Since we are in the month of Halloween, I thought about recommend you something creepy and bring you a true classic of horror cinema. Hello, welcome to my new movie post of this year.
"Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man; and his number is 666." Book of Revelation Chapter 13 Verse 18 – Title card in The Omen (1976)
If you have been following my blog for a while you can guess I’m not a fan of horror movies, but for The Omen trilogy I have to make an exception.
The first movie in this trilogy was obviously made as a response to the Exorcist of 1973, has some religious themes, enough suspense and gore to give you the goose bumps and the best music score ever made in horror movies, courtesy of the legendary Jerry Goldsmith.
It was the first movie ever made by director Richard Donner who would later direct such iconic movies like Superman, The Goonies and Lethal Weapon.
Damien Thorn, one of the creepiest child villains in movie history. (Via: whatculture.com)
The second movie did a decent job taking the evil Damien from a troubled teenager to accept his fate as the Anti-Christ. The Third installment, and the most interesting of the trilogy, presents a now adult Damien Thorn who, as the head of a mega corporation and ambassador, will try to stop the second coming of Christ and subdue the world until taking total control.
Don’t bother watching the hideous remake of 2006 and the other failed TV attempts of these three fantastic horror classics.
So, without further ado, let’s begin our scary ride:
1 – The Omen (1976)
The creepy Damien surrounded by his parents in The Omen (1976). (Via: screenrant.com)
When his real-born son dies at birth, Robert Thorn, an American diplomat, reluctantly accepts to raise another child whose mother has just died, not knowing the dangers that await for him. Thorn is appointed ambassador in England and grows fond of the boy whom he calls Damien. Five year later, after a series of strange deaths, all connected to Damien, Thorn travels to Rome and then to Israel. In Rome he will find out a terrible secret; in Israel he will receive from a German archaeologist the 7 daggers of Megiddo which Thorn will have to use to kill the Anti-Christ. Lots of strange and horrific things continue to happen until Robert Thorn finally realizes his only solution is to kill his son.
Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) most kill his “son” in The Omen (1976). (Via: screenrant.com)
Released in 1976, this movie became immediately a horror classic that still holds up to this day. The great Gregory Peck (1916-2003) came out of his semi-retirement and did an excellent job playing the American ambassador who discovers his “son” is the child of the Devil; this movie served as a catharsis for the legendary actor after the suicide of his son and his mere presence and gravitas elevated and dignified this movie.
This was director Richard Donner (1930-2021) first movie and he did an excellent work that started a successful career directing some of the most successful and beloved movies of the next two decades.
The cinematography of this movie could have been better. A fine montage of the boy growing up is a good one. Nice production work and fine wardrobe for the protagonists. And of course, the death scenes: a nanny hanging by her neck, a priest that gets impaled and a photographer who is decapitated with a sheet of glass, are some of the most superb ever filmed. This movie can also boast of having the best music score in the history of horror cinema, composed by Jerry Goldsmith it won the Oscar for best music score.
Both a critical and commercial success, it spawned two nice sequels, Check trailer here:
The Omen (1976) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers
2 – Damien: Omen II (1978)
The teenage Damien Thorn embraces his destiny as the Anti-Christ. (Via: moriareviews.com)
Seven years have passed since the events of the first part. Damien Thorn is now a teenager who lives in Chicago with his cousin Mark, his aunt and his uncle Richard, who is the head of the Thorn mega corporation. Damien goes with his cousin to a prestigious military academy and seems to live the life of a normal teenager. But again strange things start happening, all concerning Damien. Several people try to warn Richard Thorn about his nephew. Damien is protected by a black crow and other servants of evil; when he finds out he’s the Devil’s son, he will accept his destiny with pride. Then, a doctor discovers the true origin of Damien and other people who know the truth suffer bizarre deaths. After receiving the 7 daggers of Megiddo, Richard Thorn knows what he has to do.
William Holden as Richard Thorn in Damien: Omen II (1978). (Via: google.com)
While not as good as its predecessor, Damien: Omen II still delivers a nice story and does a decent job taking the character of Damien into his teenage years. After having turned down the role of the American ambassador in the first movie, the always excellent William Holden (1918- 1981) accepted the role of his brother and delivered one the best roles of the last part of his long and mythical career.
The practical special effects are excellent and bring us again very brutal and bizarre deaths; a particular death scene inside an elevator is one of the most gruesome you will find in this sequel. Although there are nice frames and good compositions, the lighting and cinematography could have been better. The whole movie has a nice flow and pace and its soundtrack, again in the hands of Jerry Goldsmith, makes you sense something bad is lurking behind the façade of the idyllic life of a rich teenager. Also, like in the first installment, the whole production, wardrobe and fashion of the protagonists are great.
My favorite part is not a scary one, but one involving a history lesson where the teenager Damien answers in a sort of pedantic way all the questions about ancient battles and the deaths of many historical figures. It is the ending of this movie I have problems with; it could have been more spectacular and so much better.
A nice sequel that does the work. Check trailer here:
Damien: Omen II (1978) - Trailer
3 – The Final Conflict (1981)
Sam Neill as Damien Thorn in The Final Conflict (1981). (Via: screenrant.com)
The 7 daggers of Megiddo, found in the ruins of a museum, are sold in an auction and made their way to a group of priests in Subiaco, Italy, who are determined to kill the Anti-Christ. Damien Thorn is now a grown rich man and the head of Thorn Industries. At 32 years old he’s been appointed ambassador in England after the mysterious suicide of his predecessor. Again, a black Rottweiler and forces of evil seem to protect Damien, and all of those who want to stop him start dying in the most bizarre ways.
