The Omen! This movie was a lot of fun and even though I didn't find it super scary, the camera work, score, and just all around filmmaking behind this film was so impressive it was hard to not enjoy it! Also the ENDING???? Thanks for watching! Have a great day! :)
What I like about the film is that the kid is completely normal and Richard Donner approached it as an agnostic, and it simply came down to a question - how many coincidences would need to occur before you’d drag your five-year-old son into a church and stab him with knives?
When “The Omen” was first shown to a test audience before it was released, Richard Donner sat in the audience to watch the reactions. He noticed that most people in the audience, when they knew that the photographer was about to get decapitated, they would look away or cover their eyes. Donner was intent on this movie freaking people out, so he went and had the beheading scene slowed down, so people would think it was all over and look back at the screen, only to see the head flying in slow motion.
I saw this when I was MUCH too young and the movie and score terrified the ever living crap out of me. It’s Latin but sang in an accent that sounds like English so it SOUNDS like you should be able to make it out, but you can’t. The lyrics are available. The main one is “Ave Satani”… “Hail Satan” “Versus Christus”= Antichrist
Yes, that is Lovejoy from "Titanic", the wonderful David Warner. Here, playing a good guy. I highly recommend "Time After Time", where he appears again, and I guarantee he gives his all. The priest is Patrick Troughton, and if you're acquainted with the "Dr. Who" series, he was the Second Doctor, and the very first reincarnated manifestation. Thorn is Gregory Peck, one of the great names of his era, perhaps most famous for playing Atticus Finch in "To Kill A Mockingbird", but with a wonderful, varied resume. My favorite role of his is in "The Big Country". Lee Remick is his wife. An early meatier role for her was "Days of Wine and Roses", opposite Jack Lemmon. My intro to her was in the uneasy dark comedy "No Way to Kill A Lady".
This movie won the Oscar for Best Original Score! The movie is said to be cursed as some of the actors and crew got into unexplained accidents before and during filming.
Not only did Jerry Goldsmith win Best Original Score, but the evil-goth theme, "Ave Satani", was up for Best Original Song, but lost to Barbara Streisand's song from "A Star is Born". (And it was up against the Rocky song, too.)
The omen is hands-down one of my favorite horror movies. It’s just everything about it it’s just great like this movie is a borderline masterpiece in my opinion. It’s just the acting, and the masterful direction by the great Richard Donner, and the bone chilling atmospheric terrifying creepy ass score by Jerry Goldsmith is one of his greatest crown achievements, and the suspense and tension is masterfully done. You should really look up the history of the making of this movie. Basically they believe that the production of the film was cursed because a lot of really strange and unfortunate things happened during the making of the film and they believed it was because the Devil didn’t want the film to be made and they believe that demons were interfering with the production of the film. Stuff like unexplained deaths, accidents gone wrong, planes being struck by lightning not once but twice, and also in 1975 a year before the film was released but shooting of the film began in 1975 and that’s when Gregory Peck‘s son unexpectedly committed suicide by taking a revolver and blowing his brains out.
David Warner is a great actor who usually plays villainous roles. You absolutely, most definitely, must check him out in Time after Time (1979). It is a story of HG Wells chasing Jack the ripper through time to modern day San Francisco. It is directed by Nicholas Meyer, who also directed Star Trek II and Star Trek VI and he also co-wrote Star Trek IV. It stars Malcolm McDowell who you will see soon in Star Trek Generations and Mary Steenburgen who you saw in Back to the Future 3. An interesting movie Mr Warner did is called The Island (1980) which was from a book written by the author of Jaws. It stars Michael Caine and is about modern descendants of pirates still out there pillaging unsuspecting boats in the Caribbean. I met David Warner about 10 years ago at DragonCon in Atlanta and mentioned I had recently rewatched The Island and he laughed and said "That was a strange one".
Agreed that David Warner was sooo good in Time After Time. I saw it in theaters when it was first released. I lived just south of San Francisco so was very familiar with the locations. After the movie I had to walk home about a mile under a freeway underpass as it was getting dark. I was freaked out. But every performance, and the story, was outstanding
I think I heard or read that Hollywood legend, Gregory Peck had lost his son to suicide and was still grieving when offered the role, which hesitated to take a few times. Another Hollywood legend, William Holden, was also considered, offered the role but he turned it down, only to accept starring in Damien Omen 2 once he realized he missed being in a hit movie. There were other bad incidents that occurred during production. Peck and company avoided perishing in a terrorist bombing of a restaurant in London they were scheduled to dine at but a last minute change to that plan saved their lives. Also, the make-up effects artist, lost his wife and child in a car accident. The movie's publicity and build up was one the most clever campaigns ever with early teaser posters with very cryptic and minimal messages such as "Who is Damien?", or "If You're Having A Bad Day, It Must Be An Omen". Also, the movie was released on June 6, 1976.
the commentary with Donner and Stewart Baird is brilliant & so funny. They said about the profit and how cheap cinema tickets were at the time, and how much more it would have made if dearer !
@@joycegibbs5267 I remember matinee was $1.50 and child was like $1.00 or slightly less. The huge leap in admission seemed to occur in the 1990's. And no wonder. Movie budgets became monstrously larger, offered expensive effects. Theaters had to revamp their sound systems to the point of unreal "surround" digitally enhanced stereo, now things are shot in high definition, seats vibrate, tickle and god only knows what else in these modern virtual theater experiences. We...the ticket buying audience, paid for all that. Lol
David Warner also played the Klingon chancellor in Star Trek VI. And in the TNG episode “Chain of Command” he played one of the best villains in Trek history.
Dude, the clothes draped over the foot of your bed create THE PERFECT framing for this movie: there are several moments where it looks like a veil over the characters, especially Kathy. It's like a shroud of death!
