THE OMEN COLLECTION
DELUXE EDITION (1976-2006)
THE OMEN (1976)
Region Code: A
Rating: R
Duration: 111 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Richard Donner
Cast:Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Billie Whitelam
Synopsis: When Kathy Thorn (Lee Remick) gives birth to a stillborn baby, her husband Robert (Gregory Peck) shields her from the devastating truth and substitutes an orphaned infant for their own – unaware of the child’s satanic origins. The horror begins on Damien’s fifth birthday when his nanny stages a dramatic suicide. Soon after, a priest who tries to warn Damien’s father is killed in a freakish accident. As the death toll mounts, Robert realizes his son is the Antichrist and decides he must kill the boy to prevent him from fulfilling a cataclysmic prophecy. Briskly paced and breathtakingly evil, The Omen is the first film in the classic legacy of terror.
Audio/Video: The Omen (1976) arrives on Blu-ray from Scream Factory with a brand-new, director approved 4K scan from the original camera negative framed in the original 2.35:1 widescreen in 1080p HD. The image looks exquisite, grain is finely managed and the colors looks natural, it looks a bit darker than the 2008 release but in a good way. The blacks levels are nice throughout and the depth, clarity, and sharpness are all improved with the new 4K scan, this is a wonderful presentation, too bad we do not a 4K UltraHD yet of this new scan, though I wouldn't be surprised to see that happening in the near future.
Audio on the disc includes DTS-HD MA 5.1 and a mono mix, which if I am not mistaken is the first time the mono mix has appeared on a digital release of the film, though I am unsure f this is the original mono mix or a down-mix of the 5.1, optional English subtitles are provided. I went with the mono mic for this vintage slice of horror and thought it sounded great, dialogue is crisp and clean, everything is well prioritized, with the Jerry Goldsmith score sounding absolutely phenomenal, it's still a haunting masterwork from the composer.
Scream Factory carry-over all the extras from the previous Blu-ray release with the exception of the trivia track, but no one is going to miss that. On top of that they've added a new commentary, bringing the total up to four on this disc, with Special Project Consultant Scott Michael Bosco who reminisces about catching the film in the cinema back in '76, and touching on the themes of the film.
New stuff comes by way of a 24-min interview with screenwriter David Seltzer, 13-min with actress Holly Palance, a 19-min interview with composer Christopher Young talking about Jerry Goldsmith’s score, plus we get the late Larry Cohen's Trailers From Hell commentary and an isolated music score.
Special Features:
- 4K Transfer from the original negative, approved by director Richard Donner
- NEW The Devil’s Word – an interview with screenwriter David Seltzer (24 min)
- NEW It’s All for You – an interview with actress Holly Palance (13 min)
- NEW The Devil’s Music - an interview with composer Christopher Young talking about Jerry Goldsmith’s legendary score (19 min)
- NEW audio commentary with special project consultant Scott Michael Bosco
- Audio Commentary with director Richard Donner and editor Stuart Baird
- Audio Commentary with director Richard Donner and filmmaker Brian Helgeland
- Audio Commentary with film historians Lem Dobbs, Nick Redman and Jeff Bond
- Isolated Score Track
- Richard Donner on THE OMEN (14 min)
- The Omen Revelations (24 min)
- Curse of Coincidence? (6 min)
- 666: The Omen Revealed (46 min)
- Screenwriter’s Notebook – an interview with writer David Seltzer (14 min)
- Introduction with director Richard Donner (2006)(2 min)
- Deleted Scene with Audio Commentary (1 min)
- An Appreciation – Wes Craven on THE OMEN (20 min)
- Jerry Goldsmith discusses THE OMEN score (18 min)
- Trailers from Hell featuring commentary by filmmaker Larry Cohen (3 min)
- Theatrical Trailer (2 min)
- TV Spots (2 min)
- Radio Spots (4 min)
- Behind the Scenes Still Gallery (6 min)
- Movie Stills Gallery (6 min)
- Posters and Lobby Cards Gallery (6 min)
DAMIEN: OMEN II (1978)
Label: Scream Factory
Region Code: A
Rating: R
Duration: 107 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080P HD Widescreen
Director: Don Taylor
Cast: William Holden, Lee Grant
Synopsis: Damien returns to fulfill his destiny. Since the sudden and suspicious death of his parents, 12-year-old Damien (Jonathan Scott-Taylor) has been in the charge of his wealthy uncle (William Holden) and aunt (Lee Grant) and a student of a military school. Widely feared to be the Antichrist, Damien relentlessly plots to seize control of his uncle’s business empire – and the world. Anyone attempting to unravel the secrets of Damien’s sinister past or fiendish future meets with a swift and cruel demise.
