Unlike dramas
and (to a lesser extent) comedies, horror films do not so easily stand the test
of time. Ones that rely on special
effects are especially susceptible film evolution, as new audiences have a
harder time being scared by rubber masks and silly creatures. So when you get my generation or younger
talking about ‘classic’ horrors, they usually mention those that are
psychological in nature.
Movies like Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist and The Omen are the ones we remember fondly. They don’t need a whole lot of effects
(except maybe some green vomit?) in order to be scary. It’s much easier, and more rewarding, to let
the audience scare themselves.
While I
really liked Rosemary’s Baby when I
saw it a few years ago, I felt that I was maybe just too old to be frightened
by The Exorcist when I finally got a
copy of it in the mid-2000’s. The same
thing happened when I finally watched Steven King’s It. It just didn’t impact
me, because I’d seen too many newer films that had taken the model and improved
on it.
So the big
question for today: Where does The Omen fall on the scale?
On to the
review!
Well, this is
embarrassing. I realized that I actually
had seen The Omen before. What I
didn’t understand was why I didn’t figure it out until I was an hour and 45
minutes into a 1 hour and 51 minute movie.
It’s not a
bad movie by any means; I just tried it out far too late in life. So for those of you who may still be
interested, I’ll try to be gentle.
The Omen stars Gregory Peck as Mr.
Robert Thorn, an American Ambassador to the UK.
He and his wife Katherine (Lee Remick) finally have the child they’ve
always wanted in Damien (mostly played by Harvey Stephens). The problem is, their son may or may not be something…otherworldly.
You first get
a hint that something’s not quite right when the nanny hangs herself in front
of over a hundred guests at little Damien’s birthday party. Soon after, a priest named Father Brennan
(Patrick Troughton) tries to convince Mr. Thorn that his child is actually a product
of Satan. While Mr. Thorn doesn’t really
buy that bull, he eventually comes to see its potential thanks to the
eye-opening photographs of Jennings (David Warner). It seems that Jennings had been tasked by a
local paper to cover the Ambassador for some time, and his photos reveal some
startling imagery.
The best
parts of The Omen when the film
merely suggests something is wrong with the world. Subtle scenes like when Damien becomes more
and more freaked out as they near a church, or when the new nanny tries to
influence Damien’s surroundings to better encourage his inner demons. (See what I did there?)
The worst
part of The Omen is when the movie
takes those subtle scenes and shoves molten lava into your earholes. There’s nothing wrong with delivering a
musical cue to inform the audience that something’s about to happen. There’s everything wrong with making that
musical cue the LOUDEST PART OF THE MOVIE, repeating it CONTANTLY and making
the music itself ATROCIOUS.
Gee, I think
I found out why I don’t care much for The
Omen. Unlike Rosemary’s Baby, this film lacks subtlety. The plot is great, the acting is fine, and
the ideas are all there. Unfortunately
for the audience, the entire film is choreographed minutes ahead both by the
way the scenes are assembled and by the wretched, horrible musical cues.
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