The Omen

Whatever you do, don't look into his eyes. They are pure evil. Not since The Sixth Sense has a five-year-old child been so damn freaky.

The Omen is a gripping, sinister story, with a modern-day touch from the original, about the rise of the antichrist, known only by his branded mark 666 - the mark of the beast. His name is Damien (Seamus Davey Fitzpatrick). He is the Devil's son.

Like all good films, the story starts by allowing us to take a peek into the family life of the Thorns - it is almost like being a fly on the wall. Then, when we have acquainted ourselves with the characters and their lives, director John Moore stuns us by revving up the trension and showing us terrifying scenes that cause us to stop and remember that the Devil's numbers should never be spoken out loud.

The film begins with Damien being raised by Katherine (Julia Stiles) and Robert Thorn (Liev Schreiber), a young, well-connected American political family. With all the right intensions, Robert allows his wife to believe that the child is her own. Without knowing it, he has just shook hands with the Devil and signed his own death warrant.

At first, they are like any other normal, happy family, until Robert is given a promotion and they move from Washington to London. The Thorns are completely unaware that dark prophecies exist, but over time Katherine begins to suspect that Damien has a sinister side to him. Tragedy upon tragedy begins to happen and slowly the couple's privileged lives start falling apart.

The weird and unnatural behaviour of Damien and the unseemly bizarre events that surround him make us wonder what is wrong with this child and just who he is. Moore increases the suspense factor by raising the stakes. We feel for Robert. He is travelling the world and people are dying around him and he has to uncover the truth about his son and then figure out how to kill him - the child he raised, the child he loves - to save his own life and that of humanity.

Apart from a few modern day references that aim to make the antichrist more believable, the film is unequivocally a first rate horror/thriller. Damien simply sends chills down your spine, while Stiles and Schreiber play their roles with ease and credibility. Overall, I would rate this intensely gripping story far higher than its most recent counterpart, The Exorcism Of Emily Rose.