I thought I was watching the freaking THE OTHERS (2001) when Nicole Kidman is in that creepy room with all the white-sheet covered furniture and she thinks her daughter is obsessed by the old lady ghost. lmao
When I watched this with mates as a kid, because it petrified us we'd wisecrack through it. The bit where the priest is telling Mr Thorn what Damien's mother was we'd adlib over it going "...his mother was a johovas witness! His mother was a giraffe! His mother was a jellybaby!" We never grew up! 🤔🤣🤣
Great reaction Ollie... I hope you do the two sequels as well, Damien: Omen II (1978) with Oscar winner William Holden, actress Lee Grant & Aliens actor Lance Henriksen with music by Jerry Goldsmith....and Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981) with Jurassic Park actor Sam Neill, executive produced by Richard Donner and music by Jerry Goldsmith...some people have issues with part 3 but I personally enjoyed it and I feel it wraps up the trilogy of Damien Thorne very nicely in my opinion. Peace ✌️.
Great reaction! I hope you watch the sequel, Damien: Omen 2 which is one of my favourite movies. I love the original, but love the second one far more.
Cast trivia: Damien's first nanny who dies at the birthday party is played by Holly Palance, actress daughter of Hollywood legend tough guy actor Jack Palance. The character is billed only as "Nanny" but notice Lee Remick calls her by her real name in the scene
Much like Rosemary's Baby, this movie played heavily on coincidence and paranoia...until all the pieces come together and then there is no way of denying something is up.
The Omen, a smash summer blockbuster hit in 1976, made a huge profit for 20th Century -Fox that it bankrolled the making of Star Wars, which was the blockbuster hit of the summer of 1977, which profits, bankrolled Alien, the blockbuster hit of the summer of 1979.
There was a 1968 TV show called The Banana Splits. Hanna-Barbera wanted to cash in on Beatle-mania. Richard Donner directed the Danger Island episodes.
One of the most disturbing films of my time. Brilliantly written and acted. This noir type thriller was what was in at the time. I've never been a huge fan of horror other than the B&W classics, this type of filmaking was much more interesting.
I found it scary and creepy and I'm rarely impressed by scary movies. This one was special to me when I saw it and then the sequel on UK TV when I was about 20.
"Look at me, Damien! It's all for you." Fun Fact: David Warner kept his severed head for years, until his divorce, when his ex-wife obtained custody of it. Provocative Filmmaking Fact: Because Harvey Stephens was so young, Richard Donner found that the best way to direct him was to provoke genuine reactions before the camera. For example, when Damien is angry at being taken to church, Donner got his peeved facial expression by shouting insults to Stephens off camera. In the closing scene, Donner used reverse psychology on young Stephens telling him he shouldn't "dare laugh" or the director wouldn't be the actor's friend. So naturally, Stephens wanted to laugh, and he instead smiled directly into the camera. Music Enthusiast Fact: Richard Donner and Harvey Bernhard asked Alan Ladd Jr., then the head of Twentieth Century Fox, for extra money during the film's post-production period to hire composer Jerry Goldsmith. They strongly felt that his music was right for the movie, after seeing him perform a live concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles earlier that year. Ladd was finally talked into giving Donner and Bernhard around $25,000 to hire Goldsmith, who would deliver his first and only Academy Award win for his score in 1977. Donner credits the success of the film to Goldsmith's score, which increased the tension and fear of the movie.
Additional Fun Fact - the nanny that hanged herself in the beginning of the film is played by Holly Palance - daughter of Oscar nominated actor (City Slickers 1 & 2, Tim Burton's Batman, Chato's Land, Tango & Cash, Dracula '74, Shane, Cops & Robbersons, Young Guns) Jack Palance.
The title refers to the markings on Keith’s photographs. That’s incredibly clever. His own fate made it nearly impossible for me to sit through the rest of the film, considering how unexpected the scene is. And I first watched the movie in the early afternoon! Thankfully, I returned to it in a couple years and finished. Love the film, to this day
Funny enough, this is the third movie that has actor David Warner you’ve reacted to in the last month; Star Trek V & VI (two very different characters) and now The Omen. You should throw in a Tron reaction just to keep the streak going haha
If I remember correctly, David Warner was Sark, Dillinger, and the voice the Master Control Program (all of the main antagonists) in Tron. Time sure does go by...
This movie scared me so much that I swore off scary movies for life!! Just hearing the music sends a shiver down my spine!! Creeeeepy and menacing. Enjoyed the review Oliver!
The music where the dogs attack them in the cemetery is one of my most favorite pieces of film music. It's sounds way clearer on the soundtrack without all the screaming and dogs barking 🤣
Jerry Goldsmiths superb score (alongside the other two films) and the wonderful Billie Whitelaw, who steals the entire film every time she's on screen.
Great observation that this film could be the idea genesis for the final destination movies. I always loved the idea of the photo's foreshadowing the characters deaths, and the music is scary in its own right. The ending sets up events for the Omen II perfectly you should watch it.
I’ve just recently found your channel and I really enjoy your reactions to movies that I grew up with. Regarding The Omen, an entire generation refused to name a boy Damien. To this day I am shocked when I near that name for a child. Great reaction.
Oliver, you make an interesting point about the story being coincidences rather than Damien actually being the devil's son. In the audio commentary for the film, Richard Donner states that he shot the film in such a way that it could just be a series of accidents and coincidences, which are incorrectly connected and interpreted by the characters involved. You never actually see anything supernatural occur. A good example is the scene between Mrs Thorn and Mrs Baylock in the hospital. Viewers assume that Mrs Baylock is responsible for her fall, but it may be that she is genuinely there to help Mrs Thorn, but Mrs Thorn misinterprets this and herself falls from the window.
Oliver, do (1955) Night of the Hunter with Robert Mitchum. No one reacts to it but it's one of the most stylistic, progressive and visually striking b&w films made. And it's about a serial killer. Hitchcock ramped up to 100.
