Horror Film of the Week: The Omen

The Omen

Directed By: Richard Donner

Starring: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick

Year of Release: 1976

Rated: R

1 hrs. 41 min.

When the child of US Ambassador Robert Thorn and his wife Katherine is stillborn, Robert reluctantly adopts a baby boy whose mother died in childbirth without telling his wife that the child is not their biological son. Years later the family relocates to London and holds a birthday party for the boy, Damien. At the party an incident occurs which sets in motion a series of deaths and odd events which lead Robert to search for the truth behind who Damien really is and where he came from. The truth is more frightening than Robert could ever have imagined.

The Omen is wildly chilling. Nothing is more frightening than a child being a truly powerful force of evil, especially when it is a child you think is your own. Harvey Stephens portrays Damien brilliantly, with his vacant stares and devilish grins. Gregory Peck is just as strong a performer in this film as he is in the literary classic To Kill a Mockingbird. As Robert Thorn, he wonderfully portrays the role of a father torn between the love for a boy he claims as his son and his desire to find the evil truth of that boy's existence.

The film has so many seemingly beautiful aspects. The Oscar-winning score is the perfect tool, causing tension and suspense at all the right moments with haunting Latin choral chants. You will get chills every time you hear one of these dark pieces of music. There are also camera shots and editing devices which are compelling and lyrical while still keeping the film in the realm of dark and frightening. In one shot, a single fish bowl falls silently and slowly from a balcony and shatters on the hard floor below. At another moment, a gun goes off and, in slow motion, we watch the bullet leave the gun and float through the air amidst the gunpowder emitted from the shot. Moments such as these two are part of what makes The Omen such a classic; its not just about the scary moments (such as the iconic scene where Damien's nanny hangs herself), its the beautiful cinematography, editing, and acting.

And besides, the name "Damien" is cleverly similar to the word "demon." Is there a better name for an evil child than that? If you are a character in a horror film and you name your child that, you're just asking for trouble.

The Omen is most definitely one of the horror elite. No single person can call himself or herself a true horror fan, or a fan of film in general, without having seen this masterpiece.