The Omen (Damien)

THE OMEN. American / British suspense horror film directed by Richard Donner, distributed by 20th Century Fox. It has become one of the best known films ever within its genre and was the 5th highest grossing movie of 1976 (taking 61 million USD at the box office from a production budget of just 3 million USD). The principal child-star of the film, British actor Harvey Spencer Stephens (Damien Thorn) was just 4 years old when initially chosen for the part. FILM PLOT ; The newborn son of Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) and his wife Katherine (Lee Remick), dies shortly after birth in Rome. Robert is then coerced by Father Spiletto (Martin Benson) into substituting for the dead child an orphan, whose mother died at the same moment, without telling Katherine. Out of concern for his wife's mental well-being Robert agrees ; they name the child Damien Thorn (Harvey Spencer Stephens). Soon after, Robert is named US Ambassador to Great Britain. While posted in England,  Robert is plagued by several mysterious events ; Damien's nanny publicly hangs herself at his fifth birthday party and a new nanny Mrs Baylock (Billie Whitelaw), suddenly arrives to replace her, also bringing an evil Rottweiler dog with her. Father Brennan (Patrick Troughton) is aware of Damien's satanic origins and he explains them to Robert, who refuses to believe him. Brennan also warns Robert that his wife is pregnant, that Damien intends to kill the unborn child and that eventually he will kill Robert, too. The priest subsequently dies when a lightning rod falls on him and impales him through the side of his neck. Katherine tells Robert that she is pregnant but miscarries when she is knocked off a balcony by Damien. Following Father Brennan's death and while piecing together other clues, photographer Keith Jennings (David Warner) begins investigating Damien, after noticing marks on photographs of people that seem to predict their subsequent deaths. Keith travels with Robert as they investigate Damien's birth. They visit the Rome hospital but find that a fire destroyed the hospital records and maternity and nursery wards. Robert and Keith visit Father Spiletto at a rural monastery and discover he has been burned on his right half and struck mute. They are sent to a ruined cemetery and find a jackal's skeleton in Damien's mother's grave and discover that Robert and Katherine's child was murdered to place Damien in their care. These shocking discoveries force Robert and Keith to believe Father Brennan's warning that Damien is "The Antichrist". While Robert is away, Katherine is recuperating in the hospital from her injuries. All seems to be going fine when Mrs. Baylock suddenly appears and pushes her through a window, sending her body crashing onto a parked ambulance. Robert travels with Keith to Israel to find Bugenhagen, an archaeologist who knows how to stop the Antichrist. Bugenhagen reveals that Damien will possess a birthmark in the shape of three sixes (666), if he is the Antichrist. Robert learns that the only way to kill Damien is to stab him with the seven daggers of Megiddo. Refusing to murder what he believes is an innocent child, Robert throws the pack of daggers away from them ; when Keith bends to retrieve them, a sheet of glass slides off a runaway truck, flies into him and decapitates him ........... Horrified by Keith's death and having recovered the daggers, Robert returns to England and finds the birthmark buried under the hair on Damien's scalp. Mrs. Baylock attempts to murder Robert, but is stabbed through the side of her neck with a carving fork. Robert flees his residence with Damien, to kill him on hallowed ground and is pursued by a security detail. After breaking into a church, Robert raises a dagger to stab Damien but is shot and killed before he can do so. Damien is placed in the care of the US President, who is Robert's brother. They attend the funeral of Katherine and Robert, who receive an honorable burial and blessing by a Catholic priest. The camera then pans down on Damien, who turns to the audience and smiles innocently while "Ave Satani" plays ...............