After the release of the 2008 “The Omen” Collection, Shout Factory brings fans a brand new exhaustive release of “The Omen” movie saga in a pristine new box set. There’s even wonderful new art for fans. If you’re a hardcore fanatic for “The Omen,” this is about as great as it gets, and it doesn’t satisfy your appetite for Damien Thorne and his grand master plan to take over the world well then, you’re very hard to please. In either case, this is a set that every horror buff must own, as it’s pretty fantastic and brings together every single “The Omen” on Blu-Ray. I would have loved to see the pilot for “The Omen” as an extra, but hey, I admit that that’s merely nitpicking.
The Omen is the 1976 classic horror thriller about affluent couple, diplomat Robert and wife Katherine that seeks to adopt a child when their only child is stillborn. As mysterious deaths and events begin to unfold, Robert begins to suspect his son is the embodiment of pure evil. “The Omen” is a classic and still manages to chill, and spook to this day with a classic gut wrencher of a climax. Damien: Omen II from 1978 is the polarizing sequel that just doesn’t get enough credit. This sequel follows a pre-teen Damien who is now being raised by his aunt and uncle and is attending a military school. As he realizes his own abilities, and influence, he begins a plan to put in to motion his rise to power, while the body count rises.
While it’s never explained how and why Damien lost his memory as the anti-christ, this is a solid sequel with some great, creepy moments. The Final Conflict is the 1981 finale to the original trilogy as we meet Damien, years after the sequel. Now a full grown man, Sam Neil plays Damien, a dashing, charming, influential businessman who is seeking to become president. Bonding with a woman and her son, who he hopes to turn in to a follower, he makes a move for his ultimate power play. On Blu-Ray for the first time ever, 1991’s Omen IV: The Awakening, is a very underrated TV movie reboots. Originally aired on FOX, Virginia congressman Gene (Michael Woods) and his wife Karen (Faye Grant) see signs of the devil in their adopted daughter, Delia (Asia Vieira). As Karen begins to notice her new daughter might just be pure evil, she begins a race to save her newborn child.
This is a pretty solid movie that deserves so much more love than it gets, not to mention it side steps the obvious by delivering a great twist ending. 2006’s The Omen 666 is an on the nose and stale remake that has no real excuse for existing beyond taking advantage of the date it was released: June 6, 2006. 666. Get it? Get it? 666. Beyond that it wastes a great cast (Liev Schrieber is always great, but he’s not Gregory Peck) in favor of a dull and often boring retread that does nothing new and fails to muster up enough energy to refresh our interest in this premise.
Included is an embarrassment of riches in the bells and whistles arena. There is a new audio commentary with Scott Michael Bosco, and Audio Commentary with Richard Donner and Editor Stuart Baird, an Audio Commentary with Richard Donner and Brian Helgeland, an Audio Commentary with Lem Dobbs, Nick Redman, and Jeff Bond, and an Isolated Score Track. There’s a new twenty three minute interview with David Seltzer, a new thirteen minute interview with Holly Palance, and a new nineteen minute Interview with Christopher Young. There are the vintage featurettes Richard Donner on the Omen, The Omen Revelations, Curse or Coincidence?, 666: The Omen Revealed, Introduction with Richard Donner (2006), Deleted Scene with Commentary, Screenwriter’s Notebook, An Appreciation – Wes Craven on the Omen, Jerry Goldsmith Discusses the Omen Score, Trailers From Hell with Larry Cohen, the Theatrical Trailer, TV Spots, Radio Spots, and Image Galleries.
The Omen II disc includes a new Audio Commentary with Scott Michael Bosco, an Audio Commentary with Producer Harvey Bernhard, a new Interview with Lee Grant, a new Interview with Robert Foxworth, a new Interview with Elizabeth Shepherd, the new Shepherd’s Scrapbook: Elizabeth Shepherd’s personal set photos. There’s also Power and the Devil: The Making of Damien: Omen II, a Trailer, TV Spots, Radio Spots, and an Image Gallery. On the Final Conflict disc there’s a new Audio Commentary with Scott Michael Bosco, an Audio Commentary with Graham Baker, a new Interview with Graham Baker, a new Interview with Andrew Birkin, a new Interview with Jeanne Ferber, the theatrical trailer, TV Spots, and an image gallery. Included on The Omen IV: The Awakening Blu-Ray, there’s a new interview with Brian Taggert, there’s the nearly two hours long “The Omen Legacy,” and the original trailer. Finally, The Omen 666 Disc comes with Unrated Scenes / Extended Ending, the thirty seven minute Omenisms Documentary, Abbey Road Recording Sessions Featurette, Revelation 666: Behind the Scenes, and finally the original Theatrical Trailers.