The Omen, released in 1976, managed to create an indelible impact on the horror genre. Starring movie veterans Gregory Peck and Lee Remick, with Harvey Spencer Stevens as Damien, they are the unsuspecting couple who find their idyllic lives upset by a decision that was to prove fatal.

The film begins with Peck, an American diplomat, arriving at a hospital in Rome to find the devastating news that his wife had lost her baby during childbirth, who is then persuaded by a priest to adopt a child who turns out to be be the Antichrist.

There begins a story of his meteoric rise to power with the help of wealth and the influence of his adoptive family. With the help of a babysitter played by Billie Whitelaw and a menacing hellhound, they are just 2 of her followers who seem to arrive at opportune moments throughout the movies to make sure she meets her destiny, and that she quickly gets they dispatch all their enemies one by one. one. The Omen culminates in a memorable ending in a Church at the end of the film when Robert Thorn finally accepts that his son is actually the Antichrist after discovering his ‘666’ birthmark, as the Bible says all of Satan’s apostles possess. , and resign. himself to kill him.

Damien: Omen II was a memorable sequel, and was for many the film of choice, although The Omen remains the critics’ choice and was, in fact, the fourth highest grossing film of that year. However, Damien, brilliantly played by unknown actor Jonathan Scott-Taylor, who managed to provide an air of demonic intent that allows the viewer to suspend disbelief throughout the film, with a supporting cast that included William Holden and Lee. Grant, who do this together. a worthy and very pleasant successor.

At age 12, Damien now lives in Chicago with Robert Thorn’s extended family and attends a military academy and still does not know his true identity. In Omen II, the Yigael Wall, an Omen movie invention excavated in Israel, is revealed and shows a series of drawings detailing the various stages of its rise to prominence. A raven and a platoon leader at the academy, played by Lance Henrikson, are among his allies in this film as he continues his murderous campaign.

Omen’s third outing, Omen III: The Final Conflict, was probably the least successful of the original films that didn’t live up to expectations. Sam Neil convincingly plays Damien when he is 32 years old and at the height of his powers. He is now the CEO of Thorn Industries and excels in his political career. The 7 Megiddo knives unearthed in the Thorn Museum in Chicago, which to Damien is what kryptonite is to Superman, are now in the possession of a group of priests from Italy trying to destroy Damien and awaiting the Second. The coming of Christ as predicted in the book of Revelation.

The disappointment in this movie was largely due to the ending of the movie, which is fair to say it’s an anticlimax for what could have rounded out a brilliant horror series. Omen VI and a 2006 remake of The Omen failed to rekindle interest in the franchise, and they subsequently disappeared into DVD land without a trace.

Even though its influence on popular culture is undeniable, and The Omen remains an intense psychological horror with depth, all too often in short supply if many of today’s offerings are something to go through. Even Damien’s name will be forever tied to the movies and it is unlikely that he will appear on the short list of names for expectant mothers anytime soon!

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