The Omen (Directed by Richard Donner) 1976

A rather obvious entry which as a movie slots nicely alongside the likes of 'The Exorcist' and 'The Amityville Horror,' when it comes to its occult atmosphere. 'The Omen' is a reasonably powerful US/British flick starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. Peck plays a US diplomat who becomes U.S. Ambassador of Great Britain but not before a series of terrible events plague the couple. Remick's new born baby, unbeknownst to her dies and so Peck, at the advice of the local chaplain, agrees to take a recently orphaned child to replace the son he lost - but choose not to tell Remick so as to keep her mentally stable. From hereon the couple, who name their child Damien Thorne are plagued by misfortune, including several deaths - those being the family nannies alongside several 'accidents' and fires. A local priest suggests to Peck that Damien could well be the antichrist to which Peck scoffs at, but several more tragedies later including his own, and his wife's death, result in Damien being taken into care by the US presidency as a way of gaining more power.

'The Omen' is a classic horror flick but not the sort of movie you'll be watching on a regular basis. Even so, with strong acting and several nasty scenes, the most memorable being the decapitation of Keith Jennings (played by David Warner) and the miscarriage of Remick caused by Damien.

Overtly Satanic in its theme 'The Omen' shocked audiences around the world and many fans believed that the actual movie was cursed due to several deaths including cast and crew members. 'The Omen' often appears in 'top 100' lists so it's no surprise that it appears here. It's a film I'd certainly recommend that you watch especially if you consider yourself a horror buff.