The Omen (remake)

Directors of remakes have pretty thankless jobs. If they make to-the-letter reproductions of beloved fright films (ala Gus Van Sant's Psycho), they are blasted for having no imagination. If they veer totally off the page and do their own thing (like Jaume Collet-Serra's House of Wax), they're taken to task for being irreverent hacks.

I've said it before and I'm saying it again: The Omen (1976) didn't need to be remade. It's a solid movie with nothing missing. It's not dated. The story is still relevant. Damien is an indelible character. But the reality is these "old" movies, according to the studios that own the rights, all need dollars-and-cents resuscitation. You can give a little mouth-to-mouth with an anniversary re-release like they did with The Exorcist, but that barely registers a pulse. The thing that really gets studio suits' hearts racing are remakes. Better yet, reimaginings!

So if it's inevitable, then at least director John Moore should get a pat on the back for walking the fine line between faithfulness to the source material and a nod to the new guard of horror fans who demand a little extra in their Rated-R entertainment.

The Omen, which follows the original screenplay by David Seltzer (and indeed credits him), takes us through the early childhood of Damien Thorn (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick), who was switched at birth in Rome with the murdered infant of an esteemed American diplomat. Robert Thorn (Liev Schreiber), believing his baby died of natural causes, decides to conceal the truth from his wife, Kathy (Julia Stiles), letting her believe that Damien is her own flesh and blood. They move to England, and look forward to a life of privilege.

The tide turns when, during Damien's ostentatious fifth birthday, his nanny (Amy Huck), commits suicide in plain view of all the party guests. This opens the floodgates for evil, and the revelation that Damien, who was born on June 6, at 6 a.m., is the Antichrist.

Needless to say, Robert doesn't believe it at first — he never tells Kathy, even though she is haunted by the strange little boy without knowing why — when he finally does, it is too late. When Kathy dies after an unfortunate accident, Robert finally takes matters into his own hands and resolves to kill Damien before the boy can destroy the world.

Robert is goaded into his crusade by Father Brennan (Pete Postlethwaite) and a local photojournalist, Keith Jennings (David Thewlis); while they give him important guidance, the truth is that Robert must act alone. Standing in his way are all the forces of evil — and Mrs. Baylock (Mia Farrow), Damien's demonic new nanny.

With the exception of Postlethwaite and Thewlis who play them true, the remake cast completely reinterprets their roles. Kathy is a more involved mom, and her inner-conflict is given visual life in the form of sinister dream-sequences. Robert is still upstanding, stiff and dignified, but the 30-something Schreiber makes the action sequences more believable. Mrs. Baylock is not as frosty and impertinent as she was in the first Omen movie, but Farrow adds a sickly sweetness to the role that makes it her own. The ferocious Rottweilers — one who stays with Damien, and others who act as minions to thwart Robert's efforts — serve the same purposes.

I had no problem with any of the casting, except for Damien… I hope I'm not giving a budding child actor a complex here, but Davey-Fitzpatrick looks and acts too malevolent much of the time. Damien's cutesy, chubby-cheeked, sweet-faced façade in the first movie is what made him so damn scary… no one would ever suspect him of being the Antichrist. The new black-haired, angular Damien is often insolent, brooding or scowling. Still, technically as an actor, Davey-Fitzpatrick is good.

Fans of Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar-wining score are likely to be disappointed. Although Italian composer Marco Beltrami has a lot of genre experience and he does a competent job, it's not a scary score… there are little-to-no Latin phrases or choral singers, for instance. It's a slicker, more modern score in the "thriller" vein.

People who are familiar with director Moore's previous movies needn't worry too much about his trademark "shaky-cam, just-because-I-can" intruding on the somber feel of the film. There is one incongruous quake-like scene, but it's thankfully short-lived. The movie employs some quick cuts, but it's nothing like the ocular assault that was Behind Enemy Lines. (By the way, I liked Moore's remake of Flight of the Phoenix, but I think The Omen is a much better effort.)

The Omen is a close recreation but in general, there's more set up and suspense to the scenarios — for example: when Robert and Jennings pay a visit to the priest who arranged Damien's adoption, they don't just show up there by car. They are ferried across a lake that brings to mind a glassy River Styx; they're rowed in the canoe by a somber, hooded monk in white robes that compliment the falling snow; an aerial shot leads to the remote seminary where the mute, badly-burned priest awaits them. It's a lusher, prettier, artier looking pic than the original. Some purists might take exception to the embellishments, but I liked them.

The new The Omen is not scarier or even more memorable, but in many ways it is more shocking and suspenseful than the original. The death scenes are more intricate and macabre; and while not necessarily bloody, they are pretty appalling. I'm usually rock-solid during any movie, but I did jump twice in this one — to physically move me is a mean feat for any filmmaker!

All in all, it's a classy remake.

Screened in New York City, Tuesday, May 16, 2006.

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson

Want to know how this Omen stacks up against the original Omen, scene-for-scene? CLICK HERE.

Read our exclusive interview with director John Moore.

Read the New York screening Q&A with John Moore and theologian L Michael White.

Coming soon: On-camera interviews with the cast, and more!