If you've got a wet shirt and don't have a dryer, do this: Lay out a towel (at least bath size), and spread the shirt out on it. Roll up the towel on the long side, then twist it hard in one direction. Untwist, then twist it hard in the other direction. The towel will soak up most of the moisture, and then you can hang the shirt up to dry the rest of the way. You're welcome. :)
So glad to have come across your channel, Oliver. The reactions are unfiltered, and you give credit where it’s due (both to the source material and to your generation, which may be unfamiliar with the themes of some pictures but will be able to appreciate them)
David Warner, the photographer, in 1978, plays Jack the Ripper transported into modern day San Francisco in HG Wells' time machine in "Time After Time". Malcolm MC Dowell -- Alex in "A Clockwork Orange", plays Wells, who pursues Jack. Great movie, worth a reaction.
Movie trivia: The kid turn and smile was part ad-lib by the kid. They just told him to turn and smile, did it first take. You need to watch the series. His growing up story to adulthood is great. Not what you would expect.
Part of the inspiration behind the film are freak accidents like the car crash on *Ommen* (speed limit 66.6 meters), where at least one passenger got dismembered
These old horror movies were so fun back when they came out... They weren't super scary but then they ended and you dwelled on the theme of it... Because there were not really any slasher films with jump scares you'd just be creeped out by demons and supernatural stuff... so kids everywhere watched this...checked their scalps in the mirror for sixes LOL .... and made sure the letters in their friend's names didn't count up to sixes ,,, like Oliver Gi,,,, Oh NO!!
I saw this on the TV when I was about 7 or 8 a couple of years after it was released. Probably shouldn't have because it really effected me and still does. Masterful film, a real classic. The music is just superb and really helps with the menace.
This was a great horror mystery But for the complete story you need to see the whole trilogy. Jerry Goldsmith's music made it even better. He won an Oscar for it.
Gregory Peck was a total surprise for this movie. Although he had been in countless movies as a leading man, this was his first horror movie and his last leading role! Notice that this movie was done before personal computers, cell phones and the internet came into existance. It was a low budget film and so they all decided to play their roles dead serious. The pacing is perfect for this movie. The beauty is that this movie sets everything up perfectly for the sequel, The Omen II : Damien, which is even better than this one!
Great reaction video! Yeah, these religious oriented films were a big deal back in the 1970's, Exorcist and Omen and Amityville Horror etc. Gregory Peck is so watchable in everything he does. This one got remade, with Liev Schrieber and Julia Stiles in the lead roles...and of course was released on June 6, 2006 (6/6/06)!
Gregory Peck is my all time favorite actor of b&w movies. This movie was just a paycheck for him. Lee Remick was mostly a TV actress. It was never hugely popular. You really should watch the romantic Roman Holiday with Peck and Audrey Hepburn and his most iconic role as Atticus Finch in To Ķill a Mockingbird.
Lee Remick had some major movie hits, such as "Days of Wine and Roses", with Jack Lemmon. Tv appearances we're only in later years as her career was fading.
Typical of the prestige horror of the time dating from about Rosemary's Baby to The Thing (82) - top directors and top actors doing top work in what used to be known as B-movie low-class trashy stuff. I mean, it doesn't get fancier than Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. What a wonderful actress, btw - died far too soon.
There was such dramatic and character depth in this movie. I begged off seeing this with friends when it was theatrically released but after watching it on home video, I regret seeing this in a crowded theatre. As an aside, the trailer for this movie was shown before a screening of Young Frankenstein and the clip of the nanny hanging herself became the source of nightmares. The theatre -- the Madison in Queens, NY -- really bumbled putting a trailer for a horror film before a comedy.
I think you will enjoy The Omen II. Damian gets sent to boarding school. It's a really good watch. I don't remember the other 2 Omen movies being good and haven't seen the most recent theater release so part II is the only one I'd recommend.
Conga rats on 10k subs :D To mark the occasion, we the people (as represented by me *ahem*) demand another drunken reaction. preferably to Airplane, Top Secret or one of the Naked Gun movies. :D
First off I hope you feel better. Secondly as a doctor who fan you should know the priest was the second doctor. Finally I've mentioned this in the comments before but if you like Donner films I think you would like "Ladyhawke " with Mathew Broderick Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeifer
The photographer was also in Star Trek V and VI playing different characters, and Damien was not aware who he was... yet. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. - Corinthians 1 13
"sangui bibimus" - blood we drink "corpus edimus" - body we eat "ave Satani" - Hail Satan "versus Christus" - self-explanatory. Latin: Je parle Francais un petit peu. Yo hablo Espanol un poco....it's easy to translate these Latin lyrics if you have some understanding of the languages that Latin spawned.
Make sure you watch Omen II (score is just as good)… just as good as this one imo. Part III is good… but the ending is a bit anticlimatic imo. Just Sam Niell has a nice monolog where he mocks god/christ. 🤘🏻
One of my favourite horror films. No, its not particularly scary, but it is an unsettling film. Patrick Troughton, who played Father Brennan, is most famous in the UK for playing the 2nd Doctor in the popular UK TV series Doctor Who. The Omen trilogy as a whole is excellent. Avoid Omen 4 as it is absolutely terrible, and nothing to do with the original trilogy. Only found out recently the composer and his wife wrote a song based on some of the soundtrack music. th-cam.com/video/XZBIWSuv5l0/w-d-xo.html
My niece was born around the same time Damien would have been born, and she was always causing trouble when she was little. My sister al aye joked she probably had 3 6s on the head
you need to watch the series. very good. Anti-christ builds his empire. Jurassic Park Sam Neill as the antichrist. the 'disturbing' feel amplifies through the story. Another creepy Peck movie is "The Boys From Brazil'.
