Vitals

Gregory Peck as Robert Thorn, American ambassador to the United Kingdom

England and Rome, Fall 1975

Film: The Omen
Release Date: June 6, 1976
Director: Richard Donner
Wardrobe Supervisor: Tiny Nicholls
Tailor: H. Huntsman & Sons, London

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

With Halloween just around the corner, there’s no better time to revisit Richard Donner’s 1976 supernatural horror classic The Omen, which marked its 50th anniversary earlier this year on June 6th—a date whose devilish numerical significance aligns with the opening scene in Rome, where American diplomat Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) learns that his wife Katharine (Lee Remick) gave birth to a son who died shortly after birth. At the urging of a hospital chaplain, he secretly adopts another infant born that same morning, allowing Katherine to believe the child is her own. The couple names the boy Damien, and for the next five years, their seemingly idyllic family life conceals the horrifying truth about their son’s origins.

As a series of increasingly disturbing incidents and the warnings of a mysterious Catholic priest suggest that Damien may be the Antichrist, Robert begins to question everything he knows about his son. After a terrifying encounter with Damien leaves Katherine hospitalized following a miscarriage, Robert joins photographer Keith Jennings (David Warner) on a journey back to Rome to uncover the truth behind Damien’s birth. Continue reading →