The Omen Blu-ray delivers great video and solid audio in this exceptional Blu-ray release
A staid U.S. ambassador (Gregory Peck) switches his wife's (Lee Remick) baby with an
orphaned boy when their child is stillborn. As the boy grows, disaster surrounds him, beginning
with the suicide of his nanny, and as the bodies pile up, his horrified father begins to suspect
the boy is evil incarnate and must be destroyed.
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. -- Revelation 13:18
Movie fans have become accustomed to the physical representation of terror resembling a
hulking, merciless, unrelenting beast of a man, a Michael Myers or Jason
Voorhees type that stalks his victims with heavy footsteps, a menacing demeanor, a large bladed
weapon, and some sort of supernatural invulnerability. 1976's The Omen, however,
creates a villain just as dastardly, invulnerable, and horrific as any masked madman, but instills
these terrifying attributes not in a beastly killing machine, a wise-cracking villain, or even a
criminal mastermind, but inside the body of a boy. Young, adorable, carefree Damien Thorn
(Harvey Stephens), with nothing more than a stare, a smile, an innocent countenance, becomes
one of cinema's more enduring powerhouses of evil, a character both at once charming and
repulsive, the very definition of innocence, yet with a future of Biblical importance, a destiny that
nothing -- or nobody -- can alter. He is pure evil, the antichrist, the final representation of terror,
an abomination so tremendous that even the greatest of the horror icons shiver in his presence.
Here you go, Mr. Thorn. A beautiful baby demon.
Robert Thron (Gregory Peck, How the West Was
Won) learns one night of the death of his newborn child, a fact still unbeknownst to his
wife Katherine (Lee Remick). Thorn reluctantly agrees to adopt a child and pass it off as his own,
leaving Katherine unaware of the true circumstances of the birth. As the years go by, Thorn is
appointed as ambassador to Great Britain and Damien grows into a handsome young boy.
When the Thorn family nanny inexplicably hangs herself during Damien's birthday party, the
family soon
meets and hires a mysterious nanny by the name of Mrs. Baylock (Billie Whitelaw). It soon
becomes apparent that Damien and Mrs. Baylock are not who they seem. As Robert begins to
piece together the mysteries surrounding the very people living in his house and whom he calls
family, he and a photographer companion by the name of Jennings (David Warner) reveal
Damien's true identity and must choose to accept destiny or do all they can to stop him before
the beginning of his reign of terror on Earth.
Among its many strengths, perhaps it is through its fine ensemble cast that The Omen
still
invokes in its viewers the sheer terror that its story gradually builds some 32 years after its initial
theatrical release. The film's unassuming demons, innocent family members, and terrified
supporting characters are all slowly but surely introduced, developed, and motivated. The clues
are pieced together, first at a leisurely pace, but once the terror begins to take shape, it builds
exponentially through the film's harrowing, depressing climax.
Young Harvey Stephens captures the essence of pure evil with shocking ease through a physical
countenance that has become the standard for the face of demonic evil at its most innocent. The
young actor never falters in conveying a broad range of emotion, from innocent child to putting
on a devilishly deceiving smile that sums up the entire movie, and the history of evil itself,
perfectly. Billie Whitelaw's portrayal of Mrs. Baylock, Damien's hell-sent guardian, offers a
performance that
will chill audiences to the bone. She is the embodiment of evil and hate, the world's most
practiced
liar and someone willing to cut anyone down that dares challenge her master's will. Gregory Peck
provides one of the finer performances of his illustrious career as Ambassador Robert Thorn, the
loving father and husband who adopts Damien in secret, shielding his wife form the pain of the
knowledge that her child died at birth, and unwittingly unleashing upon his family, and the world
at large, the most heinous evil mankind has ever, or will ever, know. His character's
understanding and acceptance of the truth as it regards the past, present, and future of his son,
the lengths he goes to to unearth the truth, and his persistence on seeing the task of preventing
Damien's reign through to the bitter end make him one of cinema's most unique and memorable
characters. He is a man with an enormous weight on his shoulders, a man whose life crumbles
rapidly before his eyes, a man whose love and compassion for life and family costs him
everything. The film also features an excellent supporting cast, including standout performances
from Lee Remick and David Warner.
