Omen, The (2006)
Cast: Julia Stiles, Leiv Schreiber, Mia Farrow
Director: John Moore
Synopsis: Retread of the 70's horror yarn is merely a pale imitation of the original
Reviewed by: Omar Khan

Just to illustrate how intellectually bereft Hollywood has morphed into over the years; one of the years umpteenth sequels/remakes arrived in theatres simply because Fox believed the gimmick of the release date falling on June 6th 2006 would be enough to secure some big business for their remake of the 1976 horror hit The Omen. 

In the mid 70’s The Omen arrived in cinema’s and soon turned into the first major mainstream horror hit since The Exorcist.  The movie was adapted from a popular novel by David Seltzer and then Fox hit upon a brilliant advertising campaign that reaped rewards and turned a very efficient if overwrought film into the flavour of the season. 

Other than its stunning advertising campaign the film did have plenty going for it.  Firstly the script was built upon a tale that is full of intrigue and though preposterous and almost laughable at several turns, it never fails to entertain and to move along at a cracking pace.  Secondly the casting of seasoned campaigners Gregory Peck and Lee Remick leant considerable class and polish to what could have been a highly cheesy affair and Billie Whitelaw was quite memorable as the protective Nanny from Hell. 

Richard Donner was still developing his skills as a director but with The Omen he demonstrated complete mastery of his subject and the film was brilliantly paced and executed.  The music composed for The Omen actually won Jerry Goldsmith an Oscar which was thoroughly deserved as the score dominated by religious chanting is full of menace and helps the movie along superbly.  Finally, the original Omen provided the world with the first mainstream major studio film that introduced the notion of the creative death sequence and set in motion a gore and special effects chain that has heavily influenced horror films ever since and in particular films such as the Final Destination franchise amongst many others. 

Mike Medvedev, a well respected film critic has named the 1976 Omen as one of the worst films ever made and though I do sort of appreciate where he is coming from, I have to disagree passionately.  The Omen is a highly overwrought, almost campy piece of horror movie hokum, but it is superbly crafted by Richard Donner and brilliantly scored and lensed and some of the performances certainly leave a mark as do the wonderful set pieces such as little Damien riding on his tricycle while Lee Remick dusts the fishbowl.  Now, on to the 2006 version starring Leiv Schreiber and Julia Stiles – two actors who are perfectly efficient yet cannot in all honestly hold up a candle to the likes of Gregory Peck and Lee Remick.  While Lee Remick in particular was so serene as the Ambassador’s wife, Julia Stiles just doesn’t look the part at all.  The new version is an almost complete re-tread of the original with many of the dialogs even remaining unchanged however it suffers in comparison in many departments other than the fact hat Schreiber and Stiles are no match for Peck and Remick. 

Jerry Goldsmith’s brilliance that breathed evil into every pore of the original also cannot be matched by the new composition and though the casting of Mia Farrow as the nanny was the stuff of dreams, she too fails to match Billie Whitelaw for sheer menace.  Also, and surprisingly the one department where it was expected the new Omen to totally out do its original version was in the gore and death sequence department, considering special effects and gore have moved into another realm altogether since the 70’s.  Strangely the death sequences also fell short of the effectiveness of the original and the priests death in particular lacked drama while the photographers ultimate undoing was also lackluster compared to the spectacular nature of the original death sequence. 

Maybe it is that time has dulled the brain to such events as decapitation while back in 76 it was still a bit of a scream.  Anyway, this rather pale if inoffensive retread of The Omen could well have been avoided altogether.  All they needed to do was to give the old one a souped-up new sound-mix, re-master the prints, include some extra footage, employ a flash advertising campaign all over again, design some fresh posters and there you go………the old one would still beat the pants off the new one, of that there is little doubt.  Go ahead, check out the old Omen and then watch this one.  There is only one winner and judging by the Box Office figures of the remake, the public in general thought likewise.