The Omen

R

Released Jun 25, 1976

1h 51m

Horror

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List

85%

52 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

100,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

American diplomat Robert (Gregory Peck) adopts Damien (Harvey Stephens) when his wife, Katherine (Lee Remick), delivers a stillborn child. After Damien's first nanny hangs herself, Father Brennan (Patrick Troughton) warns Robert that Damien will kill Katherine's unborn child. Shortly thereafter, Brennan dies and Katherine miscarries when Damien pushes her off a balcony. As more people around Damien die, Robert investigates Damien's background and realizes his adopted son may be the Antichrist.

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Critics Consensus

The Omen eschews an excess of gore in favor of ramping up the suspense -- and creates an enduring, dread-soaked horror classic along the way.

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Regina P

I had a good time watching this. Seemed like a perfect relic of the age in which it was made. It wasn't scary or unsettling, though.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/24/24

Full Review

Farah R

The Omen is a superlative horror film that ranks among the genre's best. Gregory Peck is convincingly excellent as a tortured father conflicted with guilt, and Harvey Stephens plays a terrifying young Damien. The film tactfully incorporates religious themes without being offensive and uses its source material to garner fear instead of relying on scare tactics typical of its genre.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/12/24

Full Review

Jithin K

I'm not sure if I've seen this or the remake but I had seen it as a kid and had a gist of it, plus a lot of pop culture references meant, I know what most of it's gonna be. Even with that, this film was pretty engaging and the mystery element worked really well. There were some aspects of it that made it feel like this clearly has some inspirations from The Exorcist but this one's better for me. A lot of it felt pretty silly and I'd agree with the critics of the time of its release more than the people about how great or not great this is. It's a fun movie to watch. But the way it approached a lot of things in this movie makes it clear that the impact of this movie has been culturally negative, bringing out possibilities of cult-like mentalities. But that's kind of true for a lot of movies from the 70s and 80s which is not entirely their fault. At the end of the day, it's an entertaining movie. But in itself as a movie, this doesn't really have too many things standing the test of the time compared to what it created through its impact.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/09/24

Full Review

Keith J

brilliantly scary movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/08/24

Full Review

Dean C

This is a classic horror that knows how to build tension especially with that brilliant score.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/08/24

Full Review

Tyler B

An all time horror classic that still hasn't been topped by any new entry into the Satan based horror genre yet for me. Very well cast and written (despise some plot ?'s that didn't get fixed until the New Omen,) the movie is full of dread from the start and Donner did a great job of building it up until the end when it all peaks. Peck was beyond perfect as the lead and he really sells the madness perfect. Not much gore to speak of (much like the OG Halloween,) but did didn't need it. A total surprise which went on to be a smash, it deserves all the love it gets.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/05/24

Full Review

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Richard Donner

Director

Gregory Peck

Robert Thorn

Lee Remick

Kathy Thorn

David Warner

Keith Jennings

Billie Whitelaw

Mrs. Baylock

Leo McKern

Carl Bugenhagen (uncredited)

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The Omen: Trailer 1

2:16

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Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

Gregory Peck takes everything pitch-perfect seriously. This is one of his best performances.

Rated: A-

Oct 21, 2019

Full Review

Anna Baddeley

Daily Telegraph (UK)

The Omen contains some of the most memorable untimely deaths in cinema history.

Rated: 5/5

Dec 29, 2014

Full Review

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Richard Donner directs more for speed than mood, but there are a few good shocks.

Oct 9, 2012

Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

Richard Donner's feature directorial debut goes hard (so does Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar winning score), with a number of truly amazing set pieces. This holds up better than you may remember!

Rated: 3.5/5

Apr 5, 2024

Full Review

Steve Warren

The Barb (Atlanta)

Director Richard Donner hasn't the subtlety of a Hitchcock or even a Friedkin, but if you believe that the ends justify the means, you have to give him credit.

May 9, 2023

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

The gory bits are like jalapeno peppers sprinkled over oatmeal; even the most nostalgically devoted fans need to ask themselves if it would be so dear to their hearts were it not for the ornate atrocities set to Jerry Goldsmith’s shrieking choir.

Rated: C

Aug 30, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

American diplomat Robert (Gregory Peck) adopts Damien (Harvey Stephens) when his wife, Katherine (Lee Remick), delivers a stillborn child. After Damien's first nanny hangs herself, Father Brennan (Patrick Troughton) warns Robert that Damien will kill Katherine's unborn child. Shortly thereafter, Brennan dies and Katherine miscarries when Damien pushes her off a balcony. As more people around Damien die, Robert investigates Damien's background and realizes his adopted son may be the Antichrist.

Director: Richard Donner
Producer: Mace Neufeld
Screenwriter: David Seltzer
Distributor: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, CBS/Fox, Fox
Production Co: 20th Century Fox
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 25, 1976, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2017
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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