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The Omen (1976) https://letterboxd.com/smudgeefc1985/film/the-omen/
Horror-tober 6/31
Here's another one that has eluded me for years, though I know why with this one. I remember sharing a room with my older brother on a family holiday once and this was on tv late at night. I was scared and didn't want to watch it, but he didn't give a toss. I lasted until the infamous tricycle scene and spent the rest of the film curled up under the covers with my fingers in my ears desperately trying to ward off the inevitable nightmares...yeah, I was about 8. Oh, and horror films about kids are the creepiest of all.
So here I am, 25 years later and as nervous about a horror film as I ever have been probably! Even though I knew it wouldn't possibly be as terrifying as I remembered it being. That of course is true, but it doesn't take away what a powerful, masterfully made film this is. It creates a sense of dread that is only heightened by the serene everyday bliss of the early scenes in between the morning Damien is born, to his 5th birthday. From then on, it is a slow burning horrifying descent into hell. And that score...wow.
I don't like religion in everyday life, so I think it always lends itself very well to the horror genre. That sense of placing trust in a higher power based on no evidence except faith, prophecies and their interpretations, the ending is the chilling icing on the cake. A masterpiece.
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Horror-tober 6/31
Here's another one that has eluded me for years, though I know why with this one. I remember sharing a room with my older brother on a family holiday once and this was on tv late at night. I was scared and didn't want to watch it, but he didn't give a toss. I lasted until the infamous tricycle scene and spent the rest of the film curled up under the covers with my fingers in my ears desperately trying to ward off the inevitable nightmares...yeah, I was about 8. Oh, and horror films about kids are the creepiest of all.
So here I am, 25 years later and as nervous about a horror film as I ever have been probably! Even though I knew it wouldn't possibly be as terrifying as I remembered it being. That of course is true, but it doesn't take away what a powerful, masterfully made film this is. It creates a sense of dread that is only heightened by the serene everyday bliss of the early scenes in between the morning Damien is born, to his 5th birthday. From then on, it is a slow burning horrifying descent into hell. And that score...wow.
I don't like religion in everyday life, so I think it always lends itself very well to the horror genre. That sense of placing trust in a higher power based on no evidence except faith, prophecies and their interpretations, the ending is the chilling icing on the cake. A masterpiece.
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