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Adam B.'s avatar

Ha, good one. THE OMEN is in many ways a deeply silly movie, but it achieves nobility on the earnestness of Gregory Peck and Lee Remick (even if Peck at the time was pushing 60 and a bit old for first-time fatherhood) and remains an effective little creeper.

Another interesting item is how the Thorns just willingly take 'Mrs. Baylock' on as their new governess. If she is the devil's plant why wouldn't she have a name like Smith or Jones or something.

And why does he cast the shadow of the cross--the ultimate in Christian iconography--in the opening titles? He's the Antichrist, right?

But anyway, I still enjoy the movie. Patrick Troughton carving big chunks of ham and that portentious faux-Biblical poetry, David Warner's Final Destination-style demise, and little Damien breaking the fourth wall at the end for the Revelation quote and ominous chanting all work for me.

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Jeremy Burgess's avatar

Oh don't get me wrong, I love this film. As you've said, Peck and Remick play it like it's Shakespeare, and the set pieces are all top notch. Underrated, I think!

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Nolen Strals's avatar

Footnote number 1? I always love your commitment to the bit.

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Jeremy Burgess's avatar

If only Substack hadn't published it a few minutes late! Ugh.

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Nolen Strals's avatar

They saw the movie. They didn’t want you unleashing that on their servers.

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Jeremy Burgess's avatar

😂😂😂

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James Francis's avatar

I always wondered if The Omen was satanic panic or witch fiction horror. This column confirms to me it's the latter!

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Jeremy Burgess's avatar

Funnily enough, given the time of its release, this film may have actually sparked the wave of satanic panic in the 80s. I hadn't put that together!

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James Francis's avatar

My money is on The Exorcist. There is something singular about that movie, even among its sequels and copycats. But I've been stewing on the idea since I read the book,so I'm partial to it.

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Jeremy Burgess's avatar

Oh yeah, that definitely had to be part of it. The Omen wasn't nearly as successful but still a box office hit relative to budget and other competition. Two big devil/demon films makes a trend I guess! (And probably others I'm forgetting.)

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