It's not pulse-pounding. Not very often, anyway. But it is ominous and smart and more cerebral than your average horror film in these Hostel days.
The Omen (2006)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:158
Fresh:41
Rotten:117
Average Rating:4.6/10
Consensus: Even with the force of a "classic" behind it, remake fever can't hold up the hollowness of this style-drenched Omen.
Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for disturbing violent content, graphic images and some language
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release:06-06-2006
Synopsis: Many believe the prophecy from the Book of Revelation provides a map to a terrifying future…or it presents fragments of history that have come to life in our time. The signs, they claim, are all... Many believe the prophecy from the Book of Revelation provides a map to a terrifying future…or it presents fragments of history that have come to life in our time. The signs, they claim, are all around us: terrorist attacks, extreme weather… the list goes on. The passage specifically points to the arrival of the Anti-Christ, who is branded with the numerical sequence “666”: the mark of the Beast. The Anti-Christ will receive his power directly from Satan to establish a counterfeit kingdom on earth, signaling the beginning of Armageddon… Robert Thorn is unaware of such dark prophecies. Thorn, a senior American diplomat, has other things on his mind. His wife, Katherine, has endured a difficult delivery and she’s as yet unaware their newborn child has died. Devastated by the loss, Thorn’s concern turns to Katherine, who had suffered two previous miscarriages. The news will surely devastate her. The hospital priest, Father Spiletto, presents Thorn with another child born that night, whose mother died in childbirth. The priest compels Thorn to take the infant boy as his own; Katherine will never know the truth, and their son, which they name Damien, will be raised as their flesh and blood. Katherine embraces the child as her own, blossoming in motherhood; Thorn, it would seem, has made the right choice. Thorn’s career ascends – he becomes the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain – and the family settles into an estate outside London. But certain events, all seeming to revolve around the now five-year-old Damien, are deeply disturbing: Damien’s nanny hangs herself at the youngster’s birthday party; a strange priest brings dire warnings to Thorn; a children’s trip to the zoo results in a panicked frenzy; Damien becomes hysterical during a drive to church; and blurred movements in a series of photographs portend shocking deaths. The troubling incidents multiply, pointing to something wrong – terribly wrong – with Damien. Enter Mrs. Baylock, Damien’s new nanny, who seems to have a preordained devotion to the child. Then tragedy strikes closer to home. But only later does Thorn comprehend the truth: Damien is no ordinary child; he is the long-prophesized Anti-Christ. Now, Thorn must make the ultimate sacrifice to prevent the unspeakable terror that awaits the world. The prophecy is clear, the signs unmistakable: Armageddon is upon us. On 6 / 6 / 06, the omen is revealed...and our darkest fears are realized. -- © 20th Century Fox [More]
Starring: Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Mia Farrow
Starring: Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Mia Farrow, Josh Hutcherson, David Thewlis, Pete Postlethwaite
Director: John Moore
Director: John Moore
Screenwriter: Dan McDermott
Composer: Marco Beltrami
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Reviews for The Omen
There seems little rationale for Omen '06 except to resuscitate a brand name that carried enough pop-culture clout in Watergate's aftermath to inspire a host of gnarly sequels.
The devil takes care of business in exactly the same way, as if he's reading from the book of Re-Revelation. But director John Moore has added some creepy visuals and assembled an unusually strong cast for a horror flick.
Characters in this Omen still cock their heads like confused mutts at the number of the Beast. C'mon people, has the career of Iron Maiden been for naught?
Future generations can only hope something so nice happens when they get their Omen revival. For now, there's Damien Part Deux. Enjoy him, kids. Chances are, he'll be around for a while.
In their religious fidelity to the original, director John Moore and writer David Seltzer don't attempt to paper over anachronisms from Seltzer's 1976 script.
[Moore] realizes creating an unsettling mood, genuine suspense and fully realized characters is as important -- maybe even more important -- than mere bloodshed.
It's a terrible sign for a movie when the sole reason for its existence is a satanic opening date.
'The Omen' is not a bad film. It just suffers in comparison to its original.
For a movie packed with religious symbols The Omen has little understanding of religion. It arrives at spirituality backwards: The devil is real, so you better believe in God.
Maybe they should pay more attention to Damien's sketch of his babysitter hanging herself instead of freaking out when he makes a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
John Moore's Omen still delivers some good scares here and there, and it is one of the better entries in the recent spate of horror remakes, but not even the Anti-Christ can catch lightning in a bottle twice.
This new Omen works fine. It has its own look and it plays the story straight, as if this were the first time it was being brought to the screen. If you haven't seen the original movie, this one should provide some good, shivery fun.
There seems to be little reason for its existence - except to take advantage of the calendar anomaly of June 6, 2006 (6/6/06).
In this copycat rehash, lightweight Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles cannot replace the gravitas of Gregory Peck and Lee Remick.
This may be bordering on lightning bolt worthy, but... If the devil made them remake this movie, at least he could have given them a better script.
Latest News for The Omen
June 07, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Lucky "13" Hopes for Full Houses
The stars come marching out to do battle with the pirates for the number one spot this weekend. More...
October 05, 2006:
Box Office Guru Preview: "Departed" Arrives with a Bang
Movie studios are offering something for every age group over the Columbus Day holiday weekend. Mature adults will go undercover with Martin Scorsese's cop thriller "The... More...
July 07, 2006:
Cast Your Vote in the Teen Choice Awards
Are you between the ages of 13 and 19? Do you like ... stuff? Then click right here and cast your votes for the 329th annual Teen Choice Awards, which is where you can tell the... More...
June 19, 2006:
Box Office Wrapup: "Cars" in Pole Position Again, "Da Vinci Code" Reaches $679M Globally
Despite the arrival of four new films cluttering the multiplexes, the Disney/Pixar animated film Cars remained the most popular movie in North America for a second straight... More...
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.





