The Omen

A faithful remake of the 1976 film, and that's a relief; it depends on characters and situations and doesn't go berserk with visuals. more

Director John Moore has added some creepy visuals and assembled an unusually strong cast for a horror flick. more

The remake is directed by another slickster, the Irishman John Moore, who is no deep thinker (as his "Behind Enemy Lines" confirmed) but, like Donner, he's an able hack -- smooth, stylish, clever, soulless and a hoot. And so's his damned movie. And it is damned. more

The Omen remake is creepily efficient. Unlike one of the newfangled horrorfests, it doesn't drown you in brackish atmosphere and surround-sound you with techno music. more

There are no surprises for anyone who's seen the earlier version, and younger horror fans may find the modest body count and restrained gore unsatisfying. more

The casting is weaker this time. Watching Peck crumble under fear and doubt was like seeing a skyscraper implode; Schreiber's more of a whipped puppy for most of the film. more

Seriously, that kid is creepy as hell. more

Competently made, and enjoyably played. But you do really end up wondering what the point was. Cinematic déjà vu is the most likely response. more

Despite slick camera work by Jonathan Sela and intense, naturalistic performances by Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles, The Omen retains the aura of ceremonious kitsch of the first movie, favoring a well-lighted, upscale Goth aesthetic punctuated with flashes of well-timed, cymbal-crashing shockers and giggly camp. more

Will a movie that scared the bejezus out of moviegoers 30 years ago pack the necessary wallop and carnage to satisfy fans of blood-soaked modern horror? The answer is a qualified yes. more

Robert Thorn the American ambassador to Great Britain watches his wife's pregnancy when a priest tells him that his newborn has died, but he convinces him to substitute the baby (the wife not knowing) with another child that lost its mother in labour at the same time. Watching their young child growing up, he starts show unnerving signs, which the parents slowly start picking up on and also bizarre tragedies start occurring. This leads Robert on a whirlwind investigation that all points to his son being the Anti-Christ. Right off the heals of 'The Exorcist' successful stint with moviegoers... more

"The child is dead. Dead. The child is dead" Let me start by saying that 'The Omen' is one of the best horror/thrillers I've ever seen. The horror factor is pretty limited but this movie will surely thrill you! 'The Omen' basically started Richard Donner's career. He had made several productions on the TV markets but in 1976 he hit the jackpot. After this film he went to direct such films as 'Superman', 'The Goonies' and the 'Lethal Weapon' series but he never reached the same level of cinematic success as with this film. I do love the before mentioned films but if you really stop and... more

The Omen is one of the creepiest movies I've ever seen. Once you see it the images stick with you like driving by a horrible car accident late at night. It's one of those films that has an impression that doesn't last hours or days- it lasts years. Gregory Peck plays Ambassador Robert Thorn, who in a quick moment is talked into substituting an orphaned child for his own stillborn son because his wife won't be able to handle the loss of the child. Everything seems fine until Damien's fifth birthday when things begin to go haywire for the Thorns as the forces of evil work their way into... more

You'd think after years of homaging, referencing and parodying The Omen would lose much of its impact. On some levels it's true but mostly this is still one damn scary film. The Devil is one terrifying son of a bitch and when coupled with the corruption of innocent children it just makes it all that much creepier. All the major scenes still shock in that 70's style that horror has given up on. The children's party hanging, the doomed priest are just two of the set pieces built up with eerie speed. We know where they are going, but it's when it gets there that puts the fear into the scenes.... more

A film so under-rated - mostly cus it was born in the shadow of The Exorcist. The Omen is not only a much scarier and more enjoyable film, I also think it's a better made one! The sequel is actually very good too! more

This movie impresses me every time I see it; how it managed to stay fresh and interesting after thirty years. It's funny; at the time it was slammed as an Exorcist ripoff, but it really tells its own story and is still really arresting. Don't bother with the sequal: it couldn't possibly improve upon this. more