Factual error: In the cemetery, the skeleton of Gregory Peck's son is far too big to be that of a newborn, which it is supposed to be.
The Omen (1976)
Directed by: Richard Donner
Starring: Gregory Peck, David Warner, Billie Whitelaw, Lee Remick, Harvey Stephens
Visible crew/equipment: When the ambassador and the photographer are in the cemetery getting attacked by the dogs there are men standing behind a tree. I'm assuming they're the trainers - they are located when the photographer is trying to hop the fence. Look in the back right hand corner - there are about two or three men standing there. (01:21:15)
Audio problem: Near the end of the movie, when the Ambassador is dragging the child up the aisle of the church, in several spots you hear the child scream but his mouth isn't open. (01:45:35)
Trivia: The smile that Damien gives at the very end wasn't scripted. Originally, Damien was supposed to "look really mean," but Harvey Stephens couldn't keep a straight face: he started to smile, then laugh. Richard Donner decided that the smile made Damien look even more evil, so it stayed in the movie.
Trivia: Richard Donner was originally wary of sending the script to Gregory Peck. Combined with the original ending, in which Robert kills Damien, and the fact that Peck's son had recently committed suicide, Donner thought offering the film to him was distasteful. But to Donner's surprise, Peck agreed relatively quickly to do the film.
Mrs Baylock: Have no fear, little one... I am here to protect thee.
Father Brennan: When the Jews return to Zion / And a comet rips the sky / And the Holy Roman Empire rises, / Then You and I must die. / From the eternal sea he rises, / Creating armies on either shore, / Turning man against his brother / 'Til man exists no more.
Damien: Please, Daddy! No, Daddy, no.
Question: How could Damien's mother be a jackal? That has always thrown me for a loop and I could never understand why they'd do that unless it was for entertainment purposes. I mean, I know it's Hollywood and all but that's just too far-fetched.
Answer: It's Satan's twisted and macabre mockery of Jesus' virgin mother.
Question: How much did 5 or 6 year old Harvey Stevens understand about this story and his role in it while the film was being made?
Question: Why didn't Damien's parents notice the 666 when he was an infant?
Answer: It's possible that the mark didn't appear until Mrs Baylock showed up and began teaching him about his heritage. The mark of the devil is said to appear only when Satan accepts a follower, and up until Mrs Baylock appears, Damien is a normal boy. Yes, he's the devil's son, but he knows nothing of his evil nature until she starts teaching him. In fact, at one point, Robert mentions that he knew every inch of Damien's body since he raised him and never saw anything, so more than likely the mark didn't appear until Damien had areas on his body where it could be hidden more easily.
But it's a birthmark. He had it when he was born.
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Chosen answer: The idea wasn't entirely Hollywood's. The antichrist is sometimes said to be "born of a jackal. " Jackals are mentioned in the Bible, and some interpretations consider them a symbol of something that is "not of God." In the movie, it means that the kid was scary as hell, literally.
Hobbes