18

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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

Spoofed in American Dad!: Season's Beatings (2011)

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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

One Of Scariest Movies Of The Modern Era

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!!

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