THE OMEN

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: brief moments of gore, thematic elements, language

Rated:

Movies about the antichrist are always popular. Maybe it's because the devil is the scariest thing we can think of, or because it provides such a rich backdrop for thrills, but whatever it is that lures audiences into horror films time and again, Christians can either choose to acknowledge its merits or its attempts to slander their faith. No one believes a kid is going to show up one day marked with triple sixes, but if it puts the fear of God into a few people, no harm has been done.

Working feverishly in an upper room of the Vatican is a priest whose findings reveal the coming of the antichrist among the innocent. Ancient prophecies from Revelation have begun to come true, and they fear the impending rise of an ancient evil. Miles away, in a Catholic hospital, Robert Thorn (Liev Schreiber) is anxiously pacing in the waiting room. His wife has gone into labor and the baby has died. Rather than reveal the truth to her, in addition to the unfortunate news that she will never again be able to bear children, Robert listens to the advice of a wise old priest who asks him to take in an orphaned baby born the same hour. 

Damien (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick) is a unique child, very quiet and self-contained, but things do not begin to transpire around him until his father is appointed to the position of American ambassador to England. With a host of photographers present at the country estate to document Damien's fifth birthday, the joyous crowd is treated to more than pony rides when his nanny throws herself to her death from the rooftop. Katherine (Julia Stiles) begins to have uneasy feelings about her son, while finding a formidable nemesis in the form of the smiling new nanny, Mrs. Baylock (Mia Farrow). Then comes a priest (Pete Postlethwaite) into their midst, with an urgent foretelling of doom: the child must be destroyed.

Also inadvertently involved is a local photographer (David Thewlis) who begins to sense a pattern in the series of inexplicable "freak accidents" that surround Damien. The film is both strong in plot and carefully crafted in execution. Every nuance of the production is immaculate, from the moody, atmospheric old house at times flooded with sunlight and at others looming in darkness, to the eerie cemeteries and moody upper room where Damien sleeps. The movie is not so much a shock fest as it is an adventure of suspense, because it manages to build into an exciting climax while offering a series of mini jolts along the way. I enjoyed it more than the original, because it kept Damien much more the central focus, allowing the audience to determine early on that there is something "wrong" with him, as well as keeping a fast-moving pace. Its characters are much more personable.

Most supernatural thrillers take liberties with scripture, as does this one, but it makes a realistic case, involving recent events with age-old superstition. Some of its most effective moments are the most subtle. Mrs. Baylock feeding the boy strawberries and, without a word, putting evil intentions into his mind, or a priest removing his head covering to reveal misshapen, ghoulish features, the result of being nearly burned to death in a fire several years earlier. Because the film relies more on suspense and the belief of the audience that it might be possible for the antichrist to take the form of a child, there is not an enormous amount of content, just scattered moments of gore. We see a woman throw herself from a roof, and see/hear her neck snap from a short distance when caught by the rope. 

A cast aside cigarette explodes a fuel tanker after it has crashed into a limousine. Lightning strikes the top of a church building, causing one of the iron rods to fall through a plated glass window and spear a priest through the chest. Glimpses of his bloody body are shown both immediately afterward and in photographs. A woman falls from a great distance with a sickening thump (but isn't killed). Two figures fight violently, then one of them is hit by a car; the body flips up in the air and lands on the ground. The most revolting scene comes when a man is gorily decapitated. Demonic dogs make numerous appearances, attacking and nearly mauling two men to death. Damien's parents are haunted by eerie and often violent nightmares. Rotted carcasses of a jackal and a baby are uncovered in a cemetery. One man's face has been so badly mangled by fire that it's very horrific and disturbing. There is very little language but two f-words, and a use of GD pop up late in the film. When learning she is pregnant again, an emotionally disturbed Katherine vows to have an abortion.

Then there is the supernatural aspect, which makes up the majority of the film and its plot. You can choose to take it literally, or look at it through the eyes of a skeptic. Much is made of triple sixes. Priests wield crosses and rosaries for self protection and blessings. One instructs Robert in an ancient ritual that will kill the demon-child. Damien begins to fume, writhe, and ultimately turn on his companions in the car as they near a cathedral. Mystical patches of light in photographs predict impending deaths. On the minus side, darkness ultimately triumphs, but on the plus side, you have numerous acknowledgements of the blood and deity of Jesus Christ, including a priest insisting Robert become saved and take communion in order to save himself from what is to come. 

I found it very worthwhile and much more impressive than any other production I have ever seen revolving around the antichrist. What carries it off so effectively is the fact that this child remains a child. There is nothing more likely to send a chill up your spine than one lingering look in this boy's daunting blue eyes.