The Omen, 1976, Starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. Directed by Richard Donner.

When I am feeling sick like I am today, I tend to reach for comfort movies. Much like comfort food, they are those movies, no matter how much you see them you can always watch them one more time; which brings up to tonights movie review of "The Omen". A true staple of my comfort movie collection.

Some things you should know about this movie if you already don't, it has moderate, but awesome fakey, gore scenes. It is in color, it won an oscar and there apparently was a lot of bad luck for most of the people associated with the making of the movie.

I think one of the many reasons I love this movie so much is it starts out on a creepy/ wrong note, and just keeps getting even more messy. When you start a movie with a still birth and sneaky baby switching, you know you are going to be watching a horror masterpiece! Of course they have to lower your guard, so for awhile it is all just lovey, dovey, family cuteness, with even a promotion, but you know all good things have to come to an end. 

Since I have seen this movie a few times, there weren't really many surprises, but the jump scares still held up pretty well and I still love the beheading accident, very favorite scene in the movie. What gore there is in this gem is there for the right reasons and isn't as over the top as it could be, but it is there. 

The locations they shot at were all very beautiful, but that is the benefit of shooting in Europe and the Middle East. A lot of the indoor locations were pretty fantastic also, especially the priest's apartment, inside the first house they live in and when they are in the abandoned city that is being excavated.  

One of my disappointments with this movie is the graveyard scene. It looks extremely fake, and then when it gets to the big shocker moment, well it is just more of a WTF than a revelation moment. Also, the dogs...

Apparently Italy has a really big issue with stray rottweilers, I know, I get it, they are a tool of Satan, just like the Tricycle, but, I don't know, they weren't scary. Further more, I think 4 would have been plenty to incapacitate 2 men in an abandoned cemetery. That is just my two cents though of course, I am sure there are a few people who are forever terrified of large dogs thanks to that scene.

All and all this movie still can easily hold it's own next to some of todays horror thrillers. It has good pacing, some pretty terrific plot twists, pretty locations, and a healthy dose of gore. If you are a fan of other 70's horror, and you some how have not checked this one out, do your self a favor and check it out!