But a prophecy is making Damien uneasy. Three stars are about to align and this will mark the second coming of the Messiah. Meanwhile, Damien starts a relationship with a woman reporter and becomes a father figure to her son. But he knows with each day passing his days are numbered. Together with his disciples of evil, Damien Thorn will set in motion a plan to control the world through hunger and prevent the second coming of the Christ.
The priests with the seven daggers of Megiddo in The Final Conflict (1981). (Via: google.com)
The third and final part of this trilogy is also the most interesting of them all. Its starts with a very well-made and dramatic montage showing how the 7 daggers of Megiddo are found and delivered to a group of priests in Italy.
It was one of the first movies by a young Sam Neill and his breakthrough role. His performance in this movie may come sometimes as overloaded and cartoonish, but he also has charisma and in other parts of the movie he really shines in his role as the Anti-Christ; a couple of his soliloquies are just fantastic. This was the role that led him to have a prolific and successful career, both in movies and TV. In 1993 he started in a movie about dinosaurs directed by some guy named Steven Spielberg.
All the actors involved delivered good performances in their respective roles. The screenwriters did a fine job combining gore and murder with business, politics and religion; it is worth to mention the subplot involving a terrorist group and a mega corporation that produces soy crops and wants to control the world through hunger. Again, the death scenes are incredible; a particular scene in a TV set is one of the most gruesome deaths ever created in movie history.
“Take him”, Sam Neill as Damien after a hunt in The Final Conflict (1981). (Via: omen.fandom.com)
Jerry Goldsmith again created a haunting music score, prefect for the resolution of the story of the Anti-Christ. The theme you can hear during a hunting sequence in the English countryside is just superb.
Again, the movie has some flaws with the script, and the cinematography and composition could have been better. But the production design, the locations, the wardrobe and the fashion are really great. Sam Neill as the Anti-Christ Damien Thorn is one of the most stylish villains in horror cinema and also in cinema in general.
This is my favorite of the whole trilogy. It may not be considered as good as the first one but still delivers a good resolution to the story. Check trailer here:
The Omen Collection: Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981) - Official Trailer
A Little Trivia About The Omen Trilogy:
Lee Remick as Katherine Thorn in The Omen (1976) (Via: offscreen.com)
The boy who plays Damien in the The Omen was selected among other kids because he was the one who fought the most fiercely after director Richard Donner instructed all the kids to attack him.
The great Gregory Peck came out of his semi-retirement to play the father of the Anti-Christ in The Omen after the suicide of his real son. The movie served as a catharsis for the actor and is considered one of the best roles of his career.
Having rejected the part of Robert Thorn in the first movie, William Holden nevertheless accepted to play his brother in the sequel. It was probably his last great role. He would die soon later in 1981.
The Thorn family after having witnessed a horrible scene in The Omen (1976) (Via: screenrant.com)
Actor Sam Neill and the actress who plays the reporter in The Final Conflict has an affair while filming this movie. A son was born later product of this relationship.
The name Damien was ruined forever after the first movie. It was a somewhat and nice name for boys, but after The Omen came out it is hard to find a man with that name.
Strange things started happening to the cast and crew of these movies: two airplanes were struck by lightning, the Rottweilers hired for the film attacked their trainers, the special effects artist was injured and his girlfriend decapitated in an accident… all of this occurrences had led many to believe the films are cursed. The rumors persist to this day.
The ending part of The Omen, where Damien begs his father not to kill him, “Please, Daddy! No, Daddy, no!”, is so heartbreaking you almost feel sorry for the little boy even though you know he’s the Anti-Christ.
Bonus:
Ave Satani by Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith, circa 1970s (Via: screenrant.com)
Maestro Jerry Goldsmith (1929-2004) was born, in Los Angeles, California, from a Jewish family. He began his career in music for films in 1957. Among his many successful music scores are Alien, Rambo: First Blood, Star Trek, The Gremlins, L.A. Confidential, and Total Recall.
In a career that spanned six decades, he composed music for more than 50 movies, won multiple awards and received 18 Academy Awards nominations.
He almost didn’t attend the Oscars ceremony in 1977 as he had already been nominated for a number of times and didn’t think he could handle losing again. Luckily, he went to the ceremony and things were great for him that night. Ave Satani was also nominated for Best Original Song and although it didn’t win, Goldsmith would win the Best Original Score for The Omen. It was the only win of his career.
The music score for The Omen is considered the best music score in horror cinema history. Jerry Goldsmith wrote Ave Satani, the main song of the movie, as a satanic equivalent of a Gregorian chant in Latin.
Listen to Ave Satani here:
Ave Satani (from "The Omen") (Official Audio)
The Omen trilogy has been terrifying audiences for decades; those three movies remain a classic of enduring power. They gave enough gore, many memorable deaths on screen, one of the best child villains ever and two great performances by two legendary actors; it gave us also a director like Richard Donner and Jerry Goldsmith's music score, the best of any horror movie ever.
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Now check another movie post I wrote a while back here:
@thereadingman/5-cool-dystopian-movies-of
(Image at the beginning via: screenrant.com)
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Until next time
Take care
Orlando Caine