Thank you, Oliver! I hope your voice heals quickly. Keep well-hydrated during your recovery. 🌿 I think this version is much more effective than the remake from 2006. 😱 #RolyPolyOllie #RichardDonner #TheOmen #TheOmen1976
Sanguis bibimus: We drink the blood. Corpus edimus: We eat the body. Tolle corpus Satani: Raise the body of Satan. Ave, Ave Versus Christus: Hail, Hail Antichrist! Ave Satani!: Hail Satan!
This and the Exorcist were really the first and best of those movies. In the seventies and early eighties dozens and dozens were made and they were pretty schlocky. Direction, acting, music were just top tier. After youve seen 15 of these they dont really impress any more. The second of the trilogy is MEH, but the third is really good. Again you've got top tier actors chewing up scenery and better special effects. The one main theological thing that annoys me about this trilogy is that it is presented as a series of events that take place to prevent the re-birth of Jesus and that just doesn't make sense.
I know that you recorded this a while ago so I hope that you're better now. I did enjoy the film but I think it had more of an impact as I was about 8 when I first watched it. Also every time I go past Guildford Cathedral where the Damien freaking scene out was filmed, I always hear the music in my mind! I enjoyed your reaction once again.
And all honesty dude sometimes I really wonder what you're into from the selection of horror movies you've chose to watch..... Excuse the pun but kind of scary really........
@@Mimi-ki7uv Omg the Fly, a movie that asks the question, was the writer of this fiasco inhaling Raid? LOL. But I never understood why people like movie's on occult stuff? This is usually a topic just like Religion most people tend to avoid. Especially at Halloween season....
Couldnt you have done a SERIOUS review of this important film? also why are you sitting next to a red wine bottle, didnt anyone tell you? are you reviewing yourself or the film. this ISNT a horror film, Richard Donner said so himself, in an interview "hell hound" you got that right, for once I welcomed the adverts
Of course you didn’t connect with the movie. Your thumbnail was son of the devil…though this may be from the Bible you had no connection to where the theme from the Bible that the movie took its story from. You’re young and maybe had no chritian or church upbringing. As many don’t connect with the underlying story of the ark of the covenant with Indians jones and Harrison ford …the story came from the Bible. This was a biblical story that the screenplay write wove the story and the prophecies from throughout the Bible and especially revelations. The antichrist was predicted to be born into the hierarchy of politics. The main character an ambassador to England and when he died at the end of the movie we see the child being adopted by the president of the United States. The number “666” isn’t just the devils number but it biblical as the mark of the “beast” being the name and number of the antichrist. In the future it would be placed on the hand or forehead and you can’t buy or sell without it. If you take the number you are not gods. Catch 22. Some think our methods of card in the hand, mobile phones and our many numbering systems that we all identify are here already. You have to understand revelations was written 2000 years ago. It’s writings are not understood but many of the omen movies are bringing the child in as the prophecied antichrist who would take over the one world government and would be seen at first as a peace maker. Armegedeon was to happen in megadome valley which I believe was where Gregory peck and the rabbi were towards the end of the movie. It’s suppose to be the last battle where all nations turn against Israel.
The Omen! This movie was a lot of fun and even though I didn't find it super scary, the camera work, score, and just all around filmmaking behind this film was so impressive it was hard to not enjoy it! Also the ENDING????
Thanks for watching! Have a great day! :)
Ha, this is on UK TV tonight ! I will definitely be watching.
@@stevenjones916 ooh what channel
THE OMEN 2, 3 and 4 👍👍👍
What I like about the film is that the kid is completely normal and Richard Donner approached it as an agnostic, and it simply came down to a question - how many coincidences would need to occur before you’d drag your five-year-old son into a church and stab him with knives?
@@danger2bananas BBC2 11:15pm
When “The Omen” was first shown to a test audience before it was released, Richard Donner sat in the audience to watch the reactions. He noticed that most people in the audience, when they knew that the photographer was about to get decapitated, they would look away or cover their eyes. Donner was intent on this movie freaking people out, so he went and had the beheading scene slowed down, so people would think it was all over and look back at the screen, only to see the head flying in slow motion.
Jerry Goldsmith won the Academy Award for best score for this movie.
rightly so, just brilliant.
I saw this when I was MUCH too young and the movie and score terrified the ever living crap out of me.
It’s Latin but sang in an accent that sounds like English so it SOUNDS like you should be able to make it out, but you can’t.
The lyrics are available. The main one is “Ave Satani”… “Hail Satan”
“Versus Christus”= Antichrist
Yes, that is Lovejoy from "Titanic", the wonderful David Warner. Here, playing a good guy. I highly recommend "Time After Time", where he appears again, and I guarantee he gives his all.
The priest is Patrick Troughton, and if you're acquainted with the "Dr. Who" series, he was the Second Doctor, and the very first reincarnated manifestation.
Thorn is Gregory Peck, one of the great names of his era, perhaps most famous for playing Atticus Finch in "To Kill A Mockingbird", but with a wonderful, varied resume. My favorite role of his is in "The Big Country".
Lee Remick is his wife. An early meatier role for her was "Days of Wine and Roses", opposite Jack Lemmon. My intro to her was in the uneasy dark comedy "No Way to Kill A Lady".
David Warner was also great fun in Time Bandits.
How can you fail to mention the best actor in this? The fantastic Billie Whitelaw.
@@rnw2739 Agreed: I should have. She was marvelous.
FACIST. HAG!
He was in Scream 2 as well
The actor you noticed from Titanic - David Warner - was also the Klingon Chancellor Gorkon in Star Trek VI!
And the human ambassador in Star Trek V
And Bob Cratchit in the 1984 Christmas Carol
And the voice of Ra-chal Ghoul in Batman the animated series
This movie won the Oscar for Best Original Score!
