The inexplicable and mystical has always attracted human nature, which has fallen to the thrill. Put on the square of a town a booth draped so that it is impossible to see what is inside the booth. Before entering the cabin, put a sign: “Do not enter under any circumstances.” You are so afraid that you will have enough of a heart attack.” And you know, 9 out of ten passers-by will go into this booth to see what causes a heart attack. And one intelligent person will pass by, only to then rush back and still look into the booth.
Or remember, as children, hiding under a blanket, afraid of something frightening in the dark. And don’t even dare deny that you didn’t feel a sense of pleasant excitement. Yes, you were scared, but deep down you wanted to be scared, and you had a reason to get under the blanket, shaking and clamping your eyes. Thus, a person’s relationship with fear is reminiscent of a girl’s relationship with her young boyfriend, when she flirtatiously hits him in the face with a glove, saying: “Oh, stupid, stop, I am not flattered by your vulgarities,” and at that moment she is already thinking: “How can I provoke him to the next vulgarity?”
In the film "Omen" mystical and inexplicable enough to chain the viewer to the screen and give him a sufficient portion of exciting and frightening sensations. Still, because the film is about the birth of the Antichrist, and not about some invisible lover to close doors and not about a bunch of zombies who move so slowly that an old woman with her three-legged dog in her arms will run away from them. And no doubt, the creators of the film, having such a trump card in their hands, played it extremely skillfully.
In this film you will find a full set of techniques inherent in this genre. Ominous glances and smiles, fatal omens, a number of mysterious deaths and even the excavation of graves. At the same time, all this is served in moderation and at the right time, not allowing you to relax and even for a moment break away from the events taking place in the film. In addition, all this is accompanied by very sinister music, creating the feeling that in your room a group of Satanists sacrifices a lamb to the Dark One. And let those same Satanists take out musical instruments from under their hoodies, roll out the piano and start singing Nina Simon songs behind you, you will not notice this, so this mystical thriller will take your attention. But after watching, you will be attached to a strange sense of the presence of the mysterious and sinister in your ordinary life, and you will be ready to shudder at any rustle.
And now that you're quite an adult, you're going to want to hide under a blanket and take refuge in a little world where there's absolutely no room for the mystical, because the movie "Omen" will prove with full confidence that there, outside the blanket, in the real world, the mystical can wait for you around any corner.
As Stanislav Jerzy Lec said, “Sometimes the devil tempts me to believe in God.” Paradoxically, many are more inclined to believe in the existence of Hell than to admit the existence of some divine powers. Whether it’s a matter of faith or fear, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that everyone has a dark half.
Devilism in cinema has always had its niche, but until the end of the sixties, such films did not achieve serious success at the box office, compacting the category of low-budget thrillers and horror films. In 1969, Roman Polanski’s “Rosemary’s Baby” was released on wide screens, marking a new round of interest in the topic. Following him, William Friedkin stirs public opinion with his brutal and naturalistic thriller The Exorcist (1973). The apotheosis of this “devil’s boom” was the picture of the American Richard Donner “Omen”, which gave rise to a whole film series, telling about the accession of the Antichrist on Earth.
... June 6, 1966 in the family of the American Ambassador to Rome, Robert Thorne (Gregory Peck), there was grief: his beloved wife Catherine (Lee Remick) failed to give birth to the wife of the first child. Realizing that the news of the stillborn son will be a blow for his wife, Thorne agrees to a literal “deal with the devil.” At the instigation of the “caring” priest, Father Spiletto, he commits a forgery and adopts an unknown baby whose mother died in childbirth the same night.
Five years have passed since those sad events. Thorne was promoted to the post of ambassador to the UK, where he lives with his wife and young son Damien. Until then, nothing foreshadowed trouble, but soon the happy Thorne family is enveloped in an ominous aura. First, the nanny Damien, in order to “please” the master’s son, is thrown out of the window with a noose around his neck, then the ambassador himself begins to be pursued by a strange priest Brennan, unequivocally hinting to Thorne that his son is a child of Satan.
Of course, Robert Thorne is an adequate man, otherwise he would not have held such a serious leadership position. But after a series of ridiculous "accidents," the ambassador begins to doubt. His fears are shared by private photographer Jennings, whose images of future victims reveal ominous harbingers of death. Together with the photographer, Thorne goes to Rome to find out the truth about the adoption of Damien.
