The Omen/Trivia

The Films

• Enforced Method Acting: Done with the baboons in the first movie. Richard Donner explained that they were having trouble getting the baboons to attack the car. Coincidentally, a veterinarian was there to treat the baboon group's leader, who had been injured in a fight. He suggested to Donner to put the leader in the back of the car in front of the others and make it look like he was being taken away. This sent the baboons into the frenzy shown on-screen. Lee Remick was told that this would happen, but no one expected the baboon leader to actually wake up while in the back of the car and grab her hair. Her screaming during that scene ended up having a very real component to it, as well.
  • Less traumatically, Donner did this several time with child-actor Harvey Stephens; for example, he provoked Damien's final smile by very emphatically warning Stephens to not smile at the camera.
• Executive Meddling:
  • Damien was supposed to die at the end of the first movie, but Donner was persuaded to change the ending to allow for sequels.
  • The director wanted Damien to be fifteen in the sequel, according to Word of God. He wanted this because he thought it would be interesting to give Damien a girlfriend before he discovers what he is, ensuring Angst when he has to chose love or destiny. The execs forced him to accept Damien at 12. It's very ironic that nowadays the execs would be pushing to have Damien older.
• Hey, It's That Guy!: Bob Cryer is an astronomer's assistant, Rumpole of the Bailey dies at the beginning of the second movie and an uncredited Ruby Wax plays a secretary.
  • The second Doctor is a priest.
  • Lance Henriksen appears in the second film as one of Damien's mentors.
  • Both Atticus Finch and Victor Creed have played Damien's adoptive father.
  • Watch Evil get decapitated!
  • Dr. Grant, why are ordering the death of dozens of babies?
  • Richard Donner, the director who would next become more famous for creating a film about a powerful hero who is often described as a Christ-like figure with a Moses like origin.
  • Lupin and Dumbledore are in the 2006 remake.
    • Robert Thorn is an Asshole Victim cop who wants you to see something.
• Meaningful Release Date: The remake was released on June 6, 2006.

The Non-Canon Novels

• Technology Marches On: The novel is set in the year 2000, and at one point the character needs to look up a piece of information. He does so by requesting the use of a hotel's sole computer, which is a giant monstrosity that is wheeled into his room by the hotel staff. He asks the staff if the book he is looking for in the computer's database, to which the staff member assures him that the computer holds every book. Later, while using the computer, the character makes queries to the computer which then draws logical conclusions based on the questions he asks it, something which no computer in any era is able to do. Perhaps the author didn't realize that even in the future computers can only organize information, it's still up to people to draw conclusions from that data.