Audio/Video: Damien: Omen II (1978) arrives on Blu-ray from Scream Factory with what seems to be the same transfer as the last Blu-ray, presented in 2.35:1 widescreen in 1080p HD. It's solid but lacks the more finely resolved grain, clarity and depth we could have gotten with a newer 2K/4K scan. It's serviceable but there's definitely room for improvement. Audio options include English DTS-HD MA 5.1 plus a mono mix, I am unsure if this is original mono or a down-mix of the 5.1, with optional English subtitles.
Scream Factory comes through with new extra for the sequel, including a 16-min interview with Actress Lee Grant, 16-min with Actor Robert Foxworth and 27-min with Actress Elizabeth Shepherd, plus 4-min of on-set photos with commentary by Elizabeth Shepherd. We also get a 7-min vintage making-of featurette, plus a theatrical trailer, TV spot, radio spot and a still gallery.
Special Features:
- NEW Damien’s Guardian – an interview with actress Lee Grant (16 min)
- NEW The Devil’s CEO – an interview with actor Robert Foxworth (16 min)
- NEW The Harbinger – an interview with actress Elizabeth Shepard (27 min)
- NEW Elizabeth Shepherd’s Scrapbook – a look at her behind the scenes photos with commentary by Elizabeth Shepherd (4 min)
- NEW Audio Commentary with special project consultant Scott Michael Bosco
- Audio Commentary with producer Harvey Bernhard
- Vintage Featurette - Power and the Devil: The Making of DAMIEN: OMEN II (7 min)
- Theatrical Trailer (3 min)
- TV Spot (2 min)
- Radio Spot (2 min)
- Still Gallery (7 min)
OMEN III: THE FINAL CONFLICT (1981)
Label: Scream Factory
Region Code: A
Rating: R
Duration: 108 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080P HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Graham Baker
Cast: Sam Neill, Rossano Brazzi, Don Gordon, Lisa Harrow, Barnaby Holm
Synopsis: Satan’s son is all grown up… and he’s not playing around anymore. Damien Thorn (Sam Neill) is now 32, a coldly calculating being whose creed is evil, whose ambition is world domination and whose only loyalties are to himself and the father he serves. To attain his ends, he will kill anyone in his way, be it friend, enemy, disciple or lover. Only a dedicated priest (Rossano Brazzi), whose mission is to destroy the Antichrist and who has at his command the Seven Sacred Daggers of Megiddo, stands between Damien and his desire to bring the world to the brink of global chaos.
Audio/Video: The Final Conflict (1981) arrives on Blu-ray from Scream Factory with what seems to be the same transfer as the last Blu-ray, presented in 2.35:1 widescreen in 1080p HD. It's solid but lacks the more finely resolved grain, clarity and depth we could have gotten with a newer 2K/4K scan. It's serviceable but there's definitely room for improvement. Audio options include English DTS-HD MA 5.1 plus a mono mix, and of course the Jerry Goldsmith score sounds fantastic. Again, I am unsure if this is original mono or a down-mix of the 5.1, with optional English subtitles.
Scream Factory offer new extras for this sequel as well, but sadly no interview with star Sam Neill, so let's just get that out of the way. What we do get is 25-min with Director Graham Baker, 21-min with writer Andrew Birkin and 17-min with Production Assistant Jeanne Ferber, plus a theatrical trailer, TV spots and an image gallery.
Special Features:
- NEW The Devil in the Detail – an interview with director Graham Baker (25 min)
- NEW Resurrecting the Devil – an interview with screenwriter/associate producer Andrew Birkin (21 min)
- NEW Interview with production assistant Jeanne Ferber (17 min)
- NEW Audio Commentary with special project consultant Scott Michael Bosco (2 min)
- Audio Commentary with director Graham Baker
- Theatrical Trailer (2 min)
- TV Spots (1 min)
- Still Gallery (4 min)
OMEN IV: THE AWAKENING (1991)
Label: Scream Factory
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 97 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080P HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: John Montesi, Dominque Othenin-Gerard
Cast: Faye Grant, Michael Woods, Michael Lerner, Asia Vieira
Synopsis: Damien’s prophecy is reborn!
Damien Thorn is dead, but his prophecy is reborn in a mysterious girl named Delia, who is adopted by two attorneys, Gene and Karen York. When Karen realizes her baby was born under suspicious circumstances, she hires a private investigator to find Delia’s real parents. A series of bizarre accidents occur, and Karen begins to suspect everyone of conspiring against her as she unravels the truth about her child.
