The Omen

The Omen (1976)

Timing: 1:51 (111 min)

7.41/10
2366

7.636/10
42940

7.5/10
146000

All about film

Video 5

Photo 81

Actors and characters

Release date

1976-06-25

Country

United States, United Kingdom

Production

20th Century Fox, Mace Neufeld Productions, Harvey Bernhard Productions

Genre

Horror, Thriller

Budget

$2 800 000

Revenue

$60 922 980

Website

Director

Richard Donner

Actors

Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Billie Whitelaw, Harvey Stephens, Patrick Troughton, Martin Benson, Robert Rietti, Tommy Duggan, John Stride
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

David Seltzer

Producer

Harvey Bernhard, Charles Orme, Mace Neufeld

Operator

Gilbert Taylor

Composer

Jerry Goldsmith

Artist

George Richardson

Audition

Maude Spector

Editing

Stuart Baird
All team (33)

• The first screenings of the film took place on June 6, 1976, marking the number of the Antichrist – 666.
• Gregory Peck, who played the main role, beat out his competitors Charlton Heston, Roy Scheider, and William Holden, despite not appearing in any serious films for about five years (from 1971 to 1975). Holden, however, landed the lead role in the sequel "Damien: Omen II".
• After the working title of the film changed from "Antichrist" to "The Birthmark," members of the film crew began to experience misfortunes: Gregory Peck and screenwriter David Zelzer flew to the UK on different planes, and both aircraft were struck by lightning; the film's producer Harvey Bernhard narrowly avoided being struck by lightning while in Rome; Gregory Peck was supposed to fly to Israel, but was forced to cancel the trip for some reason. Later, news came of a plane crash – there were no survivors.
• Gregory Peck agreed to a significant reduction in his standard fee, settling for $250,000. As a bonus, Gregory was to receive 10% of the film's box office gross ($60.9 million in the US alone). Thus, "The Omen" became the most profitable film of Gregory's career.
• Mike Hodges was offered to lead the filming process, but the director declined. Subsequently, Mike was appointed director of the sequel, but 20 days after filming began, Hodges was removed from the project due to creative differences with the producers.
• Immediately after the film's release in North American theaters, the demand for Rottweilers sharply increased.
• Harvey Stephens, who played Damien, is a natural blonde.
• Harvey Stephens, who played Damien, did not know he was filming a horror movie.
• Filming took place from October 12, 1975, to January 2, 1976.
• To make the baboon pack attack the car, a Windsor Zoo employee was placed in the back seat with the pack leader. The monkeys went wild, eliciting genuine emotions from the lead actress, Lee Remick.
• Dead sardines, painted orange, were used in the scene where the basket of fish is overturned. Director Richard Donner refused to use live fish for the shoot for ethical reasons.
• A corresponding vertical set piece, symbolizing a floor, was used for the scene of Lee Remick's fall. Therefore, stunt performers were not needed to film this scene.
• After the working title of the film changed from "Antichrist" to "The Birthmark", members of the film crew began to experience misfortunes: Gregory Peck and screenwriter David Zelzer flew to the UK on different planes, and both aircraft were struck by lightning; the film's producer, Harvey Bernhard, narrowly avoided being struck by lightning while in Rome; Gregory Peck was supposed to fly to Israel, but was forced to cancel the trip for some reason. Later came news of a plane crash – there were no survivors.
• Gregory Peck agreed to a significant reduction in his standard fee, settling for $250,000. As a bonus, Gregory was to receive 10% of the film's box office receipts ($60.9 million in the US alone). Thus, "The Omen" became Gregory’s most profitable film in his career.
• Dead sardines, painted orange, were used in the scene with the overturned aquarium. Director Richard Donner refused to use live fish for the filming due to ethical concerns.