The movie is said to be cursed as some of the actors and crew got into unexplained accidents before and during filming.
Not only did Jerry Goldsmith win Best Original Score, but the evil-goth theme, "Ave Satani", was up for Best Original Song, but lost to Barbara Streisand's song from "A Star is Born".
(And it was up against the Rocky song, too.)
The omen is hands-down one of my favorite horror movies. It’s just everything about it it’s just great like this movie is a borderline masterpiece in my opinion. It’s just the acting, and the masterful direction by the great Richard Donner, and the bone chilling atmospheric terrifying creepy ass score by Jerry Goldsmith is one of his greatest crown achievements, and the suspense and tension is masterfully done. You should really look up the history of the making of this movie. Basically they believe that the production of the film was cursed because a lot of really strange and unfortunate things happened during the making of the film and they believed it was because the Devil didn’t want the film to be made and they believe that demons were interfering with the production of the film. Stuff like unexplained deaths, accidents gone wrong, planes being struck by lightning not once but twice, and also in 1975 a year before the film was released but shooting of the film began in 1975 and that’s when Gregory Peck‘s son unexpectedly committed suicide by taking a revolver and blowing his brains out.
David Warner is a great actor who usually plays villainous roles.
You absolutely, most definitely, must check him out in Time after Time (1979). It is a story of HG Wells chasing Jack the ripper through time to modern day San Francisco. It is directed by Nicholas Meyer, who also directed Star Trek II and Star Trek VI and he also co-wrote Star Trek IV. It stars Malcolm McDowell who you will see soon in Star Trek Generations and Mary Steenburgen who you saw in Back to the Future 3.
An interesting movie Mr Warner did is called The Island (1980) which was from a book written by the author of Jaws. It stars Michael Caine and is about modern descendants of pirates still out there pillaging unsuspecting boats in the Caribbean.
I met David Warner about 10 years ago at DragonCon in Atlanta and mentioned I had recently rewatched The Island and he laughed and said "That was a strange one".
Peter Benchley was an incredible writer. I love all these bits of info I get from the comment section. Thanks for that.
Agreed that David Warner was sooo good in Time After Time. I saw it in theaters when it was first released. I lived just south of San Francisco so was very familiar with the locations. After the movie I had to walk home about a mile under a freeway underpass as it was getting dark. I was freaked out. But every performance, and the story, was outstanding
I think I heard or read that Hollywood legend, Gregory Peck had lost his son to suicide and was still grieving when offered the role, which hesitated to take a few times. Another Hollywood legend, William Holden, was also considered, offered the role but he turned it down, only to accept starring in Damien Omen 2 once he realized he missed being in a hit movie. There were other bad incidents that occurred during production. Peck and company avoided perishing in a terrorist bombing of a restaurant in London they were scheduled to dine at but a last minute change to that plan saved their lives. Also, the make-up effects artist, lost his wife and child in a car accident. The movie's publicity and build up was one the most clever campaigns ever with early teaser posters with very cryptic and minimal messages such as "Who is Damien?", or "If You're Having A Bad Day, It Must Be An Omen". Also, the movie was released on June 6, 1976.
the commentary with Donner and Stewart Baird is brilliant & so funny. They said about the profit and how cheap cinema tickets were at the time, and how much more it would have made if dearer !
@@joycegibbs5267 I remember matinee was $1.50 and child was like $1.00 or slightly less. The huge leap in admission seemed to occur in the 1990's. And no wonder. Movie budgets became monstrously larger, offered expensive effects. Theaters had to revamp their sound systems to the point of unreal "surround" digitally enhanced stereo, now things are shot in high definition, seats vibrate, tickle and god only knows what else in these modern virtual theater experiences. We...the ticket buying audience, paid for all that. Lol
The Final Destination films are Omen inspired,glad you spotted that Ollie & have included "All Good Things" to your TNG watch list. 🎥🤩🙌👍
David Warner also played the Klingon chancellor in Star Trek VI. And in the TNG episode “Chain of Command” he played one of the best villains in Trek history.
There. Are, Four. Lights!
Also great voice actor in Batman the animated series (Ra's al Ghul) and Disney's Gargoyles. Both awesome villain roles 🤩
@@defunctus408 No, there are FIVE lights! Are you absolutely certain, mwahaha!
He passed away not too long ago. Great actor
@@johnkennethwiseman5460 I know. He was my favorite lesser-known British character actor I’ve ever seen.
Dude, the clothes draped over the foot of your bed create THE PERFECT framing for this movie: there are several moments where it looks like a veil over the characters, especially Kathy. It's like a shroud of death!
I thought I was watching the freaking THE OTHERS (2001) when Nicole Kidman is in that creepy room with all the white-sheet covered furniture and she thinks her daughter is obsessed by the old lady ghost. lmao
When I watched this with mates as a kid, because it petrified us we'd wisecrack through it. The bit where the priest is telling Mr Thorn what Damien's mother was we'd adlib over it going "...his mother was a johovas witness! His mother was a giraffe! His mother was a jellybaby!" We never grew up! 🤔🤣🤣
Great reaction Ollie...
I hope you do the two sequels as well, Damien: Omen II (1978) with Oscar winner William Holden, actress Lee Grant & Aliens actor Lance Henriksen with music by Jerry Goldsmith....and Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981) with Jurassic Park actor Sam Neill, executive produced by Richard Donner and music by Jerry Goldsmith...some people have issues with part 3 but I personally enjoyed it and I feel it wraps up the trilogy of Damien Thorne very nicely in my opinion. Peace ✌️.
I second that!
Sam Neill was really good playing the adult Damien.
Agreed.
Great reaction! I hope you watch the sequel, Damien: Omen 2 which is one of my favourite movies. I love the original, but love the second one far more.
