The Omen (1975)

Taglines: Those who foretold it are dead. Those who can stop it are in grave danger.

The Omen movie storyline. Robert and Katherine Thorn seem to have it all. They are happily married and he is the US Ambassador to Great Britain, but they want nothing more than to have children. When Katharine has a stillborn child, Robert is approached by a priest at the hospital who suggests that they take a healthy newborn whose mother has just died in childbirth. Without telling his wife he agrees. After relocating to London, strange events – and the ominous warnings of a priest – lead him to believe that the child he took from that Italian hospital is evil incarnate.

The Omen is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner, written by David Seltzer, and starring Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Spencer Stephens, Billie Whitelaw, Patrick Troughton, Martin Benson, and Leo McKern. Its plot follows Damien Thorn, a young child replaced at birth by an American diplomat unbeknownst to his wife, after their biological child dies shortly after birth; as a series of mysterious events and violent deaths occur around the family as Damien enters childhood, they come to learn he is in fact the Antichrist.

Released theatrically by 20th Century Fox in June 1976, The Omen received mixed reviews from critics and was a commercial success, grossing over $60 million at the U.S. box office and becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 1976. The film earned two Oscar nominations, and won for Best Original Score for Jerry Goldsmith, his only Oscar win. A scene from the film appeared at #16 on Bravo’s The 100 Scariest Movie Moments. The film spawned a franchise, starting with Damien: Omen II, released two years later, followed by a third installment, Omen III: The Final Conflict, in 1981, and in 1991 with Omen IV: The Awakening. A remake was released in 2006.

Principal photography of The Omen began on October 6, 1975, and lasted eleven weeks, wrapping on January 9, 1976. Scenes were shot on location in Bishops Park in Fulham, London and Guildford Cathedral in Surrey. The church featured in the Bishop’s Park neighbourhood is All Saints’ Church, Fulham, on the western side of Putney Bridge Road. Additional photography took place at Shepperton Studios outside London, as well as on location in Jerusalem and Rome.

An original score for the film, including the movie’s theme song “Ave Satani,” was composed by Jerry Goldsmith, for which he received the only Oscar of his career. The score features a strong choral segment, with a foreboding Latin chant. The refrain to the chant is, “Sanguis bibimus, corpus edimus, tolle corpus Satani,” Latin for, “We drink the blood, we eat the flesh, raise the body of Satan,” interspersed with cries of “Ave Satani!” and “Ave Versus Christus” (Latin, “Hail, Satan!” and “Hail, Antichrist!”).[citation needed] Aside from the choral work, the score includes lyrical themes portraying the pleasant home life of the Thorn family, which are contrasted with the more disturbing scenes of the family’s confrontation with evil.

Bernhard claims Gregory Peck had been the choice to portray Ambassador Thorn from the beginning. Peck got involved with the project through his agent, who was friends with producer Harvey Bernhard. After reading the script, Peck reportedly liked the idea that it was more of a psychological thriller rather than a horror film and agreed to star in it.

Despite Bernhard’s claim, William Holden was also considered for the role. Holden turned it down, claiming he didn’t want to star in a film about the devil. Holden later would portray Thorn’s brother, Richard, in the sequel, Damien: Omen II (1978).[7] A firm offer was made to Charlton Heston on July 19, 1975. He turned the part down on July 27, not wanting to spend an entire winter alone in Europe and also concerned that the film might have an exploitative feel if not handled carefully.[8] Roy Scheider and Dick Van Dyke were also considered for the role of Robert Thorn.[9] Charles Bronson was also offered the role.

Directed by: Richard Donner
Starring: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Billie Whitelaw, Martin Benson, Harvey Stephens, Patrick Troughton, Robert Rietty, Tommy Duggan, Freda Dowie, Sheila Raynor
Screenplay by: David Seltzer
Cinematography by: Gilbert Taylor
Film Editing by: Stuart Baird
Art Direction by: Carmen Dillon
Makeup Department: Stuart Freeborn, Pat McDermott, Graham Freeborn
Music by: Jerry Goldsmith
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: June 6, 1976 (UK), June 25, 1976 (US)