Without a doubt, Richard Donner’s film has not been out of date for nearly forty years. Moreover, due to the growing apocalyptic moods in the masses, the classic film still attracts viewers with its unique atmosphere. Many have tried to replicate Donner’s success. This includes the franchise’s successors (the series has three official sequels and one 2006 remake) and countless imitators. Unfortunately, because we are the only ones who lose in this case, no one has managed to create such a frightening effect. Perhaps the only tape, at least half managed to cause the viewer a similar mood is the mystical thriller Taylor Hackford “The Devil’s Advocate” (1997).
Unlike its predecessors, Omen is an original work. While Rosemary's Baby was based on Ira Levine's book of the same name, and The Exorcist was based on the novel by American writer William Peter Blatty, the script for Omen was written from scratch. Its author is David Seltzer, for whom “Omen” (literally translated by Omen from English) became the most successful work in the film career.
Seltzer placed several genres in his script at once, but the picture turned out to be very holistic and harmonious. Externally, “Omen” is a mystical thriller in the best traditions of European cinema and Alfred Hitchcock with all the necessary components: quotes from the Bible, religious cults, possessed characters and supernatural events. Closer to the middle, the tape turns into a real detective when the ambassador and his unwitting assistant Jennings travel to Italy to find out the truth about the origins of Thorne Jr. And at the same time, despite all the complexity and entertainment of the story, the authors not only tell an entertaining fairy tale, but turn the film into a real drama about a father who is forced to kill his own son to save faceless humanity.
Undoubted luck is the fact that the legendary Gregory Peck was invited to the main role in “Omena”. However, the actor himself was very interested in his participation. To do this, he interrupted his “vacation” (Pek took almost five years off from working in the movies) and even agreed to a serious reduction in fees. However, prudently signed a contract to receive 10 percent of the fees, which eventually made this role for Peck one of the highest paid in his career. The Oscar winner ("To Kill a Mockingbird") brought the necessary level of authenticity to the picture and created a memorable image. For comparison, remember the 2006 remake, where Robert Thorne was played by Liv Schreiber, a talented performer, but lacking stars from the sky.
Separately, it is worth noting the work of the operator, editor and composer. The filmmaker Gilbert Taylor was borrowed from the same Polanski: the cameraman worked on “Disgust”, the first film of the “apartment trilogy”, which also includes “Rosemary’s Baby”. His leisurely style, long, static plans make a significant contribution to the tense atmosphere of the film, creating a sense of anxiety in the audience. Editor Stuart Baird, who later collaborated with Donner on Superman and Lethal Weapon, superbly pumps up the suspense, giving a hundred points ahead to all current horrors with their cheap tricks and unexpected bogeymen from around the corner. The experience of Baird is still used: his confident style is felt in the production of the Bond tapes Casino Royale and 007: Coordinates Skyfall.
Another extra-class professional, composer Jerry Goldsmith, was responsible for writing the musical theme for the film. These tearful choral chants of Latin words will seem familiar to you, for the Oscar-winning soundtrack (and especially the song "Ave Satani") was quickly replicated. Similar motifs have since been used in all popular demonic horror films.
The success of the film, as expected, provoked the emergence of sequels. The sequel titled “Damien: Omen 2” was released two years later, but there was no trace of the atmosphere of the mystery of the original. The third film with the title “Omen III: The Last Conflict” (1981) was successful largely due to the presence in the frame of the Englishman Sam Neal, who got the role of adult Damien – the Antichrist. Including the final of the trilogy as a producer worked and Donner himself, not allowed to spoil the ending.
9 out of 10
I decided to watch this movie when I got into psychological horror. You know, I didn’t regret it.
First of all, I want to say that the 2006 film is not suitable for this (although there are more popular actors at the time). When I saw the new one, I felt like I just took it and shot it in the same script. No realism, no chilling music, but with an old film is quite another thing.
The old film fascinates with its reality, it seems that the events of the film take place somewhere very close. Not noticeable, but obvious cruelty coming in makes you experience chilling horror. There are no bloody scenes, no crazy maniacs, there is an oppressive atmosphere, magnificent music and Satan in the image of a little boy.
Striking seemingly unnecessary deaths, but then you realize that these people interfered and not just some person, and the son of the devil.
