OMEN (1976) [Blu-ray]

The 1970s was the golden age of horror and The Omen was one of the standout releases during that period. The movie follows the family of Ambassador Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) and his wife Katherine (Lee Remick). Her child dies at birth and is replaced by another baby without her knowledge. The story centers around the father’s realization that his son Damien (Harvey Spencer Stephens) is more than evil.The Omen does a beautiful job introducing the threat Damien poses. For example, the child has a birthday party and his nanny hangs herself in front of all the children. Then a priest Father Brennan (Patrick Troughton) shows up at Ambassador Thorn’s office and warns him that his son’s birth was unnatural. Damien then has a fit when his family tries to take him to Sunday church service. After that the story begins to focus upon Ambassador Thorn looking into this son and finding out the truth about him. This includes going into the occult and a great scene at a cemetery. The movie posses the question of whether someone so young and who looks so innocent like Damien could be so evil.This really is a classic horror film that should be seen by all who enjoy the genre.C

The Thorns move to London and for them all hell breaks loose. Unfortunately no one had warned them that young women making spectacles of themselves at parties, persistent shaggy-haired paparazzi, rude dogs, wild-eyed ministers proclaiming doom, insubordinate know-it-all nannies, angry baboons, and your child turning out to be the antichrist are all just par for the course for London residents. At one point in the film Gregory Peck finally figures it out and pleads with his wife to get out of London! Unfortunately, like everyone else, he learns that by the time you've realized you shouldn't have come to London, it's far too late to leave...

Though dated, for the most part the movie was engaging and suspenseful, and Gregory Peck and Lee Remick are always a delight to watch perform. A fairly good horror film.However, what was MORE horrifying than the movie was after subscribing to the AMC Channel on Amazon -- the only means to watch this movie -- was to discover despite paying for the privilege, prior to the start of the film the following message appeared, paraphrasing here but this was the gist of it: "Due to streaming issues, the following will have limited commercial interruptions."Okay, I figured in order to stream the movie, AMC had to agree to advertise some product or the other, but in fact the five interruptions were ALL PROMOTIONS for AMC, no outside entities. So unlike other (and far better with much more content) streaming services that forego ads -- or give one the option to skip or bypass ads -- because of the fact one is paying a premium to view those services, AMC takes one's money and still shoves commercials down one's throat, with no way to prevent such. Thank goodness it was a free trial, now and forever CANCELLED.

Made in 1976, The Omen is one of many movies made in the 1970s with satan as the story line. Classic movies as The Amityville Horror, The Exorcist, Race with the Devil and Rosemary's Baby to name but a fraction are really cool to watch. The special effects are just that, special effects with no computer generated images. The Omen becomes uncomfortable to watch in many scenes. It's well executed, figuratively speaking. To learn that the newborn baby was immediately killed at birth and buried in an incredibly creepy and isolated cemetery at the beginning of the film sets the stage for the introduction of many characters who don't live to see the end of the film. The later at night you watch the movie, the better.

*Mild Spoilers*On a grand scale the film was efficiently catered with well established cinematography and polished set-pieces that had penetrating might, which director Richard Donner handled with precise skill. Even when there wasn't much happening he knew how to keep things compellingly tight with good pacing and impressible imagery. Though, when it came to the essential thrills, he caps off some remotely tense (dogs' attack) and macabre moments (infamous decapitation) that display bite and flair. The climax is great and the ending is a fitting imprint too. The plot is filled with shocking revelations, interesting characters and it emits a glorious amount of excitement and dread from it mysterious outset.

The use of religion and gospel in this horror flick I find to be rather inappropriate and disturbing.But at the same time, it's not like it's a true story. It's not like it's anything that happens in real life.And young Harvey Stephens is very appealing as Damien. He may not be in a lot of shots but I think he really holds the film together.Like with the Halloween movies, Star Wars and E.T., I choose to take this film with a grain of salt and think of it as just another make believe world like all other movies.After all, that's exactly what it is.Just another make believe world.