Audio/Video: Made-for-TV film The Omen IV: The Awakening 91991) arrives on Blu-ray reframed from 1.33:1 fullframe to a more screen-filling 1.85:1 widescreen in 1080p HD. There's no mention on the wrap about this being a new 2K scan but as this is the film's debut in HD I might guess this is a new 2K scan. For a TV film from the early 90's everything here looks quite good, having long ago traded in my DVD copy of the film I cannot really compare it to what came before but the cropped framing does not seemed cramped to my eyes, I enjoyed the widescreen framing. Audio on the disc comes b way of an English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo that was solid, dialogue and score are nicely prioritized in the mix, though the unremarkable score from Jonathan Scheffer didn't do much for me, generic aside from the times it's references Goldsmith's iconic phrasing.
Not surprisingly this made-for-TV remake doesn't get a lot of extras but we do get a new 18-min interview with Screenwriter Brian Taggert, plus a theatrical trailer, gallery, and The hour-long The Omen Legacy (2001) doc examining The Omen franchise with plenty of clips and behind-the-scenes anecdotes from Richard Donner, writer David Seltzer, producers Harvey Bernhard and Mace Neufeld, and actors David Warner, Lee Grant, Lisa Harrow, and Michael Lerner.
Special Features:
- NEW The Book of Evil – an interview with screenwriter Brian Taggert (18 min)
- Theatrical Trailer (1 min)
- Still Gallery (2 min)
- The Omen Legacy – a documentary on THE OMEN films (102 min)
THE OMEN (2006)
Label: Scream Factory
Region Code: A
Rating: R
Duration: 110 Minutes
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: John Moore
Cast: Julia Stiles, Liev Schreiber, Mia Farrow, David Thewlis, Pete Postlethwaite, Michael Gambon, seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick
Synopsis: In this chilling remake of The Omen, man's darkest fears are manifested as an unspeakable terror is unleashed on the world! U.S. diplomat Robert Thorn (Liev Schreiber, Ray Donavan) substitutes an orphan for his own stillborn baby in order to spare his unknowing wife, Katherine (Julia Stiles). But after a series of grotesque murders and dire warnings, the Thorns come to the horrifying realization that their child is the son of Satan!
Audio/Video: The Omen (2006) arrives on Blu-ray from Scream Factory with what seems to be the same transfer as the last Blu-ray, presented in 1.85:1 widescreen in 1080p HD. Clarity and depth look alright, it's a heavily blue filtered looking film that I find ugly, though that red-lit film developing shot of Thewlis's character's apartment looked spiffy in 1080p. That said, a new 2K scan would probably have improved it in certain areas. Audio options include English DTS-HD MA 5.1 plus a mono mix, there's no iconic Jerry Goldsmith score here but the Marco Beltrami score sounds quite good, it's a potent and atmospheric surround mix, with optional English subtitles.
We do not get any new extras for the 2006 remake, but they carry-over the audio commentary with Director John Moore, Producer Glenn Williamson and Editor Dan Zimmerman, plus we get 7-min of extended scenes and extended ending, the 37-min Omenisms doc, a 10-min Abbey Road Recording Sessions featurette, 22-min of behind-the-scenes stuff, and theatrical trailers.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary by director John Moore, producer Glenn Williamson and editor Dan Zimmermann
- Unrated Extended Scenes and Extended Ending (7 min)
- Omenisms – Behind the scenes of THE OMEN (2006)(37 min)
- Abbey Road Recording Sessions featurette (10 min)
- Revelation 666: Behind the Scenes (22 min)
- Theatrical Trailers (4 min)
This five-disc set arrives in a rigid slipbox not unlike what we saw with Scream Factory's The [REC] Collection box set. Inside are five individual Blu-ray keepcase with original artwork, the flipside is not reversible but each wrap does feature a scene from the film on the reverse side. The discs themselves
each feature an excerpt of the key art for each film. The spines all have a pleasing uniformity that looks great when inside the slipbox, which looks fantastic, with new wraparound artwork from Laz Marquez, this designs and construction is so many times over an improvement over the previous The Omen Collection box set whose flimsy box was truly a crime against film collecting!
Scream Factory's 5-disc The Omen Collection: Deluxe Edition is a thing of devilish beauty, offering a new 4K scan of the fist classic film, plus a wealth of extras and a tasty looking box set that has some serious shelf appeal, The Omen franchise has never had such an opulent and comprehensive presentation before this. I could have done without the fourth made-for-TV film or the remake but I tip my hat to Scream Factory for giving us the complete franchise, they truly went above and beyond for this one.
