The Omen

The Omen (1976) is about who the child an American diplomat adopts turns out to be. Robert Thorn's baby dies at birth. A priest at the hospital makes him an offer: there is a child born the same night whose mother has died; say nothing to your wife. Thorn agrees. The boy is called Damien. When he turns five the deaths begin. A nanny hangs herself, a priest dies, a photographer notices something. Nobody is killed directly; every death looks like an accident. That ambiguity is the best thing in it. Damien does nothing; things simply go wrong where he is, and the audience questions along with the father whether it is coincidence. Richard Donner directed and deliberately left a non supernatural reading possible. The most discussed scene is a death involving a sheet of glass; it has very few cuts and is entirely practical. Jerry Goldsmith's score is built on a Latin choir and became known apart from the film. It brought him the only Oscar of his career. Gregory Peck and Lee Remick star. A series of mishaps during production was told for years as a curse; aircraft and road accidents involving members of the crew were the source of it and it was used in the marketing. It did very well commercially and three sequels followed. It runs 111 minutes. Good for: seventies horror, religious thrillers, and film music. Less good for: the deaths are harsh and a child is in danger.