For as good as the efforts in front of the camera are, those working on the other side of the lens
lend to The Omen an effort that, even today, remains hard to top in the psychological
horror genre. The film's excellent direction and photography, courtesy of director Richard Donner
(Superman) and
cinematographer Gilbert Taylor (Star Wars), engages the viewer and personalizes
the film, allowing the audience to revel in the impending terror of the film. The film often
appears troubled, unsettled, and somewhat cockeyed while making great use of shadows, all of
which
lend to the film a disturbing,
foreboding feel that slowly pulls audiences to the edges of their seats, rather than simply causing
them to jump straight out of them. Characters are often seen in the extreme foreground, off to
a side of the screen, with other characters framed more to the center or opposite side, in the
background, out of focus, placing complete emphasis on one individual in the frame. In a few
select shots, the camera will zoom closely in on a character's eyes, letting a simple expression of
paralyzing fear or terrifying evil dominate the entire frame, framing the terror in such a way to
make it all the more frightening, offering a simple yet raw manifestation of emotion, or lack
thereof, rather than the camera lingering on the action or violence itself. The Omen also
features an Academy Award-winning score by Jerry Goldsmith (L.A. Confidential), his
score appropriately demonic and harrowing, chilling and forceful, the perfect accompaniment to
the film's tone, emotion, and conflict, both inner and outer.
20th Century Fox presents The Omen on Blu-ray with a 1080p high definition,
2.35:1-framed transfer. Potential viewers need be aware that The Omen does not
represent the
pinnacle of high definition eye candy. The film offers a restrained, slightly bleak, somewhat flat,
and grainy picture. Nevertheless, the film has never looked better; the grain structure is used to
fine effect, particularly in the film's darker corners, and while the print showcases the occasional
blemish, it has been cleaned up and offers audiences an image that represents the best The
Omen has ever looked on home video. Black levels aren't extraordinarily deep or inky here,
only moderately so,
rather offering a hint of gray in some scenes. Detail is moderately good, be it the interior of the
Thorn home, clothing, or various exterior settings, such as the zoo or Damien's birthday party
near the beginning of the film. Look at a scene in chapter 22 as Mr. Thorn speaks with Mrs.
Baylock in the kitchen. The dishes seen throughout, the wallpaper, and various knickknacks
bring the scene alive, all benefitting from the improved resolution of the Blu-ray transfer. Facial
detail is strong, and flesh tones never veer too far away from natural. Colors are strong; a yellow
taxi seen in chapter 23, for example, is bright and clean but not harsh or overblown. The
Omen is a film that offers a fine example of how a properly mastered Blu-ray can breathe
new life into an old classic, and fans will be most pleased with the results.
The Omen haunts Blu-ray with a lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, and the disc also
retains the film's original monaural mix. The lossless rendition of the score and all of the film's
dialogue and effects provide solid presence, adequate in both volume and fidelity, though it remains
focused primarily across the front with only the occasional rear channel presence. Sound effects are
loud and somewhat undefined, such as the sound of shattering glass as the Thorn's first nanny
hangs herself and crashes through a window. Though the lack of surround activity is palpable, the
back channels come alive in support of the primaries on several occasions. The first time they work
with any sort of vitality is during the film's zoo scene in chapter 13 as the animals cause quite the
ruckus in reaction to Damien's visit. The soundtrack does provide some punch in the form of lows
in a few scenes, an example being the smashing of a headstone in chapter 26. Dialogue is rendered
adequately throughout. The Omen's audio quality, much like that of its video, is not of
modern-day reference quality, but it does benefit a great deal from its reproduction on Blu-ray.
The Omen comes to Blu-ray with an impressive array of bonus materials, the package
highlighted by the inclusion of three audio commentary tracks. Track number one features
director
Richard Donner and editor Stuart Baird. These participants have the notable ability to inform
while
entertaining their listeners. The discussion ranges from the film's budget, the length of the
shoot,
and the participation of most of the primary cast and crew members. Perhaps the highlight of
the
track comes in chapter 13 as Donner and Baird gleefully recount the experience of shooting the
film's famed zoo sequence. Track number two again features Donner, this time accompanied by
Brian Helgeland, screenwriter of Man on Fire and
director
of Payback. Again, this
is
a lighthearted track that flows well and offers plenty of information fans will enjoy a great deal.