THE OMEN, Classic 70'S Thriller, it's more of a suspense thriller than a Horrorthere are some Horror scenes in it but it's mainly a Thriller with lots of suspenseone of my favourite 70's thrillers, Great performances, Great Directing and Great script, one of the best for sureget rid of the old dvd release of this film and get this new Blu-ray releasewhich has a all new High definition quality of the film in beautiful widescreen presentationthe picture quality does look amazing, very very clear no Doubt about itand the Audio has a new 5.1 master audio mix aswell, much better than the dvd releaseabout the special features, everything from the dvd release and 2 disc special edition releaseare on this 1 blu-ray Disc666 OMEN REVEALED Documentary, Jerry Goldsmith on the omen scoreand other featurettesthe Omen Legacy Documentary is on this blu-ray aswellthe Audio commentaries are on here aswellover 2 hours worth of extrasincredible Blu-ray release no Doubt about it., scrap the old dvd releasesand get this new blu-ray, i gave it 5 stars for sure.

1976's The Omen was easily the best of the wave of Devil movies to come along in the wake of The Exorcist's success, relying less on alternating a naturalistic style with shockingly graphic setpieces but instead putting its faith in a beautifully constructed screenplay that mixed a modern interpretation of the Book of Revelations with a changeling story. Like The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby it puts a Satanic spin on parental fears - in this case the cuckoo in the nest and a mother's fear of her own child. Despite the still impressively spectacular deaths, it's less a horror film and more of a supernatural thriller played straight as Gregory Peck's ambassador is gradually led to believe that his troublesome illegally adopted four-year-old son's real dad might just have horns and a tail and be pretty handy with a pitchfork. Although there are still signs that somewhere along the way the film was aimed for an ambiguity that it never really achieves (is the brat really the AntiChrist or just a very naughty boy? Is Peck seeing the truth or going mad?) Its strength is that it plays its premise absolutely straight. It's helped by some fine casting - Lee Remick, Billie Whitelaw, Leo McKern, Patrick Troughton and especially David Warner as the cynical paparazzi whose photos give the film its title and provide its best chills - and is extremely well directed by Richard Donner, who displays a magnificent use of the Scope frame that leaves the film rather diminished in panned-and-scanned TV outings, while Stuart Baird's excellent editing combines with Jerry Goldsmith's sinister score to make the most of the material. It was a tough act to follow, but even so it's a shame just how far its successors fell short.Fox's Blu-ray carries over the extras from the previous two-disc DVD - two directors audio commentaries, deleted scene, featurettes Jerry Goldsmith on The Omen Score, Curse or Coincidence?, 666 - The Omen Revealed, The Screenwriter's Notebook, Wes Craven o The omen and the first part of The Omen Legacy that's spread over the first four films, as well as the trailer and teaser trailer - and offers a fine 2.35:1 widescreen transfer. The European issue only includes a remixed stereo soundtrack option, however: for the original mono soundtrack as well, you need to get the US Blu-ray, though be aware that it's Region A-locked. Sadly both versions have the same terrible cover art.

Classic occult horror. The film has all the elements of a good horror film including religious figures, dark churches, demon nannies, devilish dogs and strange rituals. All used to a powerful effect. Apart from looking a bit dated, the film is one of the best horror films of all time and cannot be faulted in any way at all. The plot follows the story of the Anti-Christ from his birth to becoming a young toddler.

Still stands up to this day. Gorgeous cinematography, sublime score and a reminder of how great Hollywood was when it took risks. Practically every studio turned this down, oh and Star Wars fans...if this film had flopped we never would have seen Luke and Co on the big screen, so be thankful it was one of the biggest films of 1976.If you love this however, don't bother with the sequels which just resorted to standard horror fare and pale into insignificance compared to the original......and certainly avoid the 2006 remake !

Classic horror on Blu-ray.You'll all know the story by now, and no doubt seen the movie multiple times. An ageless tale of good vs. evil, with some sterling performances from Gregory Peck (the role of Robert Thorn was first offered to William Holden) and Billy Whitelaw.After Kathy Thorn loses her child during childbirth, her husband agrees to secretly swap him with another child who was also born at the 6th hour, on the sixth day of the sixth month. That little boy was to be called Damien. A series of strange events, and mysterious 'accidents' lead to the Thorn's rise to power, and place Damien on his way to the most powerful position on earth. The rest they say, is history.Richard Donner's assured direction, Gilbert Taylor's cinematography and Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar winning score make for an atmospheric viewing experience, and while some of the effects have aged and the fashions have dated, it's still miles ahead of similar 'devil child' movies and the vastly inferior 2006 remake.With superb picture and audio, and a vast array of special features, the Blu-ray really is the best way to own The Omen in your own home. A movie no horror movie buff should be without.

Made me soil myself as a nipper and still scary as a fully grown man. Made on a shoestring, but a wonderful film.Special features are a must for all budding filmmakers too.