the omen. The name alone evokes fear among familiar viewers. ‘s iconic original movie Superman director Richard Donner is a bleak story about the rise of the antichrist through a boy. The movie was one of the scariest of its time, and it still manages to scare even the most gritty horror dog. As with any popular movie, especially horror, a sequel was soon released, followed by another.
Today, a total of five movies, a short-lived television series, and a prequel starring Nell Tiger are in the works. The franchise isn’t nearly as prolific as others, but how well do these entries stack up? Grab your crucifix and say your prayers as we rank each entry in the omen franchisee.
6 Omen IV: The Awakening
The fourth and final film in the original omen series hardly qualifies as a omen movie. In the early 1990s, 20th Century Fox wanted to make a large selection for television sequels to their popular movies. Omen IV: The Awakening was the first and only entry for this project. Watch once and it’s obvious, as many critics feel this fourth outing is by far the weakest in the series. Two lawyers adopt a young girl after discovering that they cannot father a child of their own. The girl, named Delia, seems normal enough until strange things start to happen. Their nanny, who happens to be psychic, takes her to a psychic fair where everyone there deduces that the girl is evil. After the nanny is pushed out a window, the mother starts an investigation to find out who her adopted daughter is. In a rather obvious twist, Delia is revealed as Damien Thorne’s daughter.
If this twist wasn’t clear enough, the mother actually inexplicably becomes pregnant. Of course, the son she bears is the antichrist reincarnated. Because this was a made-for-television film, the filmmakers couldn’t handle their satanic images as harshly as the main films. When they do, they’re not exactly subtle about it. This movie had a very low view count and those who did see it have few positive things to say. It seems pointless to compare it to the other movies because it has so little to do with it. Other than the minor reference to Damien and the original theme that pops up, this is a sequel in name only. None of this would be bad, except for one flaw: it’s not scary. This film fails to evoke the doomy feel of early entries and is forgotten once the credits roll.
5 The Omen (2006)
Few horror franchises could escape the remake craze of the early 2000s. the omen was one of those movies that received an update. Admittedly, this is one of the better remakes of the era. The problem is that there is little difference from the original movie. While other remakes try to change the story a bit, the omen is the same plot. Though not shot for shot like Gus Van Sant’s psycho, how little has changed makes this remake almost pointless. Instead of going over the same lot twice, some differences are highlighted. For starters, this movie is bloodier than the original. While not an outright splash film, certain deaths from the original film are shown in more detail here.
Damien doesn’t seem to be in the movie that much either. In the original, he wasn’t exactly in every scene, but he was still a menacing presence. This is where the Damien story comes from. When Damien is in the picture, he usually stands there alone and looks creepy. This is not to harm the young actor, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick; it’s just that the script doesn’t give him much to do. The main drawback of this remake is the use of excessive jump scares. More than once there is a dream scene that only exists to scare the audience. These make the movie cheaper and ruin some of the actually scary moments. As for the good, the film still has a dark and doom-like presence. Watching evokes similar feelings to the original, just not as strongly. Ultimately, this remake is far from a bad movie. It’s just as similar to the first movie, you might as well watch that movie.
4 Omen III: The Last Conflict
The third chapter in the omen saga, usually simply titled The last conflict, features a now grown Damien Thorne. Played by Jurassic Park star Sam Neil, Damien is now the US Ambassador to Britain. This is the same position that was once held by Robert Thorne, Damien’s adopted father. This means everything is in place and Damien, who fully embraces his role as the Antichrist, is ready to take the plunge. The problem is that the reincarnation of Jesus Christ threatens Damien’s rise, and he will do anything to prevent it. While this movie isn’t as scary as the others, it’s still an enjoyable movie. The biggest problem is that it feels anticlimactic.
All movies have led to this point, the ultimate battle between good and evil. Now that it’s here, things don’t feel as epic as they should. While no one expected a large-scale throwdown with special effects, they did expect something. A highlight of the film is Neil as Damien. When you look at him, it really does feel like you’re seeing the little boy from the original movie all grown up. Fully embracing Damien for being bad is a lot of fun, and it’s a shame more wasn’t done with this story.
3 Damien: Omen II
In the second film in the franchise, Damien is a 12-year-old boy who lives with his uncle. In Damien: The Omen II, he begins to fully accept what he is. Damien is initially scared when he learns that he is the Antichrist, but as he learns more and more about what he is destined to do, he becomes more open to the idea. An interesting element of this film is Damien’s relationship with cousin Mark. He considers Mark a brother and more importantly, a friend. When Damien accepts what he is, he begs Mark to join him.
When Mark refuses, Damien kills him and completely embraces himself in darkness. While this movie has some entertaining and scary moments, it’s pointless in the end. Damien’s creepy smile at the end of the original movie shows that he’s already embraced what he is, so an entire movie embracing it seems unnecessary. That said, the actual movie itself is a mostly worthy successor to the original and works. The dead are more intense and the impending sense of evil is stronger than ever. It may not be necessary, but it’s pretty good.
2 Damien (TV series)
With the huge success of A&E’s psychosis prequel series, Bates Motelthe station decided to bring another long-dormant horror franchise to the small screen. Damien aired in 2016 and was a sequel to the original film while ignoring all sequels. The show follows a now 30-year-old Damien Thorne. Damien has forgotten his demon past and is now a war photographer. That is, until strange people appear in his life, reminding him of his true destiny.
What made this show so interesting is Damien’s willpower. He discovers that he is the legendary Antichrist, yet he has spent most of his life as a good-natured human being. Being split between Satan’s supernatural son and a good person is what drives the show’s conflict. The cognitive dissonance that exists within Damien makes the story more complex, just like Willem Dafoe’s Jesus in The Last Temptation of Christ (to look at the other end of the spiritual spectrum).
The final episode ends when Damien supposedly accepts his demonic side with a chilling recall to the end of the original movie. While the show had a loyal fan base that still exists today, Damien was unfortunately canceled after one season. The show didn’t have a chance to really flesh out the main character in its story. If the show existed today in the era of ‘requels’ and legacy sequels, it might have had a better chance. As it stands, Damien is an entertaining, if incomplete, show. If fans of the film series skipped it, they owe it to themselves to check it out. Many fans are still hoping for a revival somewhere down the line.
1 The Omen (1976)
the omen is where it all started, and where the culmination of the series lies. Robert Thorne and his wife are expecting a child. Complications cause his wife to fall into a coma and lose the child. Robert learns that a child was born at about the same time that his own son was due, and that he lost his mother. He adopted the baby as his own without telling his wife. He regrets this, because five years later he learns the terrible truth about his adopted son. The boy named Damien is the Antichrist. This movie is absolutely terrifying in many ways. Though not as scary in-your-face as the exorcist, the omen penetrates viewers in a way that the former satanic horror classic cannot.
The increasing sense of fear lingers with the viewers and remains there long after the film has ended. Knowing that a child has to die for the evil to stop only adds to the unpleasant feeling. This is the only one in the series that is one hundred percent recommended. There’s a lore that this movie found that the other entries don’t hit as much as they should. Hopefully the upcoming prequel will add to this knowledge and make this movie much better to watch afterward.