The Exorcist vs The Omen

[Willie Oleson]

Mark Gatiss said:
Unlike in The Exorcist, good does not triumph in The Omen.

True, the evil goes away, but I'm not sure if I'd consider Father Karras' death a triumph.
It can be argued that he was the real protagonist, not Regan. The Exorcist also has much more of a build-up, it just keeps getting worse and worse.
The Omen is, in essence, a supernatural version of Final Destination with lots of cool and freaky "accidents".

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I like THE OMEN scene where they're discussing the scriptures and their meaning -- with oil company signs in the background and gasoline trucks passing by behind them.

Sociopolitical symbolism??

Here are a couple of OMEN videos:

It should be pointed out again that THE EXORCIST's William Freidkin was a Triple Virgo -- 666. So he knew the material.

 

[Richard Channing]

'The First Omen', a prequel to the original 'The Omen' is out now and it actually sounds very promising. Here's a non-spoilery review.

 

[Willie Oleson]

@Richard Channing, have you watched Mike Flanagan's NETFLIX remake of The Fall Of The House Of Usher? Is it as good as his other series he's done for Netflix?

 

[Richard Channing]

@Richard Channing, have you watched Mike Flanagan's NETFLIX remake of The Fall Of The House Of Usher? Is it as good as his other series he's done for Netflix?

I haven't seen it but I've heard some good things about it and I have been meaning to check it out. Are you planning to watch it?

 

[Willie Oleson]

I don't have Netflix that's why I asked you. Not that it would be reason enough for me to re-subscribe to Netflix (I've got enough stuff to watch as it is) but a DVD release could be an interesting and cheaper alternative.
Although I've noticed that from streaming to physical home media is not so common anymore, but I digress.

I'm not wild about origins stories but there were enough questions and mystery surrounding the conception of darling little Damien that can be explored.
And if it's good it's good, that's the only thing that matters.

 

[Richard Channing]

 

[Richard Channing]

I'm not wild about origins stories but there were enough questions and mystery surrounding the conception of darling little Damien that can be explored.
And if it's good it's good, that's the only thing that matters.

The reviews of this one seem to suggest it's pretty good. As well as praising the story and atmosphere the reviewer above says "it feels like a movie that could have been made in the 70's" which is encouraging, to me at least.

 

[LMLDallas78]

I watched The first Omen last night and being such a huge fan of the previous Omens I was so excited. I didn't realise it was a prequel, as soon as I saw the title I booked my seat.

I really wanted to like this film but I struggled to. It was a long drawn out film with not much happening, just for the last 10 mins to be anything that gave me nervous butterfly's.

Omen 1 and 2 were done so well for their time, this is not done well for it's time. It doesn't appear authentic for so say being 1971.

Trainee Nun (I won't spoil) is sent to a "bad church" to take the veil where the other nuns smoke, play on the trampoline and turn a blind eye to abuse and torture. The idea sounds strong but it's not played out so.

I don't get why modern films have to portray the devil as a beast. So much better when it's a "use your imagination" force.

This film was so slow and I didn't want anything fast paced but it needed something. At times the whole audience would laugh at something which was meant to add tension and terror. I didn't want to laugh but it certainly didn't add what it was meant to. Omen wasn't like this.

Good enough cast although I want to giggle when I see Bill Nighy in a serious role because I know how funny he can be, but that's not his fault.

I feel this film did the originals such a disservice. I'm so disappointed. Just my opinion of course. Maybe my expectations were just too great. I would love to know what other people's opinions are.

 

[Willie Oleson]

a "bad church" to take the veil where the other nuns smoke, play on the trampoline and turn a blind eye to abuse and torture

Sounds like a script for an Adrienne Barbeau film.

 

[Willie Oleson]

And now there's the FIRST OMEN knockoff THE IMMACULATE.

I'd love to watch them back to back but The Immaculate hasn't popped up on Prime yet (and the same goes for Late Night With The Devil which is still very much on my must-see list).

 

[Willie Oleson]

It was a long drawn out film with not much happening

It's like MIDSOMMAR in Rome: overlong, overwrought and hysterical in all the wrong moments.

It doesn't appear authentic for so say being 1971.

And did they really think we wouldn't notice that Raffaella Carra's "Rumore" from 1974 and Boney M's "Daddy Cool" from 1976 could NOT have been played in a discotheque in 1971? !!!
That was such an insult, a slap in the face.

Forget about "prequel" (that retcons one of the most important facts of the original), this film is boring, corny and predictable in its own right.
I hate it, I HATE it, and I wish I had never watched it.

 

[Alexis]

And now there's the FIRST OMEN knockoff THE IMMACULATE.

I'd love to watch them back to back but The Immaculate hasn't popped up on Prime yet (and the same goes for Late Night With The Devil which is still very much on my must-see list).

It's actually the other way around. IMMACULATE had been slated for production for years but was in some kind of production hell. I think it took 9 years for the film to be made and the lead actress was the one to finally put the project together. They had to age up the roles, as it took so long to get it made.
I haven't seen it yet, though I have watched THE FIRST OMEN. It undoes quite a big plot point of the original film and I just don't think it works. The film tries to recapture the eerie '70s vibe of the original but again I don't think it quite works. It also seems to steal a little of that SUSPIRIA vibe. And it blatantly lifts the Satanic ritual rape scene right from ROSEMARY'S BABY. It pays homage to the original film's shocking kill scenes but it comes off too gory and even campy and not as creepy or chilling as it should be.

The Omen was a film that had that misty, cold, Autumnal feeling that a lot of '70s stuff had. Even the scenes in Italy had that vibe, at the Monastery and the scenes in the grave yard where they find Robert Thorn's real son's remains. This prequel hasn't got that, it's a very brightly lit and shot film for the most part. The film is adequate I guess, more thriller than horror, but totally unnecessary. I suppose that it's just what Hollywood does now. So totally devoid of new ideas, they just keep remaking the same stuff over and over. Plumbing the depths of their owned IP.

It's not scary. I slept with the lights off.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Just finished watching THE IMMACULATE.
It doesn't try very hard to be mysterious or clever, it's a straightfoward bloody survival horror film and there's nothing particularly scary about it (except for the opening scene) but at least it's more fun than The First Omen.
All perfomances are good and I would have liked to spend more time with these characters, but, it is what it is.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]