The Omen’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan
October 31, 2023 · The Omen (1976) · Horror · Mystery · 1:20:06
Categories
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill Simmons▶ 23:11Multiple scenes: Damien's fifth birthday party with the nanny hanging, the visit from the red-eyed priest in Peck's office, and the mom arguing with the new nanny about going to church
Chris Ryan▶ 23:54Discusses the birthday party scene extensively, focusing on how unrealistic it would be to continue normal life after such an incident, and notes the church scene's cinematography
Big Kahuna Burger Award
Bill Simmons▶ 47:17Couldn't think of anything specific, noted lack of eating scenes but mentioned Damien wanting to eat raw ground beef (comparing to Rosemary's Baby)
Great Shot Gordo Award
Bill Simmons▶ 48:01The shot right after they get away from the dogs in the cemetery - one last shot of the dogs behind the gate with the moon behind it
Chris Ryan▶ 47:47The tracking shots when Brennan is in the park before he gets to the church, with leaves blowing and the crane shot up into the trees looking down on him
Butch's Girlfriend Award
Bill Simmons▶ 48:57The nanny refusing to get rid of the dog and the household staff's incompetence - how the nanny won't remove the rottweiler despite orders and no one in the household follows through
Chris Ryan▶ 49:25Agrees with the household staff issue but finds the ambiguous sequence with Mrs. Horton leaving and the main character's casual reaction to be strangely handled
Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Bill Simmons▶ 56:10The Omen is the greatest horror IP that nobody has properly leveraged - it should be a five-season TV series following Damien from age 5 through his rise to power, like The Crown but with the Antichrist
Chris Ryan▶ 57:04Disagrees with the TV series approach, preferring movies because 50 hours would be too much before reaching the conclusion, and notes that modern productions lack the dark edge of 70s films
Casting What-Ifs
Bill Simmons▶ 58:39Charlton Heston — Discussed Oliver Reed, William Holden, Charlton Heston (who was offered the role but turned it down), and Roy Scheider as alternate casting possibilities
Chris Ryan▶ 59:02Charlton Heston — Discussed how actors like Charlton Heston and Gregory Peck would take on darker roles despite being associated with more moral characters, and compared this to Tom Hanks's more cautious role choices
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:35Agrees the cursed production is creepy, mentions Poltergeist was the top example of cursed productions, notes horror movies often have cursed productions with thematic connections
Chris Ryan▶ 1:03:32Cursed production facts including IRA bomb at Donner's hotel, crew missed a plane that crashed, Peck and screenwriter's plane hit by lightning, special effects director John Richardson died in car accident, Lee Remick died at 55 from kidney cancer
Apex Mountain
Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:58Lee Remick — Discusses Gregory Peck (no), Lee Remick (maybe due to Oscar nomination but this is her biggest movie), antichrist movies (still thinks Rosemary's Baby over The Omen), agrees on The Shining for creepy tricycle riding, agrees on The Hand That Rocks the Cradle for evil nannies
Chris Ryan▶ 1:05:24The Shining — Agrees on The Shining for creepy tricycle riding, discusses rottweilers (can't think of another rottweiler movie, mentions The Day of the Jackal but notes it's just a nickname)
Picking Nits
Bill Simmons▶ 1:09:43Was Damien a common name in the 70s? What's so creepy about the name Damien? What was Baylock doing the first 40 years of her life?
Chris Ryan▶ 1:10:17Too much information is conveyed in riddles, poems, and biblical scripture - Brennan should have just given a clear 10-point plan. Questions about whether Baylock was possessed and what she was doing before Damien.
Sequel/Prequel/Limited Series/Remake
Bill Simmons▶ 1:11:44Prestige TV series with all-star cast including Wayne Jenkins, Daniel Trejo, Katherine Hahn, Steve Buscemi, Sam Jackson, JT Walsh, or Philip Baker Hall
Chris Ryan▶ 1:11:04Prequel/prestige TV series about a coven of rebel priests creating religious and political discord, with the nanny character being part of this group working to create the right atmosphere for the antichrist
Is This Movie Better With
Chris Ryan▶ 1:12:07Imagined Wayne Jenkins taking Damien to the zoo, creating a chaotic and absurd scene.
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill Simmons▶ 1:12:49Would a mother instinctively know their baby had been replaced; how does a jackal become pregnant with the antichrist; where do jackals come from; where did Mrs. Baylock come from; is this really a movie about abortion
Chris Ryan▶ 1:13:07Parents constantly evaluate who babies look like so they would notice; Spiletto is the original Picasso of the trade machine; agrees the movie has abortion themes with conservative and liberal attitudes represented
Best Double Feature
Chris Ryan▶ 1:15:37Damien: Omen II — Agrees with The Omen II pairing, discusses its merits including the twist ending and teenage Damien being scary, but notes it basically redoes the first movie's premise
Coach Finstock Life Lesson
Bill Simmons▶ 1:17:17If your wife gives birth to a baby who dies, don't replace the baby with a different baby and don't tell her
Who Won the Movie
Bill Simmons▶ 1:18:12Evil/Satan - agrees it's the first time they've given 'Who Won the Movie' to evil
Chris Ryan▶ 1:17:32Satan himself/evil - initially wondered if evil could win a movie but settled on this pick
Movies Referenced (25)
Directors Referenced (2)
Actors Referenced (12)
Gregory Peck
9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for To Kill a Mockingbird, Roman Holiday▶ 2:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Lee Remick
9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for The Omen, Anatomy of a Murder, Days of Wine and Roses▶ 2:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗
David Warner
3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Titanic▶ 1:00:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗
William Holden
3 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Stalag 17, Sunset Boulevard▶ 58:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Macaulay Culkin
2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Home Alone, The Good Son▶ 8:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Robert Downey Jr.
2 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Iron Man▶ 2:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Angie Dickinson
1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Rio Bravo, Dressed to Kill, Point Blank▶ 43:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Writers Referenced (3)
David Seltzer
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Shining Through, The Omen▶ 1:02:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Stephen King
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Maximum Overdrive▶ 13:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Cinematographers Referenced (2)
Gilbert Taylor
3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, The Omen, Flash Gordon▶ 19:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