The Omen (1976) / The Omen 30th Anniversary Sepcial Edition

Released just before the slasher film became the dominant form of horror cinema, The Omen is rightly acknowledged as a classic of its genre. More of a psychological thriller than an out and out horror, its respected cast headed by Gregory Peck, Lee Remick and David Warner lend the film a huge sense of gravitas that is often rare for films of the genre. Character actors like Patrick Troughton and Billie Whitelaw (well known at the time as Samuel Beckett' favourite actress) provide wonderfully sinister support, haunting every frame they appear in. The film was directed by Richard Donner (who would later became a huge player in Hollywood with diverse titles like Superman: The Movie and the Lethal Weapon series to his credit) and proved to be the launch of not only a franchise that spawned three sequels but also a recently announced remake with the potential of a series of films following on from that, should it prove to be a success.

As with all films that become part of popular culture, it is a work that is easily spoofed, Jerry Goldsmith' Oscar winning score is often imitated (and often mistaken for "O Fortuna" from Carmina Burana) on comedy shows and the name Damien is now popular slang for any boy who misbehaves. However, it is a film that is remarkably humourless for its entire running time, never feeling the need to wink at the audience and downplay the inevitable melodrama inherent in the narrative.  In much the same way that Jaws had tapped into audiences primal fears a year before, The Omen presented a metaphysical fear; What if the child of Satan walked among us?

The story, suggested from the end-times prophecies of fundamentalist Christianity as seen in the book of revelation in The Bible, is relatively simple. It charts what would happen if the devils child is adopted into an actively powerful political family. Over the course of the three films (the fourth, an unnecessary TV movie is best forgotten) Damien is manipulated and manipulates himself closer towards the position of ultimate power. The Omen and later films in the series depict a mystery where the audience is already one step ahead of the characters. This becomes problematic when the films slip into a rigid format of allowing characters to discover the truth only to be killed in increasingly elaborate scenarios. An obvious example is Father Brennan in the original film and Joan Hart in the sequel who both share exactly the same narrative function, i.e. to be met disbelief before meeting a violent demise.

Vitally, the characters in the film react with conviction whether they believe what is happening to be part of an unholy plan or sheer coincidence. Robert Thorn's increasingly strained sense of denial over the course of the narrative is entirely believable with the killings carefully staged to leave an element of doubt as to whether he is going insane or if there is a supernatural explanation. This is where the casting of Gregory Peck proves to be a masterstroke. A classic Hollywood leading man, Peck is allowed to shatter preconceptions and play firmly against type. He has a certain stability that signifies control and dominance which is allowed to crumble away as the narrative progresses.

While Lee Remick fills the traditional female in peril role, it is interesting how her character is shown in counterpoint with Mrs Baylock, the nanny who mysteriously arrives to care for Damien. Baylock literally takes over the parental duties nurturing the child. The first meeting between Kathy and Baylock sees the former as the dominant of the two women with Baylock looking up at her. A later, beautifully composed shot sees Baylock at the top of stairs at the Thorn house, while Kathy pathetically argues with her from the bottom.  It is interesting to note that later in the film Kathy is caused to fall twice by Baylock, the first indirectly when she lets Damien loose on the landing and the second when (it is strongly implied) she pushes the injured woman out of the hospital window in a symbolic assertion of power. After all, the hand that rocks the cradle¦

An important part of the effectiveness of The Omen is down to the editing. In lesser hands, scenes such as Father Brennan's meeting with Thorn and subsequent dash to the Church would feel excessively staged. The whole scene works thanks to some fast and brutal cutting from Stuart Baird who gives the scene a dramatic pace and structure. When the luckless priest is killed and the storm immediately subsides, it adds a wonderfully eerie supernatural coda to the scene.

Although scenes such as the hypnosis of various characters by the Rottweiler are open to ridicule, Baird's sense of timing combined with Donner's unapologetic use of close up allows the scenes to maintain their sense of menace.

Throughout the film, the full and unapologetic use of the 2.35:1 frame is exemplary, making the audience notice details in opposite ends of the frame. When Father Brennen first confronts Thorn in his office, family photos are placed at the far right of the frame while the priest occupies the far left. The fact that the priest is delivering a truth that will shatter Thorn's family. It is a direct echo of the haunting shot at the start of the film when the mysterious Father Spiletto appears in the frame alongside Kathy and the child.

The film is punctuated by Jerry Goldsmith's memorable score. Aside from the terrifying Ave Santani (literally translated as 'Hail Satan') Goldsmith uses solemn strings and tragic solo piano to highlight the genuinely moving tragedy inherent in the narrative. 

The new special edition includes a brand new commentary by Director Richard Donner (X-Men), Wes Craven's definitive word on this horror classic, a featurette on The Omen Legacy and much, much more.

