The Omen Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

The Omen Blu-ray Movie Review

"My son is dead. I don't know whose son he is."

Scream Factory's reissue of The Omen (2006) is being released as part of the sublabel's five-disc box set, The Omen Collection: Deluxe Edition.

Fox's individual Blu-ray release of John Moore's third feature was reviewed by my colleague Marty Liebman in the early days of the format. To read Marty's critique of the film, A/V, and supplements, please click here.

Mrs. Baylock feeds Damien the Devil's fruit.

The Omen Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Scream's BD-25 is a facsimile of the 2006 Fox disc with the exception of a new menu and twelve fewer chapter stops. I was hoping that Scream would at least upgrade the video codec but we get the same MPEG-2 transfer. The Omen remake was shot on Kodak film in 1.85:1 with the Panavision camera and lenses. The standard video bitrate of 17922 kbps is also identical.

The Omen Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scream supplies a direct carbon copy of the first disc: an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround (4117 kbps, 24-bit). We lose the French and Spanish 5.1 dubs. There is some Italian dialogue and where appropriate, English subs are provided but they're burned into the cinema print (e.g., Screenshot #7).

Scream retains the optional English SDH but drops the Spanish subs.

The Omen Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Scream didn't produce any new extras and have recycled six from the standalone Fox disc. It hasn't included "The Devil's Footnotes" trivia track, which displays popup video while the movie plays.

• Audio Commentary with Director John Moore, Producer Glenn Williamson, and Editor Dan Zimmermann

• Unrated Extended Scenes and Extended Ending (7:09 in total, upconverted to 1080p)

• Omenisms – Behind the Scenes of The Omen (2006) (37:19, upconverted to 1080i)

• Abbey Road Recording Sessions Featurette (10:14, upconverted to 1080p)

• Revelation 666: Behind the Scenes (22:17, upconverted to 1080p)

• Three Theatrical Trailers (3:56 in total, 1080)

The Omen Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I rather admire The Omen's (2006) craftsmanship and style. The filmmakers reused original scenarist David Seltzer's screenplay, which he updated for this modern retelling. Some of the changes I'm okay with but others I'm not crazy about, such as the abrupt cutaways to jump scares during dreams. The shots themselves are good but the editing is too in-line with many other contemporary horror pictures. The cast that was assembled is very good. Mia Farrow inhabits Mrs. Baylock with a seemingly benign sweetness and innocence that masks her malevolent intentions. The late great Pete Postlethwaite is outstanding as Father Brennan. David Thewlis gives a fine performance as photographer Keith Jennings. Liev Schreiber is at his typical deadpan best, a quality which befits Gregory Peck's ambassador role. I'm a fan of Julia Stiles but the casting director could have found an older actress to portray Mrs. Thorn.

If you only own Fox's 2008 box set, you'll be pleased that Scream has reinstated a couple bonus features that Fox didn't ported over from its 2006 edition. I really wanted an MPEG-4 transfer but the studio simply slapped the old MPEG-2 on this disc. The uncompressed 5.1 track didn't need any re-mixing and sounds fantastic here. RECOMMENDED.