The inclusion of children in horror films have changed throughout the history of film, with juvenile characters most often playing victims of symbols of innocence. That whole concept changed in 1976 when The Omen was released in theaters, changing the perception of children in horror films, and in the world, forever.
Directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer, The Omen told the story of a couple whose child died moments after being born who take home a baby whose mother died shortly after giving birth. A series of mysterious events surround the child as he gets older, leading to an investigation into the child’s heritage, potentially revealing a supernatural lineage.
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The child’s name, “Damien,” has forever since represented a latent evil lurking in a child’s behavior, cementing the film’s legacy in more than just the world of horror.
Check out some fascinating facts about the film and tell us what you love about The Omen in the comments!
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No Collateral Damage
In one scene, a fishbowl shatters, effectively killing the animals inside. Director Donner was so committed to avoiding any needless death, he opted to paint dead sardines gold for the scene than sacrifice actual goldfish while shooting.
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Cursed Film
Far more than just the supernatural occurrences that take place on screen, there were many bizarre events that took place behind the scenes that led many to believe the film was cursed.
- Both star Gregory Peck and screenwriter David Seltzer’s planes were struck by lightning when traveling to the UK to shoot. Peck canceled one of his flights that he intended to take to Israel, with his canceled flight crashing and killing all on board.
- Rottweilers used for a pivotal scene attacked their trainers
- Richard Donner was not only struck by a car, but his hotel was bombed by the I.R.A.
- Many members of the crew were involved in a car collision on the first day of shooting
- The day after shooting a scene at a zoo, one of the lions at the zoo killed a zookeeper
- After shooting wrapped, the special effects artist John Richardson was injured and his girlfriend killed on the set of their next film, A Bridge Too Far
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Real-Life Inspiration
One of the motivating factors of star Gregory Peck taking the role was out of guilt. Sadly, in 1975, Peck’s son Jonathan killed himself while Peck wasn’t around. Peck was so motivated, in fact, that he came out of a 7-year retirement for the performance. He offered to take a huge pay cut to be in the film in exchange for a percentage of the film’s profits, which resulted in it being the most profitable performance of his career.
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Golden Opportunity
Jerry Goldsmith, the film’s composer, received an Academy Award nomination for his work on the film. Having been previously nominated multiple times, and lost, he opted not to attend the ceremony. Goldsmith won the Oscar that year, the only one he obtained in his career.
[H/T YouTube, SillyPom]
Difficulty With Damien
Trying to find the perfect young boy to play the nefarious Damien proved difficult, so much so that director Donner considered changing the character’s gender and changing the name to “Domlin.” When Harvey Stephens attacked Donnerย (upon instruction by the director), he knew he had found his Damien. To make the child appear more menacing, his blond hair was dyed black and he was given contact lenses for darker eyes.
[H/T YouTube, Richard Madnezz]
What’s In A Name?
Originally written with the title “The Antichrist,” the name was then toned down to the more ambiguous “The Birthmark.” When the movie was being filmed in a hospital, signs about shooting a movie with “Birthmark” in the title drew complaints from those in the maternity ward. As to not ruffle any feathers, the signs were changed to say the crew was filming something called “The Omen,” which stuck.
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Heads Will Roll
One iconic sequence in the film features a character getting decapitated, a shock to many audiences. The length of the sequence is incredibly long, with director Donner’s intentions being that people would close their eyes from the initial shock, only to open them moments later and see the head still rotating in the air. As to avoid an X-rating, Donnerย featured a glass of wine spilling to mimic blood, as opposed to actual blood.
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