Damien: Omen 2

Despite a hugely effective opening scene which sees Leo Mckern reprise his role as the archaeologist, Bugenhagen, Damien: Omen 2 has the feeling of being rushed, baring all the hallmarks of its troubled production. Early scenes at the Thorn Mansion have the feel of US super soap Dynasty with much discussion put on wealth and 'controlling shares' and the direction by Don Taylor (replacing Mike Hodges) feels stilted and flat. Compared with the distinctive look that Richard Donner constructed for the original film, the sequel feels unadventurous and dull.
While Jerry Goldsmiths score provides much needed continuity, it lacks the tempered pace of the original score, reflecting the second films frenetic pace.
There is a sense of Final Destination here, with all manner of outrageous deaths caused by a variety of convoluted ways. Some of the scenes are effective; the drowning under the ice and the ravens attack on the journalist provide effective visceral set pieces but the increasingly elaborate deaths such as the doctor in the lift and the train that traps a man in its buffer (Satan seems to like releasing handbrakes) feel more and more convoluted as the film moves on. What is lost though is the psychological aspect of text with fleeting references to The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse (the disciples who are advising Damien throughout the film) and The Whore of Babylon (who is heavily implicated to be reincarnated as Damien's foster mother) seeming underdeveloped rather than mysterious. 

The Final Conflict

Although it had initially been thought that The Omen had the potential to run to a six film series, by the early 1980's it was decided to wrap the series up with a thirty three year old Damien making a final ascent to the White House as the Ambassador to Great Britain. In bringing the story back to England, the filmmakers hoped for a return to the atmospheric spookiness of the original as opposed to the glossy generic horror of the sequel.

Lurching between highly comic scenes of a group of hapless Monks and their bungled attempts to assassinate Damien and majestic, sweeping shots of the rolling English countryside during the fox hunting scenes, The Final Conflict's biggest problem is that it is an uneven film, there is so much packed into the relatively brief running time that it often feels needlessly convoluted. With the brothers attempts to assassinate Damien, the second coming and Damien's attempts to kill the Christ child and his burgeoning relationship with a female journalist all tending to trample each other for attention it often feels like an attempt to cram in as much into the final instalment as possible.

Sam Neill (recommended for the role by James Mason) makes an icy yet charismatic Damien in this enjoyable if tangled entry in the series. Avoiding playing the part as a cliched moustache twirling villain and instead opting to depict Damien as a suave, charmer (It is no wonder that, in a move largely based on his performance in this film that Neill nearly won the role of James Bond a few years later). 

Jerry Goldsmith returns to form after the frankly lacklustre score for the second film. He manages to inject a sense of the epic into the busy narrative. This is perhaps best exemplified in the excellent fox hunt sequence in which the brothers attempt to capture Damien. Baker's sense of visual sweep gives the sequence a grander but it is Goldsmith's score that makes the hills roll as the hunt takes flight.

Part of the success of the previous films, particularly the first, was the absence of demons. Horror was very much implied as opposed to a visually presented a personification of evil. Rottweilers and Crows served as messengers, implanting evil thoughts into the mind of their prey. The horror is implied in the eyes of the victims and the audiences imagination is given free reign to do the rest.

The Final Conflict drops the ball dramatically with a demon baby that would have been far better alluded to. Earlier in the film there is a sense of an omitted special effects shot when the Ambassador looks into his mirror and sees something that prompts his suicide.

The closing scenes of The Final Conflict are mysterious yet bold and crucially deliberately vague. Good certainly triumphs over evil but, whether by accident or design, the door is left open via the seven daggers that are specifically signposted as a means of Damien' destruction. Only the first of the daggers (the one that extinguishes life according to the first film) gets used, leaving his soul and therefore pure evil very much at large in the world. Audiences wouldn' have had it any other way.

Omen IV: The Awakening

Damien may have been defeated, but his prophecy is reborn in a mysterious girl, Delia. When her adoptive mother Karen realises her child was born under suspicious circumstances she beings to investigate. A series of bizarre accidents occur, and Karen begins to suspect everyone of conspiring against her as she unravels the truth about her baby…

The Omen (2006)

Say your prayers, Damien has been born, and is about to possess a DVD near you… Thirty years after the original film was released, John Moore's reimagining of the 1976 classic, The Omen, is released to buy and rent on DVD on 23rd October 2006 by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

The Book of Revelation prophesises the arrival of the Antichrist, who is branded with the numerical sequence '666' – the mark of the Beast. He will receive his power directly from Satan, and his coming will signal the beginning of Armageddon…

DVD special features include a commentary by John Moore, Glen Williamson and Dan Zimmerman, a 50 minute 'making of' featurette, two extended scenes, and an alternate ending.

The Omen Pentology

The Omen Pentology (£59.99 RRP), which includes The Omen, The Omen 30th Anniversary Special Edition and remastered versions of Damien: Omen II, Omen III: The Final Conflict and Omen IV: The Awakening, is also released on 23rd October. These films are released individually on the same date.