Track three features film historians Lem Dobbs, Nick Redman, and Jeff Bond. The best track on
the disc, it offers a more serious, on-message tone, and is significantly more dry than the Donner
tracks. As far as tracks that true fans of cinema will enjoy, this is it. There are some
interesting discussions on here, an example being how a composer, for example, becomes
attached to a studio and scores many of that studio's films, with an obvious emphasis on Jerry
Goldsmith. The Omen also features an isolated score that removes all but
the film's music from the soundtrack, and is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1.
Richard Donner on 'The Omen' (1080p, 14:36) features the director reminiscing about
how he came to work on the film, the excellent script, his work with various cast and crew
members, his disappointment with some of the initial work (including his firing of the film's
original editor), the marketing of the film, and more. 'The Omen' Revelations -- BonusView
with Trivia Track is a feature-length supplement that provides both a basic text-based trivia
track
as well as Profile 1.1 picture-in-picture video segments. The trivia and the picture-in-picture
window sometimes appear on-screen simultaneously. Both offer plenty of pertinent and trivial
information, a solid array of knowledge that every fan of The Omen will enjoy. Those
without a profile 1.1 player may choose to play only the trivia track, and view the additional
video-based material separate from the movie. Introduction by Director Richard Donner from
2006 (480p, 1:55) is a brief feature that showcases director Richard Donner offering a few
personal insights, including how the film jump-started his career. Next is a deleted scene
entitled Dog Attack (480p, 1:26), and is available with optional commentary by Richard
Donner and Brian Helgeland.
666: 'The Omen' Revealed (480p, 46:15) is an extensive making-of feature that runs
the spectrum of the production, beginning with the theological underpinnings of the story and
moving into the writing of the script, the assemblage of the cast and crew, the filming of some of
the movie's most crucial scenes, the creation and implementation of the film's Academy-Award
winning score, and more. Screenwriter's Notebook (480p, 14:51) is an interview piece
with David Seltzer, who discusses how his script broke from the genres he generally worked in,
the challenges of working in the horror genre, the differing titles attached to the film, and his
work on
the novelization of the film, among other things. Next up is An Appreciation: Wes Craven on
'The Omen' (480p, 20:17). Here, the famed horror director recounts his thoughts on
various aspects of the picture. 'The Omen' Legacy (480p, 1:41:38) is a comprehensive
overview of the entire Omen saga, recounting the film's Biblical influences, the "curses"
that plagued the sets, and almost anything else fans of the entire series could imagine.
Curse or Coincidence (480p, 6:19) is an all-too-brief look back on the various mishaps
that plagued the shoot and the cast and crew, and the belief that forces more powerful than man
were at work, attempting to halt the filmmaking process. Jerry Goldsmith on 'The Omen'
Score (480p, 17:41)
features the acclaimed composer discussing various pieces of music heard throughout the film.
Concluding this extensive selection of bonus materials is a still gallery and the film's theatrical
trailer (480p, 2:19).
The Omen is a fine representation of true cinematic horror, the embodiment of
psychological fear and terror, and its villain truly evil incarnate as it assumes an angelic,
unassuming,
innocent countenance. Expertly directed, acted, and scored, the film strikes all the right chords and
remains one of the defining horror films of the past several decades. Spawning several sequels and
an atrocious remake, the film stands head and shoulders above its related counterparts and
continues to frighten audiences more than 30 years after the film's debut. 20th Century Fox's
Blu-ray release of this horror classic is currently the film's definitive home video release. Offering a
picture quality that remains true to the source, a fine lossless soundtrack that is accompanied by
the original monaural track, and an extensive selection of bonus materials, The Omen is a
disc that deserves a spot in every serious Blu-ray collection. Highly recommended.
Amazon's Blu-ray Deal of Week has The Omen Collection marked down to $19.99. The set, which includes The Omen, Damien: Omen II, Omen III: The Final Conflict and Omen (666) has been discounted 67% off the $59.99 SRP. The deal ends on October 15th.
Fox Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring 'The Omen Collection' to Blu-ray on September 9th. The four disc set will feature the three original Omen films ('The Omen' (1976), 'Damien: Omen II', and 'Omen III: Final Conflict') as well as the 2006 ...
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