The Omen: 666 Review

In 2006 a remake of The Omen was made and was released on 6/6/06 which was scary, right? Not really. Unfortunately The Omen came and went and it wasn’t all that thrilling, although completely updated with all new contemporary style and film grain. I still think there is a creep value to the Omen Ramake, and it has some visual qualities that you can’t deny, but overall, it’s not nearly as creepy as the original, nor is it even on par with the lackluster sequels that made the film series a cult favorite; which is a shame if you ask me.

This film is interesting, at least in the way it starts. I really find the visual style is well done, and I find that there is a certain creepy factor about having a child surrounded by Catholism. The very beginnings of this film involve the Vatican, the pope, and the end of the world, slicing in images of what is to be the end of the world, and it is somewhat interesting to see, but if you’re not religiously inclined, you’ll most likely pass it off as something not really all that interesting. Here is where the visual qualities of the film trump a lot of other films in the horror genre.

The film goes through the same sort of motions that the original does, and we start to see the blossoming of the devil, Damien, or rather the son of the devil on earth. While most of the film deals with the beginnings, the second half starts to get really creepy as the story unfolds and the main character, Robert Thorn starts to figure out what is truly going on with his son.

One of the best parts of the film is the journey that Robert takes to meet with a scary monk that has been burned alive. The rowing of the boat, the snow that is being dropped, the fog, and the white robes makes for one of the most spooky and clever relationships between metaphor and visual sound you’ll see in horror. That doesn’t save the film, but I loved the way it looked.

As the movie continues, people start getting killed left and right as Damien wants to take over. As the scenes start to fade and the death toll rises, the film starts to erupt with a sense of “ending” and collapse, but the story doesn’t truly manifest until the very closing moments, where the camera, much like the original film captures a smiling evil boy, ready for the sequel to continue the story.

Is The Omen: 666 a Scary Film: No.

While I’m a Christian and I like to think that the devil incarnate will spark the end of the world, I don’t find this film too scary. It’s an interesting narrative, but it doesn’t fit the horror theme that the original held. I like how the visual style tried to tell a story, but it is nothing like Dario Argento’s work in terms of visual language.

While the soundtrack had some major key moments that can even rival The Dark Knight at times, it didn’t really make the film all that better to talk about or explore on a whole.

The Omen remake is ok at best, but it falls short of being as creepy as the first. It doesn’t deliver in terms of nudity, gore, or even pacing and leaves a lot to be desired. While I did find the visual language appealing, it’s really not something I’m going to recommended.

On a sidenote, I used to think Julia Stiles was hot. And this movie made me think something else, I guess that's what happens when you grow up.

I do admit, her bath tub scene was quite sexy, despite the creep factor involved.