The Omen

There’s little doubt that The Omen, flawed as it may be, ultimately fares a whole lot better than its 2006 remake, with Gregory Peck’s compelling performance and Richard Donner’s expectedly steady direction certainly proving instrumental in the movie’s mild success. The deliberately-paced storyline, which follows Peck’s Robert Thorn as he becomes convinced that his adopted son Damien (Harvey Stephens) is actually the Antichrist, boasts a number of thoroughly chilling elements that slowly-but-surely afford the proceedings a palpable atmosphere of dread, as screenwriter David Seltzer punctuates the film’s first half with such distinctly horrific happenings as the public suicide of Damien’s nanny and a vicious baboon attack during a trip to the zoo. The familiarity of the film’s various creepy occurrences isn’t as problematic as one might’ve feared, with Peck’s strong, downright sympathetic work effectively selling the over-the-top developments that effectively convince his character that something sinister is afoot. It’s only as the film progresses that one’s interest starts to wane, with Thorn’s investigation into Damien’s origins growing increasingly stagnant as it progresses. And while the movie does recover for an admittedly thrilling finale, instigated by the justifiably legendary death of David Warner’s character, The Omen is simply not able to live up to its reputation as a classic of the horror genre.

**1/2 out of ****