Cast trivia: Damien's first nanny who dies at the birthday party is played by Holly Palance, actress daughter of Hollywood legend tough guy actor Jack Palance. The character is billed only as "Nanny" but notice Lee Remick calls her by her real name in the scene
Much like Rosemary's Baby, this movie played heavily on coincidence and paranoia...until all the pieces come together and then there is no way of denying something is up.
The Omen, a smash summer blockbuster hit in 1976, made a huge profit for 20th Century -Fox that it bankrolled the making of Star Wars, which was the blockbuster hit of the summer of 1977, which profits, bankrolled Alien, the blockbuster hit of the summer of 1979.
There was a 1968 TV show called The Banana Splits. Hanna-Barbera wanted to cash in on Beatle-mania. Richard Donner directed the Danger Island episodes.
ah oh Chango!
Wow memory unlocked
REALLY? I loved The Banana Splits. Wasn't there was the Pink Panther cartoon with it also? God, I must have been around 5 or 6 !!
One of the most disturbing films of my time. Brilliantly written and acted. This noir type thriller was what was in at the time. I've never been a huge fan of horror other than the B&W classics, this type of filmaking was much more interesting.
it was sooo much more interesting. The story.menace was more important than just gore.
I found it scary and creepy and I'm rarely impressed by scary movies. This one was special to me when I saw it and then the sequel on UK TV when I was about 20.
"Look at me, Damien! It's all for you."
Fun Fact: David Warner kept his severed head for years, until his divorce, when his ex-wife obtained custody of it.
Provocative Filmmaking Fact: Because Harvey Stephens was so young, Richard Donner found that the best way to direct him was to provoke genuine reactions before the camera. For example, when Damien is angry at being taken to church, Donner got his peeved facial expression by shouting insults to Stephens off camera. In the closing scene, Donner used reverse psychology on young Stephens telling him he shouldn't "dare laugh" or the director wouldn't be the actor's friend. So naturally, Stephens wanted to laugh, and he instead smiled directly into the camera.
Music Enthusiast Fact: Richard Donner and Harvey Bernhard asked Alan Ladd Jr., then the head of Twentieth Century Fox, for extra money during the film's post-production period to hire composer Jerry Goldsmith. They strongly felt that his music was right for the movie, after seeing him perform a live concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles earlier that year. Ladd was finally talked into giving Donner and Bernhard around $25,000 to hire Goldsmith, who would deliver his first and only Academy Award win for his score in 1977. Donner credits the success of the film to Goldsmith's score, which increased the tension and fear of the movie.
Additional Fun Fact - the nanny that hanged herself in the beginning of the film is played by Holly Palance - daughter of Oscar nominated actor (City Slickers 1 & 2, Tim Burton's Batman, Chato's Land, Tango & Cash, Dracula '74, Shane, Cops & Robbersons, Young Guns) Jack Palance.
The title refers to the markings on Keith’s photographs. That’s incredibly clever. His own fate made it nearly impossible for me to sit through the rest of the film, considering how unexpected the scene is. And I first watched the movie in the early afternoon! Thankfully, I returned to it in a couple years and finished. Love the film, to this day
Funny enough, this is the third movie that has actor David Warner you’ve reacted to in the last month; Star Trek V & VI (two very different characters) and now The Omen. You should throw in a Tron reaction just to keep the streak going haha
Tron! Love that movie sooo much, I second that suggestion!
If I remember correctly, David Warner was Sark, Dillinger, and the voice the Master Control Program (all of the main antagonists) in Tron. Time sure does go by...
This movie scared me so much that I swore off scary movies for life!! Just hearing the music sends a shiver down my spine!! Creeeeepy and menacing. Enjoyed the review Oliver!
The music where the dogs attack them in the cemetery is one of my most favorite pieces of film music. It's sounds way clearer on the soundtrack without all the screaming and dogs barking 🤣
Jerry Goldsmiths superb score (alongside the other two films) and the wonderful Billie Whitelaw, who steals the entire film every time she's on screen.
I really hope you're going to watch all 3 Omen movies, it's an awesome trilogy 👍
Omen 3 Sam Neill's first movie.
Actually 4 of them: Omen 4 The Awakening was a Made-for-TV WTF.
Great observation that this film could be the idea genesis for the final destination movies. I always loved the idea of the photo's foreshadowing the characters deaths, and the music is scary in its own right. The ending sets up events for the Omen II perfectly you should watch it.
I’ve just recently found your channel and I really enjoy your reactions to movies that I grew up with.
Regarding The Omen, an entire generation refused to name a boy Damien. To this day I am shocked when I near that name for a child.
Great reaction.
Six degrees of separation: Gregory Peck is the grandfather of current Spock actor Ethan Peck (Star Trek Strange New Worlds)
This movie makes me scared to death to go to a choir concert.
"The devil's child will rise from the world of politics." It figures.
Oliver, you make an interesting point about the story being coincidences rather than Damien actually being the devil's son. In the audio commentary for the film, Richard Donner states that he shot the film in such a way that it could just be a series of accidents and coincidences, which are incorrectly connected and interpreted by the characters involved. You never actually see anything supernatural occur. A good example is the scene between Mrs Thorn and Mrs Baylock in the hospital. Viewers assume that Mrs Baylock is responsible for her fall, but it may be that she is genuinely there to help Mrs Thorn, but Mrs Thorn misinterprets this and herself falls from the window.
Oliver, do (1955) Night of the Hunter with Robert Mitchum. No one reacts to it but it's one of the most stylistic, progressive and visually striking b&w films made. And it's about a serial killer. Hitchcock ramped up to 100.
Seconded! My fave film! ❤❤
Oddly enough, the poem Father Brennan quotes isn’t in the Book of Revelations. The screenwriter came up with it
If you've got a wet shirt and don't have a dryer, do this: Lay out a towel (at least bath size), and spread the shirt out on it. Roll up the towel on the long side, then twist it hard in one direction. Untwist, then twist it hard in the other direction. The towel will soak up most of the moisture, and then you can hang the shirt up to dry the rest of the way.
