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:

Subject Matter May Be Too Intense For Children

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Richard Donner said he feared for his life during the filming of the movie, because of the "Omen curse". He literally feared the Devil or other demonic forces would strike him down during the production, but he soldiered on anyway. It should be noted that not only was Donner not killed during The Omen, but the film was very lucky for him. Its success opened the door for him to direct Superman years later, which was a blockbuster success; and later the Lethal Weapon series, which was hugely successful; Goonies; and various other blockbusters. Overall, he has had a very prosperous and successful career, in spite of the Omen curse - and he is still alive.

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Goofs

When the ambassador is being driven to the wedding and Damian is having a tantrum in the car, the car passes the from of the church 3 times.

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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

SPOILER: Near the end, when Robert has Damien in the car in his driveway, scenes of the Rottweiler and Mrs. Baylock attacking one more time were filmed but ultimately cut. Originally, Robert killed her by running her over with the car twice. Director Richard Donner says he cut it because the scene "went on forever." However, the idea was later loosely re-used for the 2006 remake, The Omen.

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Connections

Referenced in Dinner for Five: Episode #3.13 (2004)

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Soundtracks

Happy Birthday to You
(uncredited)
Written by Patty S. Hill and Mildred J. Hill
Sung at Damien's birthday party.

User Reviews

Unnaturally Supernatural

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.

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