Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31146 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-06-04
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English, Latin
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 106 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
In 1976 The Omen was a hit among critics and audiences hungry for more after The Exorcist with its mixture of Gothic horror and mystery and its plot about a young boy suspected of being the personification of the Antichrist. Directed by Richard Donner (best known later for his Superman and Lethal Weapon films), The Omen gained a lot of credibility from the casting of Gregory Peck and Lee Remick as a distinguished American couple living in England, whose young son Damien bears "the mark of the beast". At a time when graphic gore had yet to dominate the horror genre, this film used its violence discreetly and to great effect, and the mood of dread and potential death is masterfully maintained. It's all a bit contrived, with a lot of biblical portent and sensational fury, but few would deny it's highly entertaining. Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar-winning score works wonders to enhance the movie's creepy atmosphere. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

On the DVD: The all-new 45-minute documentary, "666: The Omen Revealed", has contributions from all the major behind-the-scenes players, including director, editor, screenwriter (who confesses the movie was only set in England because he wanted a free trip to London), producer and composer. The latter, Jerry Goldsmith, has his Oscar-winning contribution to the movie recognised with a separate feature in which he talks through four key musical scenes in the score. There's also a thought-provoking short called "Curse or Coincidence?" in which the many bizarre accidents that happened during shooting are related, including the terrible story of what happened to the girlfriend of the man responsible for designing the decapitation scene--spooky. Director Richard Donner and editor Stuart Baird provide a chatty audio commentary to the film, and the DVD package is completed by the original theatrical trailer. --Mark Walker

Special Features
1.85 Wide Screen
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
DVD 9
English
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround English
Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Directors Commentary
Documentary 666 The Omen Revealed
6 Minute Shorts Curse Or Coincidence
Jerry Goldsmith Interview
The Omen Trailer
Czech\Danish\English\Finnish\Hebrew\Hungarian\Icelandic\Norwegian\Polish\Portuguese\Swedish

Synopsis
A staid American ambassador (Gregory Peck) and his wife (Lee Remick) are heartbroken when their child is stillborn, but their heartbreak is only beginning when they adopt an orphan. As the boy grows, disaster surrounds him, beginning with the suicide of his nanny, and as the bodies pile up, his horrified father begins to believe that the boy is evil incarnate and must be destroyed. The unique climax paved the way for the two popular sequels, DAMIEN: OMEN II and OMEN III: THE FINAL CONFLICT. Composer Jerry Goldsmith won an Academy Award for Best Score.

Customer Reviews

OUTSTANDING GOTHIC THRILLER...
This is a first class, gothic thriller with an outstanding cast, a riveting story line, and a musical score that will make the viewer want to sleep with the lights on! A first rate film, it had audiences riveted to the screen when it was first released in the mid nineteen seventies. I know. I was one of that audience. This film has withstood the test of time, as it is as gripping today, as when it was first released.

Katherine (Lee Remick) and Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) are a wealthy, older American couple. Katherine is pregnant and, while in Italy, gives birth to an ostensibly stillborn boy, a fact that is kept from her. Knowing how much his wife wanted the baby and the difficulty that she had in conceiving, Robert agrees to have the dead baby supplanted by a living newborn whose mother died in child birth, keeping this information from Katherine. They name this baby Damien.

All goes well for the prosperous Thorn family, until Damien turns five. A series of dramatic, unusual events begin to occur around the Thorns, all seemingly stemming from Damien. Well guarded by a self sufficient, somewhat creepy nanny (Billie Whitelaw), there are those who would believe him to be the Antichrist. By the time that Katherine and Robert begin to realize who Damien may truly be, their lives are out of control. With the aid of an inquisitive photographer, a repentant priest, and an archaeologist who holds the key to the destruction of the Antichrist, Robert Stone becomes a man with a mission. Will Damien let him complete that mission? Watch this movie and find out. You will not be disappointed. I guarantee that you will be sleeping with the lights on and the covers over your head.