You're welcome. :)
I saw this as a kid in the 70’s. I’ve never been the same.
It's a creepy trilogy, please watch all 3. 👍
So glad to have come across your channel, Oliver. The reactions are unfiltered, and you give credit where it’s due (both to the source material and to your generation, which may be unfamiliar with the themes of some pictures but will be able to appreciate them)
THe music in this is amazing
Yes. Steps up the scare in many of these scenes
My son was born on 6/6/66. Oddly enough, he’s a Catholic priest.
David Warner, the photographer, in 1978, plays Jack the Ripper transported into modern day San Francisco in HG Wells' time machine in "Time After Time". Malcolm MC Dowell -- Alex in "A Clockwork Orange", plays Wells, who pursues Jack. Great movie, worth a reaction.
"What are you going to do now, punk-dog? What are you going to do, punk?" LMAO!
Movie trivia: The kid turn and smile was part ad-lib by the kid. They just told him to turn and smile, did it first take.
You need to watch the series. His growing up story to adulthood is great. Not what you would expect.
My grandfather's favorite movie. Love you gramps!
Part of the inspiration behind the film are freak accidents like the car crash on *Ommen* (speed limit 66.6 meters), where at least one passenger got dismembered
These old horror movies were so fun back when they came out... They weren't super scary but then they ended and you dwelled on the theme of it... Because there were not really any slasher films with jump scares you'd just be creeped out by demons and supernatural stuff... so kids everywhere watched this...checked their scalps in the mirror for sixes LOL .... and made sure the letters in their friend's names didn't count up to sixes ,,, like Oliver Gi,,,, Oh NO!!
I saw this on the TV when I was about 7 or 8 a couple of years after it was released. Probably shouldn't have because it really effected me and still does. Masterful film, a real classic. The music is just superb and really helps with the menace.
This was a great horror mystery
But for the complete story you need to see the whole trilogy.
Jerry Goldsmith's music made it even better. He won an Oscar for it.
Gregory Peck was a total surprise for this movie. Although he had been in countless movies as a leading man, this was his first horror movie and his last leading role! Notice that this movie was done before personal computers, cell phones and the internet came into existance. It was a low budget film and so they all decided to play their roles dead serious. The pacing is perfect for this movie. The beauty is that this movie sets everything up perfectly for the sequel, The Omen II : Damien, which is even better than this one!
22:35 is one of the scariest scenes in horror movie history for me lol. Gives me chills every time.
Interview With the Vampire is a cool Halloween film.
Get well soon, RPO!
And consider blessing the house.
About time! Im glad you got to watch this. I cant wait for you to watch omen 2 and 3. You can do without 4.
Great reaction video! Yeah, these religious oriented films were a big deal back in the 1970's, Exorcist and Omen and Amityville Horror etc. Gregory Peck is so watchable in everything he does. This one got remade, with Liev Schrieber and Julia Stiles in the lead roles...and of course was released on June 6, 2006 (6/6/06)!
Gregory Peck is my all time favorite actor of b&w movies. This movie was just a paycheck for him. Lee Remick was mostly a TV actress. It was never hugely popular.
You really should watch the romantic Roman Holiday with Peck and Audrey Hepburn and his most iconic role as Atticus Finch in To Ķill a Mockingbird.
Lee Remick had some major movie hits, such as "Days of Wine and Roses", with Jack Lemmon. Tv appearances we're only in later years as her career was fading.
Typical of the prestige horror of the time dating from about Rosemary's Baby to The Thing (82) - top directors and top actors doing top work in what used to be known as B-movie low-class trashy stuff. I mean, it doesn't get fancier than Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. What a wonderful actress, btw - died far too soon.
There was such dramatic and character depth in this movie. I begged off seeing this with friends when it was theatrically released but after watching it on home video, I regret seeing this in a crowded theatre. As an aside, the trailer for this movie was shown before a screening of Young Frankenstein and the clip of the nanny hanging herself became the source of nightmares. The theatre -- the Madison in Queens, NY -- really bumbled putting a trailer for a horror film before a comedy.
I think you will enjoy The Omen II. Damian gets sent to boarding school. It's a really good watch. I don't remember the other 2 Omen movies being good and haven't seen the most recent theater release so part II is the only one I'd recommend.
Freaking love this movie! Shame on the critics, who initially gave it a dismal rating (2.5 stars)
Conga rats on 10k subs :D
To mark the occasion, we the people (as represented by me *ahem*) demand another drunken reaction. preferably to Airplane, Top Secret or one of the Naked Gun movies. :D
Really enjoyed your reaction!
First off I hope you feel better. Secondly as a doctor who fan you should know the priest was the second doctor. Finally I've mentioned this in the comments before but if you like Donner films I think you would like "Ladyhawke " with Mathew Broderick Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeifer
The photographer was also in Star Trek V and VI playing different characters, and Damien was not aware who he was... yet. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. - Corinthians 1 13
Goldsmith’s wife composed the quieter and more romantic tracks in the film
don't you mean, FINAL DESTINATION has 1976 OMEN moments?
jerry Goldsmith won his first oscar for THE OMEN
It’s a bit jarring that David Warner (RIP) played both the good-hearted Keith Jennings in *The Omen* and the detestable Lovejoy in *Titanic*
The beheading is my favorite scene
I LOVE your T-shirt!
The second and the third one are good too!
"sangui bibimus" - blood we drink
"corpus edimus" - body we eat
"ave Satani" - Hail Satan
"versus Christus" - self-explanatory.
Latin: Je parle Francais un petit peu. Yo hablo Espanol un poco....it's easy to translate these Latin lyrics if you have some understanding of the languages that Latin spawned.
