The Omen (1976) (Blu-ray)

I have had an uneasy relationship with this film for many years, having first seen it probably a few years younger than I should have done. This was a mistake. I am blessed (or cursed, as it may be) with a particularly overactive imagination at times, and I have to say that I spent several years wishing that I had never seen this film - it wouldn't leave me alone for a long, long time after seeing it. I've seen its director, Richard Donner, being interviewed on TV many times - he is a remarkably intelligent individual and appears jovial, cheerful and amiable - just the sort of individual that you could fondly imagine as a grandfather to your children, or (with no offence intended) a real life Santa Claus. So, Mr. Donner - how on earth does someone like you make a film like The Omen? This film didn't just redefine 'scary' films for me, it redefined the sensation of feeling scared. It really did cause some significant problems for me, and I still can't explain the odd decision I took… more »

I have had an uneasy relationship with this film for many years, having first seen it probably a few years younger than I should have done. This was a mistake. I am blessed (or cursed, as it may be) with a particularly overactive imagination at times, and I have to say that I spent several years wishing that I had never seen this film - it wouldn't leave me alone for a long, long time after seeing it. I've seen its director, Richard Donner, being interviewed on TV many times - he is a remarkably intelligent individual and appears jovial, cheerful and amiable - just the sort of individual that you could fondly imagine as a grandfather to your children, or (with no offence intended) a real life Santa Claus. So, Mr. Donner - how on earth does someone like you make a film like The Omen? This film didn't just redefine 'scary' films for me, it redefined the sensation of feeling scared. It really did cause some significant problems for me, and I still can't explain the odd decision I took to buy a Hi-Def copy on Blu-Ray, and watch it all over again - I suppose wanting to climb back on the horse after falling off, so to speak. But - don't let me put you off. What a masterpiece this film is. One of the most striking aspects of this film is its soundtrack, by Jerry Goldsmith, who in my opinion has written some of the very best film music ever heard. Infact, to dismiss him as 'just' a film composer is to insult him - this soundtrack is one of the most remarkable pieces of music you could hope to hear, and one of the few film soundtracks that I have gone on to buy. If you do buy it, a word of warning - don't play it at night. You'll wish you hadn't. Many people confuse this soundtrack with Carmina Burana, and this is one of the many old wives' tales you might hear about this film. To put it simply, Jerry Goldsmith created one of the most instantly chilling film scores ever made. Another possibly inaccurate tale you might hear about Mr. Goldsmith is that he hallucinates his music, and then scores and orchestrates it... possibly not, but I could just about believe this to be true. And on to what you see on screen - this film isn't an action epic with major events every few minutes to keep the hard of thinking occupied. What it does, and possibly does the best of any horror film I've seen, is to very slowly craft and develop a sense of mounting dread. A happy, successful and affluent family are slowly dissolved by something that appears innocent and pure, and is infact the prodigy of the darkest force of evil. What a load of old cobblers, I hear you say - but I watched this throughout my formative years, when I wasn't sure what I thought of religion, having also spent many years having this drilled into me at school. It's extremely unlikely that you won't have seen this film if you have an appreciation of horror films (again, I don't like to pigeonhole this as a horror film, because for me it's in a class of its own) but its transfer to Blu-Ray has been extremely worthwhile - I've seen details I've never seen before, and the soundtrack, whilst recorded a long time ago, has been tidied up well. I can barely bring myself to describe my 'best' moment in the film. Thorn has arrived back at the family home, to identify Damien as the Anti-Christ, by examining his scalp for the mark of the 3 sixes. It's dark in the house, and raining outside. He hears the Rottweiller found by Mrs. Baylock (or Baa'lock, to give her her hell's apostate name) to guard Damien, and hides. The dog, unaware of Thorn, walks slowly to Thorn's hiding place, and very quietly in the background, there can be heard a truly awful, demonic whispering. Thank you, enjoy, and I wish you sweet dreams.