DVD Review: The Omen 2-Disc Collectors Edition

In 1976, the original The Omen hit the screens. As a young teen, I first saw it in a dark theater, and was terrified and mesmerized by all the collaborative elements I now write about. The music, cinematography, editing, costuming, art direction, makeup and special effects for this film were, and still are superb.

The Omen came at the end of many similar feeling titles such as The Exorcist, and Rosemary's Baby. Released today by Fox, the collector's edition, 2 Disc DVD is a beautifully re-mastered version of the original film, with many interesting side stories, interviews and details. The original The Omen, directed by Richard Donner, starring Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Stephens, Billie Whitelaw, Patrick Troughton, Martin Benson, and Leo McKern, is as chilling and perfect as a horror/ suspense movie can be. The screenwriter for both "Omens" is David Seltzer.

When I had learned the remake of this iconic horror film was coming, my first question was, why? Another example of - if it isn't broke - you shouldn't fix it. My current fear is some development exec is hashing over numbers for a remake of The Godfather 1 & 2. The original film is truly frightening and worth owning. The current remake in theaters is not.

The Christian belief in the end of times heralded by the arrival of the Antichrist is the premise of The Omen. Corporate potentate and Ambassador to Britain, Robert Thorn, played perfectly by the late Gregory Peck, cannot bear to tell his beautiful wife, Katherine Thorn, the late Lee Remick's character, (whose scenes in this movie captured her incredible blue eyes) that their child dies in birth. The true circumstances of the Thorn child's death are not learned of until later in the movie.

Thorn is conveniently given a newly orphaned baby boy by a Priest at the hospital to replace the lost one.Enter the child, Damian Thorn, the sole son and protected heir to the Thorn dynasty. The Thorn parents eventually sense things are not right with their young son, Peck's character getting wind of his son's possible dubious origins. The plot speeds up and Thorn is in a race to verify the awful truth, and to save his wife from peril. His "child" is the Antichrist returned to Earth.

The Omen effectively uses symbolism to bolster the storyline. The number sequence "666" found on Damien's scalp, key foreshadowing shots of Catholic icons and crucifixes and the use of actual "beasts" like Rottweilers (dogs) to guard the unholy child, both in the Thorn domicile, and in the pivotal moment where Thorn discovers the truth about what happened to his own baby, in a forgotten graveyard that is an edge of your seat scene. My favorite performance in this incredible movie is actress Billie Whitelaw's Mrs. Baylock. A veteran British thespian, she steals every scene she is in with her chiseled, fiercely fixed looks. Her lines are perfectly delivered; no overacting; effectively managing Katherine Thorn and her young charge with authority and control in her performance. According to production sources for the original film, the production of the original The Omen was plagued with a series of alleged curses.Noted Instances included:The plane for scriptwriter David Seltzer was struck by lightning
Richard Donner's hotel was bombed by the IRA (Irish Republican Army)
Gregory Peck cancelled a flight to Israel, the plane he was suppose to be on crashed, killing all on board. The Safari park warden was killed by a tiger the day after his park was used as a location for the “baboons gone wild" scene.On the first day of shooting, some of the crew were in a head-on car crash, they survived.
The man who wrote the beheading scene crashed his car into a milepost. His girlfriend in the passenger seat was beheaded by the windscreen. This happened 66.6 kilometers from a town called Ommen.The Omen DVD (2-Disc Collector's Edition) features subtitles in English, Spanish
Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 1.0), French (Dolby Digital 1.0), Spanish (Dolby Digital 1.0)

Disc 1: Features widescreen feature film with commentary by director Richard Donner & editor Stuart Baird Commentary by director Richard Donner & writer/director Brian Helgeland (screenwriter of Mystic River), 'Curse or Coincidence' featurette 'Jerry Goldsmith Discusses The Omen Score' interview featurette and theatrical trailer Disc 2: Features introduction to the special edition of Omen by director Richard Donner
'666: The Omen Revealed' featurette, 'The Omen Legacy' featurette 'Screenwriter's Notebook' featurette with screenwriter David Seltzer Deleted Scene - Dog Attack with commentary by director Richard Donner and & writer/director Brian Helgeland 'An Appreciation: Wes Craven on The Omen' interview featurette
Still galleryI completely recommend this DVD as a "Must Own" in your home library of films.The Omen 2-Disc Collectors Edition is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.