The Omen (1976) ****

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 handing this child the sole control of the Thorn families power and wealth.

Gregory Peck is Gregory Peck. It doesn't get any better than the man who put a face on Atticus Finch. It's amazing that he would take this kind of film, but by tossing this off as a mere horror film is really an insult. Lee Remick plays Thorn's wife, who we sympathize with at the beginning but soon feel a little hostility toward as the film continues. Their relationship on screen is really the only sticking point. There's no real chemistry there and this causes the only flaw in the film.

Directed by Richard Donner this film isn't your typical Vincent Price/Christopher Lee vampire film. It's a total experience. It isn't filmed on the moors in the middle of the night. Most of the horror is right out there in the middle of the day, even occuring at birthday parties. Satan doesn't care about the time of day it is. At times the film feels almost chaotic when the real horror is happening and that's exactly what Donner wants. Get comfortable and then rattling you to your core.

But the most important of The Omen is Jerry Goldsmith's soundtrack. The ancient sounding choirs and over the top orchestrations are enough to run shivers down your spine. This is probably the best thriller soundtrack ever written and it triples the atmosphere of the film itself. It sounds like you're in hell.

I first saw this film in the mid 1980's and it left a lasting impression on me. Most films of this genre are good for a few hours of fright after viewing, but The Omen is a film that was built layer by layer and iced with a soundtrack that will drive you insane. That's the kind of horror movie you want.