The Omen

The Omen

Richard Donner

(1976)

Immediately after their miscarriage, the US diplomat Robert Thorn adopts the newborn Damien without the knowledge of his wife. Yet what he doesn’t know is that their new son is the son of the devil.

The Omen (The Deluxe Edition / Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Cast

Gregory Peck
Robert Thorn: Gregory Peck
Lee Remick
Katherine Thorn: Lee Remick
David Warner
Keith Jennings: David Warner
Billie Whitelaw
Mrs. Baylock: Billie Whitelaw
Gregory Peck
Robert Thorn: Gregory Peck
Lee Remick
Katherine Thorn: Lee Remick
David Warner
Keith Jennings: David Warner
Billie Whitelaw
Mrs. Baylock: Billie Whitelaw
Harvey Stephens
Damien Thorn: Harvey Stephens

Crew

DirectorRichard Donner
ProducerHarvey Bernhard
Executive ProducerMace Neufeld
ProducerCharles Orme
Original Music ComposerJerry Goldsmith

Hook

No logic applies. The supernatural force in The Omen doesn't announce itself — it seeps into the texture of everyday life until normal feels like a thin membrane over something ancient and hostile.

Identity

Jerry Goldsmith won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for his choral composition Ave Satani, a darkly majestic piece written in mock-Latin that became one of the most recognizable musical cues in horror. The production was surrounded by stories of strange accidents and misfortunes suffered by cast and crew during filming, which the studio's publicity department used to generate considerable press attention.

Collector Focus

Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar-winning choral score — 'Ave Satani' — is inseparable from the film's visual menace. Gregory Peck's casting gave The Omen a legitimacy most devil-child films lacked, and the score remains actively sought on vinyl by both horror collectors and orchestral music enthusiasts.

Context

Directed by Richard Donner, The Omen was produced on a budget of approximately $2.8 million, with the production offsetting its lean resources through craft and camera technique. The film more than proved its commercial viability at the box office, grossing over $60 million. The film's success prompted 20th Century Fox to develop it into a franchise, spawning several sequels throughout the late 1970s and 1980s.

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