Review of The Omen (1976) by Keenan S — 07 Jun 2014

It's about damn time I got around to watching one of the greatest horror films ever made. My only previous exposure to The Omen franchise was the decent, but flawed remake (It's not nearly as bad as people make it out to be). Still, I had always been curious to see the original 1976 classic, and I'm damn glad that I got around to it, because for me, The Omen is on par with The Exorcist and one of the greatest horror films of all time.

On June 6th, 1971, American ambassador Robert Thorn became the father of a child that wasn't even his after the child his wife gave birth to died. However, his wife had no idea that their child died, and seeing that this baby offered by the priest from the hospital has no mother or relatives, he decides to take it and raise it as his own, and the child is named Damien.

Things go well for the family for awhile, until Damien's fifth birthday when his nanny suddenly hangs herself out in the open while proclaiming her love and devotion to Damien.

Soon after, more strange things begin to occur, such as a priest that won't stop harassing Robert and telling him that his son is the son of the devil and how his family's lives are in danger from Damien. Things are also becoming strange for a photographer named Jennings whose photographs seem to have odd defects until those defects turn out to be predictions of death, which is determined when the priest that has been harassing Robert turns up dead like Jennings' photographs displayed.

As more terrible and strange things occur, Robert and Jennings must team up to figure out who Damien really is, as well as try to save their own lives before it's too late.

Every frame of The Omen is dripping with dread, terror, and menace due to the brilliant direction from Richard Donner, combined with the brilliant script, and frightening score by master composer, Jerry Goldsmith. As it unfolds so carefully, the terror increases little by little, until the film becomes outright terrifying in a way that won't let the viewer go until the suspenseful climax at the end. It's very scary, very suspenseful, and very menacing - just the way it should be as a horror film.

The acting is also superb, with every cast member delivering a stellar performance, especially legendary actor, Gregory Peck who commands the screen with his performance as Robert Thorn, because he felt very believable and sympathetic, and added deeper layers to his already well-developed character. While he shines brightest, his fellow cast members are certainly no slouches as they are also very believable in their magnetic performances.

The Omen is a masterpiece of horror that has not aged one bit. It's a scary, well-written, superbly performed, brilliant, and engaging horror film that has definitely earned its classic status. If you consider yourself to be a horror fan, you must not by any means miss out on the original The Omen because it is amazing and terrifying in every way.