The Omen - Plot

Plot

The newborn son of Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) and his wife, Katherine (Lee Remick), dies shortly after birth in Rome where Robert is stationed. The grieving Robert is convinced by Father Spiletto (Martin Benson) into adopting an orphan whose mother died at the same moment. Out of concern for his wife's mental well-being, Robert agrees. They name the child Damien Thorn (Harvey Spencer Stephens). Soon after, Robert is named U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain.

Several mysterious events soon begin to plague the Thorns. Damien's nanny publicly hangs herself at his fifth birthday party after seeing a Rottweiler who happened to be watching from the trees. Shortly afterwards, a new nanny, Mrs. Baylock (Billie Whitelaw), suddenly arrives to replace her - claiming the agency sent her after reading about the death in the newspapers.

Father Brennan (Patrick Troughton), a local priest, arrives at Robert's office to warn the Ambassador of his son's mysterious origins. The priest also hints that Damien may not be human. An irritated Thorn refuses to believe that anything is wrong with his son and has Father Brennan removed from his office. The priest, repeatedly warns Robert, by the Thames River, about the curse, which Robert ignores. Suddenly, a lightening and wind storm occur, and he tires to enter a church for protection, which is however,locked. He subsequently dies when a lightning rod, from the top of a church, falls on him and impales him through the side of his neck.

Katherine tells Robert that she is pregnant which delights both Thorns. Katherine soon makes it clear that Damien is getting on her nerves.

Following Father Brennan's death, and while piecing together other clues, photographer Keith Jennings (David Warner) begins investigating Damien after noticing marks on photographs of people that seem to predict their subsequent deaths.

Keith travels with Robert as they investigate Damien's birth. They visit the Rome hospital but find that a fire destroyed the hospital records and maternity and nursery wards. Robert and Keith visit Father Spiletto at a rural monastery and discover he has been burned on his right half and struck mute.

Back in England, Katherine is busy tidying the house while Damien is riding his tricycle around. Mrs. Baylock watches the boy as he rides close to the little step-ladder Katherine is standing on. Suddenly Katherine is thrown over the railing, grasping desperately and begging for Damien to help her. The child is unresponsive as his mother falls, screaming, down to the floor below. The resulting accident causes Katherine to miscarry.

In Rome, Robert and Keith are sent to a ruined cemetery and find a jackal's skeleton in Damien's mother's grave, and discover that Robert and Katherine's child was murdered to place Damien in their care. These shocking discoveries force Robert and Keith to believe Father Brennan's warning that Damien is the Antichrist. A group of wild rottweilers attack both Robert and Keith, who, despite their injuries, manage to escape the cemetery.

Robert and Keith later travels to Israel to find Bugenhagen, an archaeologist who knows how to stop the Antichrist. Bugenhagen reveals to Robert that Damien will possess a birthmark in the shape of three sixes if he is the Antichrist. Robert learns that the only way to kill Damien is to stab him with the seven daggers of Megiddo. Refusing to murder what he believes is an innocent child, Robert throws the pack of daggers away from them. Keith says that if Robert will not do it, then he will, but, as he goes to retrieve the daggers, he is decapitated when a sheet of glass slides off a trucking rolling back towards the reporter.

Katherine's recuperation is going well until Mrs. Baylock suddenly appears and pushes her through a window, sending her body crashing into a parked ambulance.

After Katherine and Keith's deaths, Robert begins to have second thoughts. That night, he traps the Rottweiler, who had been the guard at the house, in a stairway, that led to the basement of the house. he, then, goes to his son's room and discovers the '666' mark on Damien's scalp when Mrs. Baylock appears. A struggle ensues as the nanny tries to kill Robert, but Robert emerges victorious after he kills Mrs. Baylock. Robert loads up Damien and the daggers and drives off to the local church. Dragging the struggling Damien to the altar, Robert prepares to kill his son who is screaming, "NO, Daddy, NO!" when the police arrive and order Thorn to drop the dagger. He refuses and is shot by the officer.

Damien attends the funeral of Katherine and Robert in the care of the U.S. President given the diplomatic charge of Robert; they receive an honorable burial and blessing by a Catholic priest. The camera then pans down on Damien, who turns to the audience and smiles innocently while "Ave Satani" plays.