David Seltzer wrote a terrific screenplay. This first class production, which is deftly directed by Richard Donner, is played with straightforward sincerity by its outstanding cast. The casting of Gregory Peck and Lee Remick was pure genius, as their distinguished reputations infused the movie with a believability not thought possible, given the theme of the script. Playing it straight, as a couple caught in a vortex of events over which they have little control, they sweep the viewer along with them. Supported by a fine cast, there are notable performances given by Billie Whitelaw, as the nanny with a mission, David Warner, as the photographer who begins to notice that something odd seems to be going on, and Harvey Stephens, as Damien, whose angelic countenance belies his satanic nature.

This is a riveting, subtle film that, with a few well planned, shocking moments, and an effectively creepy musical score that builds suspense to a crescendo, manages to thoroughly engage the viewer. If one is looking for a blood and gore fest, there is really none of that here. Instead, look to be scared out of the seat of your pants by a superb script, wonderful acting, deft direction, and a musical score that will long linger in one's memory. It is little wonder that Jerry Goldsmith, the composer of the original musical score for The Omen, won an Academy Award for his efforts.

The DVD is a loaded DVD with a lot of interesting features. It provides a forty six minute documetary on the making of the film, which is quite interesting, as well as a director's commentary. There is a also an intriguing, six minute short on some of the eerie pitfalls that beset the cast and crew during the filming of the movie. The composer also has a small segment of his own. There are the other standard features, such as theatrical trailers and scene selections, as well as crystal clear visuals and audio. This is a first rate DVD of a film well worth having in one's collection. Bravo!

OUTSTANDING GOTHIC THRILLER...
This is a first class, gothic thriller with an outstanding cast, a riveting story line, and a musical score that will make the viewer want to sleep with the lights on! A first rate film, it had audiences riveted to the screen when it was first released in the mid nineteen seventies. I know. I was one of that audience. This film has withstood the test of time, as it is as gripping today, as when it was first released.

Katherine (Lee Remick) and Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) are a wealthy, older American couple. Katherine is pregnant and, while in Italy, gives birth to an ostensibly stillborn boy, a fact that is kept from her. Knowing how much his wife wanted the baby and the difficulty that she had in conceiving, Robert agrees to have the dead baby supplanted by a living newborn whose mother died in child birth, keeping this information from Katherine. They name this baby Damien.

All goes well for the prosperous Thorn family, until Damien turns five. A series of dramatic, unusual events begin to occur around the Thorns, all seemingly stemming from Damien. Well guarded by a self sufficient, somewhat creepy nanny (Billie Whitelaw), there are those who would believe him to be the Antichrist. By the time that Katherine and Robert begin to realize who Damien may truly be, their lives are out of control. With the aid of an inquisitive photographer, a repentant priest, and an archaeologist who holds the key to the destruction of the Antichrist, Robert Stone becomes a man with a mission. Will Damien let him complete that mission? Watch this movie and find out. You will not be disappointed. I guarantee that you will be sleeping with the lights on and the covers over your head.

David Seltzer wrote a terrific screenplay. This first class production, which is deftly directed by Richard Donner, is played with straightforward sincerity by its outstanding cast. The casting of Gregory Peck and Lee Remick was pure genius, as their distinguished reputations infused the movie with a believability not thought possible, given the theme of the script. Playing it straight, as a couple caught in a vortex of events over which they have little control, they sweep the viewer along with them. Supported by a fine cast, there are notable performances given by Billie Whitelaw, as the nanny with a mission, David Warner, as the photographer who begins to notice that something odd seems to be going on, and Harvey Stephens, as Damien, whose angelic countenance belies his satanic nature.

This is a riveting, subtle film that, with a few well planned, shocking moments, and an effectively creepy musical score that builds suspense to a crescendo, manages to thoroughly engage the viewer. If one is looking for a blood and gore fest, there is really none of that here. Instead, look to be scared out of the seat of your pants by a superb script, wonderful acting, deft direction, and a musical score that will long linger in one's memory. It is little wonder that Jerry Goldsmith, the composer of the original score for The Omen, won an Academy Award for his efforts. This is a film well worth having in one’s collection.

