Harry Situation Reviews: The Omen

The Omen is a horror film released back in 1976. It was directed by Richard Donner, just before he made Superman; and it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Billie Whitelaw, and the second Doctor himself Patrick Troughton. The story centers around Gregory Peck as a U.S. Ambassador who adopts a baby boy to find the truth that his real son died while his wife was in labor. As his son Damien grows he notices that there is a darkness that encompasses him. His maid committed suicide on his birthday, animals act violently around him, he freaks out when they arrive at church, and his new nanny Mrs. Baylock (played by Billie Whitelaw) is creepily protective. All this leads Gregory Peck to discover the terrifying truth that the boy he is raising is the Antichrist, the son of the devil.

The Omen is a fantastic horror movie. I love this movie. I’ve been dying to talk about this movie for quite some time. Halloween is approaching and I can’t think of a better time to talk about this film. Now I’m going to address a few spoilers in this movie because there are certain stuff that I love that I have to write about. This movie has been out for a long time now so it is definitely not protected by my no spoiler rule. If you haven’t seen it, please do. It’s an incredible movie.

The best part of the movie is honestly the music. It was composed by legendary film composer Jerry Goldsmith. It is eerie and haunting just like the movie itself. I love how Goldsmith usage of a choir, having them chant omnious latin words like they were part of a Gregorian choir from hell. Easily one of the best musical scores for a horror movie. In my opinion it actually beats John Williams’ score for Jaws. This is the only film that Jerry Goldsmith has ever won Best Original Score at the Academy Awards. He was also nominated for Best Original Song for the film’s main theme “Ave Satani”. I recommend that all of you reading this to give the music a listen to on YouTube. It is amazing. I was just listening to it as I wrote this review. I actually own the soundtrack off Itunes. That’s how much I love the music.

The acting is top notch in this film as well. Gregory Peck is easily one of the best. I think this is the first time I've ever seen the man do a horror film and he does a great job. David Warner is also good too as this photographer that starts investigating Damian's background. But I think the best performer has to be Billie Whitelaw as the creepy-as-fuck nanny Mrs. Baylock. She does an amazing job pulling off this very smiley and uncomfortable character that you know something is off about her. And she's also terrifying when she wants to be too. It's a shame that she didn't get nominated for Best Supporting Actress for this role because I think she earned it.

And yeah, this movie is eerie and terrifying. Mrs. Baylock helps with the creep factor but Damian is also a pretty unsettling child too. And I believe that's what helps make this movie work. The evil in this movie isn't a demon or a maniac, it's this child who is seemingly aware that he is the Antichrist. Even his backstory is unsettling. One of the best scenes in the movie is when Gregory Peck and David Warner travel all the way to this desolate graveyard to search the remains of Damian's mother. Once they find the grave and open it there is a moment of shock that inside the grave is the skeletal remains of a jackal, indicating that thing is Damian's mother. I get chills watching that scene every time

But one of more memorable moments in this movie are the deaths. The deaths in this movie are pretty jaw-dropping. We all know one of the most famous death scenes in this film comes from Damien’s first nanny where she stands on top of the house, in the midst of a birthday party, with a noose around her neck. And she proclaims that this is for Damien. Then she jumps, and it is shocking to see it happen on screen.

If you haven't seen The Omen I highly recommend you check it out. It is one of the best horror films to date and a terrifying classic in the horror genre. It's also a film that'll make you think twice about having children lol.

Positives:

-The awesome music

-Great acting

-Chilling and terrifying

-The deaths

-Classic horror film

Negatives:

-None

Final Grade: A+

So those are my thoughts on The Omen, one of my favorite horror movies. Thank you all for participating in my horror theme challenges throughout this month. Have you seen The Omen? What were your thoughts about it? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check out more reviews here on Prose!

Best Quote:

Nanny: “It’s all for you!”

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