The acting is fantastic! Without actors such as Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Billy Whitelaw, Harvey Stevens, and even without Patrick Troton, this film would have remained a heap of paper.
This is how the operator’s work is remarkable. So the movie scores 10 out of 10.
Originally watching the remake of this picture, I was not so eager to see it myself. In fact, “Omena” of 2006, I watched for a long time and vaguely remember, but he clearly did not make such strong impressions on me, and now I decided to get acquainted with the classics of the genre in which the famous American actor of the 20th century Gregory Peck played.
L It was curious to learn that the original and the remake were shot on the same script. And then there is only one question: why? Why remake classic paintings, and do it almost verbatim? Not clear and stupid. All right. To be honest, the film seemed unafraid to me, and this is just the main disadvantage for me. On the other hand, what catches you here is the music. It’s perfect for a horror movie, and won an Oscar in 1977. The acting here is not particularly impressive, even Gregory Peck, although he plays well. But still, as a lover of the genre, I was impressed with the murder of the characters of the tape, for example, Keith Jennings or Brennan’s father – it looked quite spectacular.
"O/b>men" - in general, with all its pros and cons, turned out to be a slightly mediocre movie. In fact, he is not so bad, but I can not call him good either. I think you can watch this movie in your free time. Amateur.
Here it is – the legendary “Satanic” film, which I personally consider a masterpiece no worse (or even better) than “The Exorcist”!
As the horror film “Omen” is quite restrained, does almost without special effects, the atmosphere of obscurantism is inflated somewhere behind the scenes, to then effectively splash out from the screen. There are no monsters or bloodstains (although there will be extreme deaths). There is only a seemingly innocent child who turns out to be the Antichrist. And oddly enough, little Damien with his smile angel scares cleaner than many screen maniacs and monsters. Although physically he does not kill anyone, and generally spends on the screen not so much time.
There is also a great soundtrack (especially good music accompanying the death of the priest.. and from the final melody, goosebumps run on the skin), wonderful directing by Richard Donner (it is not easy to break away from the screen, despite the fact that the film is not rich in active action) and excellent acting work by Gregory Peck (do not care that he is not suitable for the role of a young father!), Lee Remick, David Warner, and of course, six-year-old Harvey Stevens.
And, unfortunately, there are bad sequels...
Donner's film tells the story of a boy who was born at 6 p.m. on the 6th, 6th month. The boy was named Damien. From the very first days, the mother noticed strange behavior for the child and the older he became, the more mysterious his beginning life was - all the people who interfered with his plans mysteriously died. Only the mother will know the truth and she will have to die.
The film is very impressionable and amazing not only for its script but also for its production. The director perfectly shows the audience his fantasies. All the actors play well, I believe in every episode they play.
I think that this film is not for every viewer, because because of the main theme of the film, the audience can be nervous about the ongoing murders and the psyche can be disturbed. This picture is not for everyone.
Beautiful original music written by Jerry Goldsmith, who won an Oscar for his work, the music completely, very much betrays all the horror of the plot. I really liked the song written for the film, by the way, it was also nominated for an Oscar, but did not receive.
People with a strong psyche and serious poise can start watching the film, because if you think about the film deserves your attention, because there is originality, an interesting high-quality script, a beautiful acting, a good and dynamic editing that guides the viewer through the whole film and does not let you get bored, as well as a kind of art of cinema, which is an interesting story about a boy who is a real devil and his main task is to capture the world and arrange some chaos on the Earth. And who knows, maybe this time the film will not end on a good note.
Have a good view! The film is serious, thoughtful and interesting!
The movie is impressive. It's really impressive. The mystery of the last century, I'll call it that. The film is striking without special effects, which at that time and was not practically. There's just enough musical accompaniment, and, at first, you're covered by this movie, and there's goosebumps running through your body. The idea itself is not bad, to tell about the birth of the Antichrist and his life, about what he is, and what are the consequences of his mysterious, but still predestined, birth.
At first, the film may seem a little boring, the feeling that you are told a primitive story ' replacements ' a child in the hospital, how this child calmly joins the family, etc., but it is not. Gradually, the degree of interest in the film increases, new faces appear, there are ' strange' and ' unusual' things, the child makes his parents worry and you begin to suspect something, you have an interest in further actions of the characters.