Classic supernatural horror
There was a rising trend in the 1970's for excess gore and pushing the boundaries as much as possible within the horror genre. Much of what fitted into the 'video nasty' genre was, as a result, forgettable and throwaway, with the exception of perhaps 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' or 'The Evil Dead'.

The Omen, however, was neither a video nasty, nor a schlocky kind of hammer-esque farce. Instead, it was a reasonably intelligently written supernatural horror exploring biblical dogma which had only occasionally been touched on within the horror genre, in films such as 'Rosemary's Baby'. The Omen took gothic horror to uncharted territory.

Much of the effectiveness comes from the concept of a child being evil, which is something most people find unthinkable. Robert and Cathy Thorn, however, bring up a child who, by his fifth birthday, is already looking more and more disturbed.

Of course, we as the viewer know that the child is not really their's, but actually an unwanted baby who was dumped upon the staff of a monastery. Later, it transpires that 'Damien' was actually born of a Jackal.

The plot very quickly treads into creepy and unnerving territory when, on the day of his fifth birthday, Damien's nanny hangs herself in front of hundreds of guests, from a third-storey window. The camera then slowly moves onto a shot of Damien waving at a demented looking Rottweiler, accompanied by some seriously scary sounding music composed by Jerry Goldsmith.

Indeed, the musical score is one of the most important elements in this film, with regards to atmosphere. It plays an integral part in setting mood and unnerving the listener. Goldsmith's score sounds chilling and at times, threatening.

The unpleasant events keep on unfolding, most notably a rather eventful visit to a church. Upon seeing the church, Damien begins screaming psychotically and attacking his parents. The juxtaposition of infancy and perilous, violent rage is central to the success of this scene, and also the entire film.

A later visit to a Safari Park proves no more successful, as various animals back away from Damien, and then later, hundreds of Baboons attack the car which Damien's mother, played by Lee Remick, is driving. The fright and horror of Cathy is profound, almost tangible, and completely convinving.

This horror then accelerates at a rapid pace, as the Thorn's slowly begin to unravel the horrifying truth about who their son really is, and exactly what he is capable of. Robert Thorn, played superbly by Gregory Peck, becomes particularly determined to discover the truth about his 'son', aided by an unhinged priest and a snooping photographer, both of whom are doomed from the moment they open their mouths.

The sense of foreboding and the deterioration of Cathy's state of mind, and eventually, physical health, along with the sinister appearance of a deeply scary nanny named 'Mrs. Baylock', are both important in creating a sense of great unease and impending doom. The viewer knows that the entire plot and dialogue is building it's way towards a horrifying climax, director Richard Donner leaves us in no doubt about that.

It also must be said that the characterisation is excellent, particularly from Gregory Peck, whose shift from sceptic to terrified parent is a fascinating one. Peck is convincing and real, his fear and anguish affecting. Lee Remick is also superb as the doomed Cathy Thorn, who struggles continuously with her distance from, and suspiscion of Damien.

Additionally, Damien himself, played by Harvey Stephens, and Mrs. Baylock, played by Billie Whitelaw, are both intriguing to watch and sinister at all the right moments. Menace and intimidation are provided in plentiful supply by both of these characters, helpfully aided by a bloodthirsty Rottweiler who is possessed by a need to tear Robert Thorn apart, limb from limb.

The locations are also varied, ranging from America, London and the English countryside, from Rome to Jerusalem, via an extremely unpleasant Italian cemetery occupied by legions of yet more vicious Rottweilers. As you've probably guessed, this film probably hasn't done a great deal to boost the reputation of Rottweilers.

The dialogue and plot are big on suspense, as all classic horror films should be, and although there are a couple of moderately violent moments, this is not a gore-fest in any way, shape or form. It doesn't need to be. It is supernatural horror par excellence, boasting every dramatic device possible to keep the viewer's nerves on edge and their interest captured. As a horror film, it is top drawer, being superbly acted, directed and scripted, whilst also unnerving, if not frightening, many a horror fan for now, over three decades.