No One is Heeding the Omen

I went to my usual source for trailers today (Apple's trailer site) to find something new to review, when I saw a trailer for The Omen. I've heard very conflicting things from horror fans about this movie thus far, most along the lines of "The Omen looks AWESOME" and "The Omen is going to SUCK." It seems to be very polarizing amongst my people. Upon viewing it myself, I'm sad to say that I'm firmly in the suck camp.

The basic story is this: a diplomat and his wife adopt a boy who turns out to be pretty bad news. He has a mysterious backstory the father works to discover as people associated with the boy and the mystery either die off at an alarming rate or become fiercely, insanely protective. I'll save for those who haven't seen it most of the big revelations.

If there were ever a horror film that doesn't need to be re-made, it's The Omen. Consistently listed in the top 20 all-time horror film lists of legitimate and armchair critics alike, it doesn't need a modern "update." The pacing, mood and cast of the original were awesome (Gregory Peck does horror...so good) and there was something really great about the atmosphere of the first film. The 1970's setting and UBER-creepy kid (before creepy kids were de rigeur) helped put it over the top into "classic" territory.

As for the remake, it just looks...slick. There's way too much going on in the trailer for my taste. Exploding windows? Check. Hangings? Check. Menacing gorillas? Check. I don't remember any robed demons in the original either, and I don't remeber thinking, "Gee, this movie would be a lot better with some demons in robes." What makes me really sad is that there doesn't seem to be any hint of Robert Thorn (the beleaguered father in both movies) traveling to the Middle East or graverobbing in the Italian countryside in order to unravel the mystery of his adopted son, Damien. In my opinion, those were some of the most interesting parts of the original. Instead, it appears that Mr. Thorn and his traveling companion take an unfortunate detour into Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings.

[Editors Note: I tried desperately to take a screen grab of the LOTR moment in the trailer for this space, but methinks Fox isn't keen on bloggers taking screengrabs from their trailers since all I got was a black box over and over. Instead, I've illustrated the scene for you below. You're welcome.]



What surprises me is the quality of the cast they assembled for what will surely be derided as an unworthy retread - Julia Stiles, Liev Schreiber, Mia Farrow and Pete Postlewaite are all quality actors. Who convinced them that hitching their wagon to this project was a good idea? Curses upon you, Hollywood Decision Makers. Stop remaking my beloved horror classics from the 70's, or I shall continue to flog you publicly in my blog!