THE OMEN *

When you set it beside something like "Rosemary's Baby", "The Omen" isn't really much of a movie but it has attained a kind of cult status and is even seen as something of a classic in some quarters, spawning not one but 3 sequels and a remake. It also set a trend for movies about the Anti-Christ and benefited from a better than average cast headed by Gregory Peck, Lee Remick and David Warner while Billie Whitelaw is suitably unbecoming as one of Satan's handmaidens and it actually managed to pick up an Oscar for Best Score.

For anyone who still doesn't know the plot it's about Peck's American Ambassador discovering the child he has taken home from the hospital after his own baby dies is actually the Son of Satan! Unlike "The Exorcist" there are no swivelling heads and a distinct lack of green bile but there are a couple of spectacular deaths, including a terrific decapitation scene. The first sequel, "Damien; Omen II" is less po-faced and actually a lot more fun.