30 years later, a lot of people might not appreciate (or even remember) the impact "The Omen" had, not only on Hollywood (besides "The Exorcist," it is likely the most influential supernatural horror film of the 70s), but on pop culture. Need proof? For years, I've known several women (my wife included) who refused to name their kid Damien solely from its association with this movie. And besides "Psycho," try to name another major studio horror film where its death scenes sparked so much water-cooler conversation at the time. Eventually, "The Omen" would join a short list of horror films that everyone was familiar with, even if they hadn't actually seen it. But unlike "Psycho" or "The Exorcist," "The Omen" was never really as scary as its brilliant ad campaign suggested, though it was (and still is) pretty creepy. The film's highly touted death scenes, the obvious drawing point, may seem a bit quaint today, but are still pretty impressive when you consider most audiences at the time had never witnessed an on-screen decapitation, or a shot which tracked a victim's fall all the way until impact. Whether you're jumping on the "Omen" remake bandwagon (which is, at times, scene-for-scene identical) or simply nostalgic, this 2-disc of the original film is terrific, with remastered picture & sound, new extras in addition to some from the previous "Omen" boxed set. In other words, it's the perfect opportunity to re-experience a movie that helped define the genre from the decade which it sprang.

Summarizing the movie is probably redundant. Nearly everyone knows the film lifts its premise - and interpret literally - the Book of Revelations, which sees the son of Satan being raised in England by wealthy U.S. Ambassador Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck, in probably his last memorable role), and protected by disciples of Hell to assure the anti-Christ's ascension in order to eventually destroy the world. Despite the film's simplistic and sensationalistic retelling of biblical prophecy, "The Omen" remains one of the smarter horror films of the 70s, even though it's obviously pandering to the summer movie yahoo crowd. The intricate story itself is interesting enough (screenwriter David Seltzer obviously did his homework), but what really pushes "The Omen" into classic status are the elaborate death scenes, which are often spectacular, but surprisingly bloodless, despite the film's reputation. And, with respect to the great - if sometimes overwrought - performances, the smart script and atmospheric cinematography, in the end, "The Omen" is all about devising spectacular ways for its characters to die. It was the film's main drawing point back then, and 30 years later, remains justifiably influential in that regard. Be Sure To Check Out... The underrated sequel, "Damien: Omen II," which may not be as classy as the original, but features another decent cast, a plethora of creative death scenes on par with the first, and a story that cleverly continues Damien's rise to adolescence (and the title character is actually quite sympathetic for most of the picture). On the other hand, avoid "The Final Conflict" at all costs, which is dumb, boring and directed with all the subtlety of a mallet. The same goes for the cheap, made for TV fourth installment, "Omen IV: The Awakening."

The film has been remastered to nearly pristine condition. The picture is offered in its original 2:35:1 aspect ratio, and despite some faint flickering in a few scenes, the movie looks as good as it ever has. The audio is even better, rendered in both the original mono track and 5.1 Dolby Surround;Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar-winning score (which, admittedly, makes the movie seem a lot scarier than it really is) has never sounded so good, and despite some minor distortion, the overall sound is great, and the balance is good.

Here's were I must confess that, although "The Omen" holds a nostalgic place in my heart, I never got around to buying the previous version on DVD, so I can't comment on how many of those extras are repeated here (though some obviously are, such as Jerry Goldsmith's discussion of the film's score). I'm also aware that the 2 hour retrospective, "The Omen Legacy," has been previously released on DVD, but I hadn't yet seen it, so it was new to me. All I can say is it's nearly as comprehensive a look at any film franchise since "Behind the Planet of the Apes." It covers the making of each film in the series, as well as the much-hyped 'incidents' that happened during filming (part of the so-called 'Omen Curse'). Also included is another 12 minutes feature in which filmmakers offer there views on the curse, as well as a brand new 40 minute retrospective on the making of the film, which includes interviews with director Richard Donner, producer Mace Neufield & screenwriter David Seltzer. I think it's kind of interesting that most of those involved in the making of "The Omen" go out of their way to indicate this ISN'T a horror film, as though calling it such is demeaning. Rounding out the plentiful extras are a deleted scene, a short commentary by director Wes Craven, screenwriter Seltzer's notebook, a theatrical trailer, a photo gallery, and two commentaries, one by Donner & editor Stuart Baird (which was also included in the original DVD release), the other by Donner & screenwriter Brian Helgeland.

"Whether you're a middle-aged horror fan looking for a nostalgia trip, or someone simply curious about what all the hubbub is about, this 2-disc edition of the original "Omen" is definitely worth checking out. It features a great transfer, and includes enough extras to keep you busy for a long time, even if you invested in the previous DVD edition of the film. Best of all, even after 30 years, the movie is simply a lot of demonic fun. At the very least, maybe you can get some perspective of all the stigma surrounding the name, Damien. Highly recommended. Similar Movies "The Exorcist"; "Damien: Omen II"; "The Final Conflict"; "Omen IV: The Awakening"; "Rosemary's Baby" Useless Trivia: Holly Palance, the nanny who hangs herself in the movie, is the daughter of Jack Palance, who narrates "The Omen Legacy" documentary included here. "