1976's "The Omen" is More Clumsy Than Scary Four Decades Later

I suspect that back in 1976 that The Omen was probably somewhat scary but taken a few decades removed a lot of it feels clumsy. It has its moments; those that have become part of the cultural lexicon in one form or another. But ultimately the film is merely a series of moments strung together in a frustratingly disjointed manner. This makes what doesn't work stand out so much more; the excessive zooms the 70's were infamous for are overused, as is slow motion, and the long stretch where Gregory Peck's Robert Thorn searches for answers is unnecessarily long and makes the movie drag.

The film simply works with too many elements. The seemingly most crucial, Damian (Harvey Spencer Stephens), the son of the Devil adopted by unsuspecting parents, is given a strangely minimal amount of screen time. In stead we spend time with a kooky priest, a suspicious photographer, a satanic baby sitter, and some demonic dogs; these are all elements that would be fine in small doses but are confusingly emphasized.

It's not all hamfisted. The infamous bike and bannister scene is still suspenseful and nerve-racking. But there's simply too many moments that are awkwardly shot. Jerry Goldsmith's score is deliriously scatterbrained and counterpoints scenes in terribly thought out ways. The Omen adopts parts of other films of the genre but can't make them stick together in a cohesive or interesting way. 

Grade: C+