The Omen: intense psychological horror with depth
The Omen, released in 1976 managed to create an indelible impact on the horror genre. Starring movie veterans Gregory Peck and Lee Remick, with Harvey Spencer Stevens as Damien, they are the unsuspecting couple who find their idyllic lives turned upside down by a decision that turned out to be fatal.
The film opens with Peck, an American diplomat, arriving at a hospital in Rome to receive the devastating news that his wife had lost their baby during childbirth, who is then persuaded by a priest to adopt a child who turns out to be the Antichrist.
There begins a story of his meteoric rise to power aided by the wealth and influence of his adoptive family. With the help of a babysitter played by Billie Whitelaw and a menacing hellhound, who are just 2 of his followers who seem to arrive at opportune moments throughout the movies to ensure he fulfills his destiny, promptly eliminating all his enemies one by one. a. The Omen climaxes with a memorable ending in a church at the end of the film when Robert Thorn finally accepts that his son is in fact the Antichrist after discovering his ‘666’ birthmark, as the Bible says all of Satan’s apostles possess. , and resign. himself to kill him.
Damien: Omen II was a memorable sequel, and was many’s favorite film, although The Omen remains the critics’ choice, and was in fact the fourth highest-grossing film of that year. However, Damien, played brilliantly by unknown actor Jonathan Scott-Taylor, who managed to provide an air of demonic intent that allows the viewer to suspend disbelief throughout the film, with a supporting cast that included William Holden and Lee Grant, who together make this a worthy and very likeable successor.
At age 12, Damien is now living in Chicago with Robert Thorn’s extended family and attending a military academy and is still unaware of his true identity. In Omen II the Wall of Yigael, an invention from the Omen films being excavated in Israel, is revealed, and shows a series of drawings detailing the various stages of his rise to prominence. A raven and a platoon leader at the academy, played by Lance Henrikson, are among his allies in this film as he continues his murderous campaign.
Omen’s third outing, Omen III: The Final Conflict, was probably the least successful of the original movies that didn’t live up to the hype. Sam Neil convincingly plays Damien when he is 32 years old and at the height of his powers. He is now the CEO of Thorn Industries and stands out in his political career. The 7 Knives of Megiddo having been unearthed in the Thorn Museum in Chicago, which are to Damien what Kryptonite is to Superman, are now in the possession of a group of priests from Italy intent on destroying Damien, and awaiting the Second Coming. of Christ as announced in the Book of Revelation.
The disappointment of this film was largely due to the ending of the film, which is fair to say is an anticlimax to what could have rounded out a brilliant horror series. Omen VI and a 2006 remake of The Omen failed to rekindle interest in the franchise, and it subsequently disappeared into DVD land without a trace.
Despite that, its influence on popular culture is undeniable, and The Omen remains an intense psychological horror with depth, all too often lacking if many of the current offerings are anything to go by. Even Damien’s name will be forever linked to the movies and he’s unlikely to appear on the short list of names for mothers-to-be anytime soon!