The Omen
Rent & Buy
Immediately after their miscarriage, the US diplomat Robert Thorn adopts the newborn Damien without the knowledge of his wife. Yet what he doesn’t know is that their new son is the son of the devil.
What critics thought
Contemporary critics were sharply divided — some found it a classily crafted supernatural thriller, others called it outright junk — but retrospective opinion has settled into broad appreciation for Donner's controlled direction and Jerry Goldsmith's score. The central fault line in 1976 was whether the film's solemnity and biblical scaffolding elevated or merely dressed up a fundamentally silly premise, and that argument has never fully resolved.
“an absolutely riveting, thoroughly scary experience, a triumph of sleek film craftsmanship that will inevitably but not necessarily unfavorably be compared to The Exorcist.”
Kevin Thomas·Los Angeles Times
“a dreadfully silly film”
Richard Eder·The New York Times
“a dumb and largely dull movie.”
Jack Kroll·Newsweek
“Despite its improbable story line and abundance of gratuitous violence, The Omen does succeed in its attempt to frighten, terrorize, and just plain scare the pants off most of the audience.”
Duncan Leigh Cooper·Cinéaste
“It's probably the classiest Exorcist copy yet, but as a summer thriller, it can hardly challenge the human appeal and exhilarating impact of last year's Jaws ... Seltzer, busy justifying his baloney premise with Biblical quotations, forgets about narrative logic or empathetic characters.”
Tom Shales·The Washington Post
Accolades
Genres
Horror, Mystery
Cast & Crew
Richard DonnerDirector
Gregory PeckRobert Thorn
Lee RemickKatherine Thorn
David WarnerJennings
Billie WhitelawMrs. Baylock
Harvey StephensDamien
Patrick TroughtonFather Brennan
Martin BensonFather Spiletto
Robert RiettiMonk
Tommy DugganPriest
John StrideThe Psychiatrist
Anthony NichollsDr. Becker
Holly PalanceNanny
Jerry GoldsmithComposer
David SeltzerWriter
Gilbert TaylorCinematographyThe Omen
Immediately after their miscarriage, the US diplomat Robert Thorn adopts the newborn Damien without the knowledge of his wife. Yet what he doesn’t know is that their new son is the son of the devil.
What critics thought
Contemporary critics were sharply divided — some found it a classily crafted supernatural thriller, others called it outright junk — but retrospective opinion has settled into broad appreciation for Donner's controlled direction and Jerry Goldsmith's score. The central fault line in 1976 was whether the film's solemnity and biblical scaffolding elevated or merely dressed up a fundamentally silly premise, and that argument has never fully resolved.
“an absolutely riveting, thoroughly scary experience, a triumph of sleek film craftsmanship that will inevitably but not necessarily unfavorably be compared to The Exorcist.”
Kevin Thomas·Los Angeles Times
“a dreadfully silly film”
Richard Eder·The New York Times
“a dumb and largely dull movie.”
Jack Kroll·Newsweek
“Despite its improbable story line and abundance of gratuitous violence, The Omen does succeed in its attempt to frighten, terrorize, and just plain scare the pants off most of the audience.”
Duncan Leigh Cooper·Cinéaste
“It's probably the classiest Exorcist copy yet, but as a summer thriller, it can hardly challenge the human appeal and exhilarating impact of last year's Jaws ... Seltzer, busy justifying his baloney premise with Biblical quotations, forgets about narrative logic or empathetic characters.”
Tom Shales·The Washington Post
Accolades
Genres
Horror, Mystery
Cast & Crew
Richard DonnerDirectorGregory PeckRobert ThornLee RemickKatherine ThornDavid WarnerJenningsBillie WhitelawMrs. BaylockHarvey StephensDamienPatrick TroughtonFather BrennanMartin BensonFather SpilettoRobert RiettiMonkTommy DugganPriestJohn StrideThe PsychiatristAnthony NichollsDr. BeckerHolly PalanceNannyJerry GoldsmithComposerDavid SeltzerWriterGilbert TaylorCinematographyRent & Buy