For some people, the film will not cause positive emotions. I agree, sometimes it seems that the action is a little protracted, or there are unnecessary digressions. But despite this, there is something catchy about this film that, personally, I was very hooked and amazed.
You have to pay tribute to the musical accompaniment. Here it plays the role of a special effect that makes us, at times, hold our breath. The music is wonderful.
The actors played convincingly. The boy's smile at the end of the movie made me a little scared.
The film is scary, however, I think no worse than the remake, which is made as a horror film for the youth of a new generation, with terrible incarnations of the devil, a sea of blood and a lot of other special effects absent in this ' Omen'.
Overall, this film is a classic. It's definitely worth watching. Even if it does not impress, although do not hope for it, time will not be wasted. I was very impressed with him - I watched with bated breath, I really became interested in this story. This film made me reconsider my attitude to old films - there are really those that are breathtaking.
10 out of 10
The book ' The Apocalypse', written by St. John the Theologian, has stirred human minds for as long as it exists. Many people have tried to open the veil hanging over the last pages of the Bible. And here is another illustration of this really creepy subject. What can I say? The religious subtext put both the book and the film in a favorable position. After all, we are not talking about some giant carnivorous mad turtles from the distant planet Strawberries, but what billions of people believe and expect. This makes the film very impressive. On the example of pure evil, wearing the mask of a pretty boy, David Seltzer talentedly, interestingly showed his subjective idea of the events predicted in the New Testament. But there's a huge downside. Both in the novel and in the film, the author’s imagination is so closely intertwined with the Holy Scriptures that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the first from the second. Therefore, before you watch this movie (or read a book), try to study the Bible (preferably the whole one). After familiarizing yourself with the source, you will look at 'Omen' with other eyes and understand that there is something to complain about. In general, if you have the time and desire - look, admire, but do not take it personally. Remember that this film and novel were not invented by God, but by people who do not know what the world is really waiting for. Omen is not a claim to decoding ' Apocalypse' but just the look of an individual. But this was my general impression, now separately on the points:
- Apart from the death of Robert (or Jeremy, I don’t remember), the course of events is quite predictable and typical for paintings of this genre. Although, the atmosphere and charm of the film does not lose.
- Music composer, you're very good! They could make the right impression. Funny to write, but 'Omen' I was only able to watch it on 6 tries. Because I could not overcome the fear that the initial Sanguuuis minimuuus, corpuus animuuus, brought upon me.
I do not dare to judge it, because I do not know enough about such things. But in my amateur view, the behavior of many actors (with the exception of the boy Harvey Stevens) looked a little unnatural.
Conclusion: a good thriller, certainly worthy of attention of those who are interested in religion in general and Christianity in particular.
P.S. Nanny's sorry! She was so young... I'm sorry for Damien's other victims, too!
This film, directed by Richard Donner, was the first truly successful film of his career. Then he will shoot a wonderful film “Maverick” with Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster, as well as a franchise called “Lethal Weapon”. But it all began with the tape “Omen” released in 1976.
The main role in the film will be played by the famous American actor Gregory Peck (" To Kill a Mockingbird). Robert Thorne (Pek) is an American diplomat, his wife Catherine (Lee Remick) should give birth to a son, but alas, her baby dies in childbirth, a local priest suggests Robert replace the deceased baby with a boy who, coincidentally, just was born at the same time as his son Robert. Robert takes the baby, but doesn't tell his wife about the switch. Years pass, a happy family raises a baby as a native, but over time, things begin to take a very dangerous turn for parents.
Of course, Donner’s Omen is not the first film to feature a child as the son of Satan, but Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby stands out from earlier films. The tapes of Polanski and Donner are united by a lot, a beautiful performance of actors, good music, a fear-inducing atmosphere. Gregory Peck played very convincingly, in general, the tape was shot at very high quality, this applies to both operators and sound engineers. No complaints and the play of young Harvey Stevens (actually, the son of Satan), unfortunately, the film “Omen” will be the last film in the career of the young actor (episodic role of the reporter in the failed remake of 2006 does not count).
Bottom line: one of the best horror films, interesting and keeping in suspense to the latest frames plot, Gregory Peck in the title role, excellent musical accompaniment ("Oscar for the best musical soundtrack). All this, and after many years, allows you to call the film “Omen” as one of the pillars of the horror genre in cinema.
8 out of 10