Make sure you watch Omen II (score is just as good)… just as good as this one imo.
Part III is good… but the ending is a bit anticlimatic imo. Just Sam Niell has a nice monolog where he mocks god/christ. 🤘🏻
One of my favourite horror films. No, its not particularly scary, but it is an unsettling film. Patrick Troughton, who played Father Brennan, is most famous in the UK for playing the 2nd Doctor in the popular UK TV series Doctor Who.
The Omen trilogy as a whole is excellent. Avoid Omen 4 as it is absolutely terrible, and nothing to do with the original trilogy.
Only found out recently the composer and his wife wrote a song based on some of the soundtrack music. th-cam.com/video/XZBIWSuv5l0/w-d-xo.html
The laundry is visually distracting
I've seen this movie and Titanic a billion times and never connected that was the same actor, maybe his hair threw me off lol.
Horror recommendations:
The Ninth Gate -Johnny Depp
The Serpent and the Rainbow -based on true events with Bill Pullman
'at least he died cool-y' omg lol
i love you ollie
I'm a new viewer and I really enjoy your reactions!
My niece was born around the same time Damien would have been born, and she was always causing trouble when she was little. My sister al aye joked she probably had 3 6s on the head
Ah, puberty. Embrace it.
Loved this vid.
you need to watch the series. very good. Anti-christ builds his empire. Jurassic Park Sam Neill as the antichrist. the 'disturbing' feel amplifies through the story.
Another creepy Peck movie is "The Boys From Brazil'.
Thank you, Oliver! I hope your voice heals quickly. Keep well-hydrated during your recovery. 🌿 I think this version is much more effective than the remake from 2006. 😱 #RolyPolyOllie #RichardDonner #TheOmen #TheOmen1976
The house was bought buy ginger spice back in the 2000's. She must not have seen the movie
you must see another classic written by stephen king the green mile
at some point you should check out the mini series God Omens. A comedic take on this theme
Sanguis bibimus: We drink the blood. Corpus edimus: We eat the body.
Tolle corpus Satani: Raise the body of Satan. Ave, Ave Versus Christus: Hail, Hail Antichrist!
Ave Satani!: Hail Satan!
Goldsmith's score led me to Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana":
th-cam.com/video/r3oU_zOM5Do/w-d-xo.html
I always get the hump when mongs make out this was in 'The Omen'....no, it was in an Old Spice advert and 'Only Fools and Horses'...
7:23sec looks like she's getting married..
This and the Exorcist were really the first and best of those movies. In the seventies and early eighties dozens and dozens were made and they were pretty schlocky. Direction, acting, music were just top tier. After youve seen 15 of these they dont really impress any more. The second of the trilogy is MEH, but the third is really good. Again you've got top tier actors chewing up scenery and better special effects. The one main theological thing that annoys me about this trilogy is that it is presented as a series of events that take place to prevent the re-birth of Jesus and that just doesn't make sense.
Damien grew up to become Gavin Newsom.
I know that you recorded this a while ago so I hope that you're better now.
I did enjoy the film but I think it had more of an impact as I was about 8 when I first watched it. Also every time I go past Guildford Cathedral where the Damien freaking scene out was filmed, I always hear the music in my mind! I enjoyed your reaction once again.
omen 2 and 3 aren't that bad 4 makes no sense and the remake I wasn't keen on but they did up the photographer death hundred fold
That was so inventive! Like a Saw trap 😱😅
Can you please react to the horror movie Stigmata
Starring Patricia Arquette
Oscar winner
Please
I think it is very clear why you cannot "get into" this genre, as clear as day.
SSSaaanctuuuusssSSSS...... SSSSSpirrritUUUsssssss 👻👻👻👻💀💀💀👹👹👹
And all honesty dude sometimes I really wonder what you're into from the selection of horror movies you've chose to watch..... Excuse the pun but kind of scary really........
@@Mimi-ki7uv Omg the Fly, a movie that asks the question, was the writer of this fiasco inhaling Raid? LOL.
But I never understood why people like movie's on occult stuff? This is usually a topic just like Religion most people tend to avoid. Especially at Halloween season....
Great reaction. Check out the new movie if you get the chance. Got some really good reviews
Couldnt you have done a SERIOUS review of this important film?
also why are you sitting next to a red wine bottle, didnt anyone tell you? are you reviewing yourself or the film. this ISNT a horror film, Richard Donner said so himself, in an interview "hell hound" you got that right,
for once I welcomed the adverts
no.2 is ok, no.3 less good but interesting.
Of course you didn’t connect with the movie. Your thumbnail was son of the devil…though this may be from the Bible you had no connection to where the theme from the Bible that the movie took its story from. You’re young and maybe had no chritian or church upbringing. As many don’t connect with the underlying story of the ark of the covenant with Indians jones and Harrison ford …the story came from the Bible. This was a biblical story that the screenplay write wove the story and the prophecies from throughout the Bible and especially revelations. The antichrist was predicted to be born into the hierarchy of politics. The main character an ambassador to England and when he died at the end of the movie we see the child being adopted by the president of the United States. The number “666” isn’t just the devils number but it biblical as the mark of the “beast” being the name and number of the antichrist. In the future it would be placed on the hand or forehead and you can’t buy or sell without it. If you take the number you are not gods. Catch 22. Some think our methods of card in the hand, mobile phones and our many numbering systems that we all identify are here already. You have to understand revelations was written 2000 years ago. It’s writings are not understood but many of the omen movies are bringing the child in as the prophecied antichrist who would take over the one world government and would be seen at first as a peace maker. Armegedeon was to happen in megadome valley which I believe was where Gregory peck and the rabbi were towards the end of the movie. It’s suppose to be the last battle where all nations turn against Israel.