One of the greatest challenges that I run into as a contributor to the horror community is, I rarely re-watch movies. I never have, but with a busier life, and the ease of accessing new and unseen horror… Well, I just don’t, unless I truly get something out of another view. The Omen is one of the few exceptions, I enjoy it every time I watch it.
The original Omen is a masterful movie. While it is slower paced then I like, it has a good pace for the time period that it was created in. Another excellent aspect is that this movie hits you differently in different walks of life. As a young horror fan, one of the biggest scenes of the movie was an early scene, when the nanny ends her life. Just the simplistic yet powerful imagery was horrific. Was she always mad, and that is what attracted her to Damien. Was her act what awakened the evil in the young anti-Christ?
That scene still had a powerful impact, watching it this last time, but other parts of the movie called out to the father in me. How easy is it to allow people who are, for all purposes, strangers take care of our children? Even when we have doubts, like how the Thorn’s constantly doubt the satanic nanny, but get too distracted to follow-up. Could I end my child’s life, even under the circumstances? Damien had done nothing directly horrible to Robert, and despite the clear signs that the boy was evil, nothing was ever done by Damien.
For those of you that have not seen the movie, first of all, sorry for the spoilers. The movie has been out for 40 years and has had a huge cultural impact, as long as you go in, knowing that this is a slower paced movie, there is still plenty to gain from the movie.
The movie beings with the news that Robert Thorn, rising politician, is racing to the hospital on June, 6. He comes to find, that his wife has lost their baby, but if he won’t tell her then the hospital can give him a substitute.
As you can maybe guess, this child isn’t directly of human stock and the world is in trouble. As the child, Damien, grows so do the horrible things that happen around him. not only that but it is clear fairly early on that there are other players in the shadows for both good and evil fighting to advance their own agendas.
Slowly Robert and Kathrine begin to realize that something is wrong. As each tries to find the source of misfortune in their own ways, the player begin to step from the shadows to implement their plans. Father Brennan fights to save Robert’s soul as well as his own, while the insidious Misses Baylock gets closer to Damien. Kathrine seems to instinctually know that something is not right, but is constantly prevented from correcting course.
As things play out, Satan clearly has the upper hand, but will he win over the forces of good?