The Omen: Special Edition

Politico Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) and his wife Kathy (Lee Remick) lose their son in childbirth, but Peck hides the fact from her by substituting in his place a newborn orphan. But strange and deadly goings-on on the boy's fifth birthday lead the parents to suspect that their son is beholden to a higher, and darker, authority. Less horrorshow than intense psychological thriller, The Omen holds up surprisingly well after a quarter century. Sure, Peck is a bit creaky in the lead, and famed composer Jerry Goldsmith's score is rather heavy-handed, but in the plus column, it features David Seltzer's top-notch script, which piles scene upon chilling scene, generating an oppressive tension. This special edition includes a commentary by director Richard Donner and producer Stuart Baird and an all-new 46-minute documentary 666: The Omen Revealed. Recommended. (S. C. Sickles)[DVD Review--June 27, 2006--Fox, 2 discs, 111 min., R, $26.98--Making its second appearance on DVD, 1976's The Omen (Collector's Edition) boasts an excellent transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. DVD extras include a brief introduction by director Richard Donner, two audio commentaries (one by Donner and editor Stuart Baird; the other by Donner and filmmaker Brian Helgeland), the 102-minute wide-ranging documentary “The Omen Legacy” on the series, a 46-minute “making-of” documentary “666: The Omen Revealed,” a 21-minute interview featurette “An Appreciation: Wes Craven,” an 18-minute interview with composer Jerry Goldsmith, a 15-minute “The Screenwriters Notebook” interview with writer David Seltzer, a seven-minute “Curse or Coincidence” featurette about strange occurrences on-set, a photo gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: beefed up to tie-in with the release of the 2006 remake, this “collector's edition” is definitely worth picking up for those who don't already own the “special edition,” which already has the Donner/Baird commentary, 46-minute “making-of,” Goldsmith interview, and “Curse or Coincidence” featurette.][Blu-ray Review—Oct. 28, 2008—Fox, 111 min., R, $34.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1976's The Omen features a great transfer and DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 sound. Extras include a brief introduction by director Richard Donner, three audio commentaries (one by Donner and editor Stuart Baird; the second by Donner and filmmaker Brian Helgeland; and the third by film historians Lem Dobbs, Nick Redman, and Jeff Bond), the 102-minute wide-ranging documentary “The Omen Legacy” on the series, the 46-minute “making-of” documentary “666: The Omen Revealed,” the 21-minute interview featurette “An Appreciation” by horror master Wes Craven, an 18-minute interview with composer Jerry Goldsmith, a 15-minute “The Screenwriter's Notebook” interview with writer David Seltzer, the 15 minute featurette “Richard Donner on The Omen,” a seven-minute “Curse or Coincidence” featurette on strange on-set occurrences, a deleted scene (2 min.), “The Omen Revelations” picture-in-picture trivia track, an isolated score track, a photo gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: an excellent extras package for a solid horror film that looks good in Blu. Also available in the four-disc Blur-ray set The Omen Collection, along with the 2006 remake, Damien: Omen II, and The Omen III: The Final Conflict.]