Release: 1976
Directed by: Richard Donner
Written by: David Seltzer
Starring:
Gregory Peck as Robert Thorn
Lee Remick as Katherine Thorn
David Warner as Keith Jennings
Billie Whitelaw as Mrs. Baylock
Harvey Stephens as Damien
At this point just about everybody who will see The
Omen has seen it. Either the
original from 1976, or the remake from 2006. First I’ll talk
about the remake.
Don’t bother with it. The remake is the same story, the same
scenes and, in essence, the same movie…just not done as
well. We live in a world of horror remakes, and there are two schools
of thought regarding them.
The first school of thought is that something new should be brought to
the classic tale – give some compelling reason why the story
should be retold. Modernize the settings perhaps, make use of
technologies in film making and gore that were not available when the
original was released or add new twists to the story that make the
resulting remake not so much a remake as a new movie with some themes
in common with the original. This is a better idea than working
straight off of the original script, but I still would prefer original
ideas and film makers willing to take risks.
The second is that the integrity of the original movie should be
maintained and the story should be told in the same way that it was
told the first time. I think this point of view is seriously flawed.
Why? Does a modern film maker think that he or she can do it better?
The movies that are remade are classics, after all. Who would have the
gumption to believe that they are so highly skilled that they can
improve on a classic. I think that’s stupid.
Therefore, the remake of The Omen, through careful
application of the logic of my reasoning, is stupid. My wife is a
woman…Christy Brinkley is a woman…therefore, my
wife is Christy Brinkley. Makes sense to me.
Anyway, on with the discussion of the original…
The Omen is a tale of the anti-Christ and his
development from birth to childhood. Throughout the movie, from his
“switched at birth” beginnings to the tragic demise
of all potential adversaries, Damien (Harvey Stephens) progresses along
the path preordained in Revelations.
The Omen has everything going for it in horror movie
terms.
The villain is the pure embodiment of evil on earth. Christian or not,
everybody understands the concept of the anti-Christ. For those that
believe, the psychological elements of The Omen are intense. This is
the end of the world that we’re talking about here, the
apocalypse.
The acting in The Omen is spot-on. Every character
is believable, and every situation has the elements of real-life
necessary to draw the viewer in. Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck),
Damien’s father, leads us down the path of a proud father
facing mounting evidence that something about his son is
“just not right”. Katherine Thorn (Lee Remick)
expertly portrays a woman who knows that something evil is in her midst
while everybody assumes she is insane. Then there is Harvey Stephens as
Damien. Damien is inherently creepy. There is nothing in particular
that he says or does, but just the look in that little boy’s
eyes communicates evil loud and clear.
he music
won an Oscar for Best Original Score, and plays a huge role in the
effectiveness and tone of The Omen.
The Omen, like so many movies with Biblical
overtones, is surrounded by rumors of an evil curse that affects the
cast and crew. Both Gregory Peck’s and director Richard
Donner’s airplanes were struck by lightening while traveling
to location, a flight that Mr. Peck was supposed to be on crashed
killing everyone on board, and the FX artist John Richardson was
injured in an accident during post-production that beheaded his
girlfriend. Were there repercussions for making The Omen?
Only God knows.
In any
case, The Omen is a classic with good reason. It is
extremely scary, and many believe that the events that transpire in the
movie are actually possible in real life. It doesn’t get more
psychological than that. Questions
or comments about The Omen? Contact us!
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The second is that the integrity of the original movie should be
maintained and the story should be told in the same way that it was
told the first time. I think this point of view is seriously flawed.
Why? Does a modern film maker think that he or she can do it better?
The movies that are remade are classics, after all. Who would have the
gumption to believe that they are so highly skilled that they can
improve on a classic. I think that’s stupid.
Anyway, on with the discussion of the original…
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