History Film / TheOmen1976

* BrokenBird: Katherine; she was already established to be one even before Damien was adopted. The peculiar occurrences caused by the him makes things worse for her.
* BuryingASubstitute: They dig up Damien's birth mother and there's a jackal in the casket. [[spoiler:Turns out, the jackal ''is'' the mother.]]

* KryptoniteFactor: The daggers of Meggido, given to Robert by Bugenhagen, are the only mortal weapons that can kill Damien.

* NotWhatItLooksLike: Zig-Zagged. [[spoiler:When the police burst in on Robert about to kill Damien, it ''is'' what it looks like. That having been said, the police are unaware of Damien being TheAntichrist, and reasonably but incorrectly assume that Thorn has simply gone crazy and tried to kill his son for no reason. Indeed, the fact he ignores their attempts to talk him down implies he ''knows'' there's no way to explain the extenuating circumstances without sounding like a madman.]]

* SeeYouInHell: Father Brennan tells Robert this as Robert leaves the appointment.

The film kicked off a franchise which spawned several sequels: ''Film/DamienOmenII'' (1978), ''Film/OmenIIITheFinalConflict'' (1981) and ''Film/OmenIVTheAwakening'' (1991). The original movie was [[Film/TheOmen2006 remade in 2006]]. The 2016 TV series ''Series/{{Damien}}'' is a direct sequel to the original film, ignoring the film sequels. A prequel, ''Film/TheFirstOmen'', is set to release in 2024.

* AllThereInTheManual: The novelization reveals that Spiletto, Brennan and Mrs. Baylock were apostates of Hell who arranged the birth of the Antichrist and the murder of the Thorns' son, so that Damien could be switched with him.

* TheAtoner: Father Brennan was previously a Satanist who was responsible for Damien being born; he turns to God and tries to help the Thorns to no avail.
* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler: Damien lives on, with most of the people who were wise to his true nature (including his adoptive parents) dead. He is also in the care of the president of the United States]].

* BuryingASubstitute: They dig up Damien's birth mother and there's a jackal in the casket. [[spoiler:Turns out the jackal ''is'' the mother.]]

* DrivesLikeCrazy: Deconstructed. A spot of reckless driving by Robert during the finale gets the cops on his tail en route to the church. [[spoiler:Those same cops end up chasing him all the way to the church and shooting him dead after he ignores their exhortations to stand down.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: The photographs of the nanny, Father Brennan, and [[spoiler:Jennings]] show how they die: by hanging, impalement, and decapitation, respectively.

* HopeSpot: [[spoiler: Robert warns Katherine and tells her to leave London as soon as possible. But Ms. Baylock appears in her hospital room and shoves Katherine out the window, killing her.]]

* KarmicOverkill: [[spoiler: Jennings gets marked for death after he notices that the nanny's photo and Tassone's both have blemishes that mirror the manner of their deaths that don't go away no matter what he does to tyhe film, and because he noses around Tassone's apartment. Even peripherally spotting the threads of Damien's existence is enough for Satan to whack you.]]

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: [[spoiler: Jennings discovering via an accidental pic of himself that he's been marked for death by Satan not only sends him straight to Thorn, but eventually sends them on a quest that leads them all the way to Bugenhagen for the daggers.]]
** [[spoiler: Satan does it again after Thorn and Jennings fight over killing Damien. Thorn is adamantly opposed to killing a child, so Jennings says he'll do it and goes for the daggers, then gets decapitated by the pane of glass right in front of Thorn. By killing Jennings in that way, (as Thorn had seen Jennings' blemished photograph) Thorn is left with zero doubts about Damien's humanity, and knows Jennings was right. In the next scene, he's on the plane back holding the daggers.]]

* NotQuiteDead: In the novelization, [[spoiler:Mrs Baylock]] doesn't die after Robert stabs her through the neck and she pursues him outside. He then runs her over with his car.
* NotWhatItLooksLike: Zig-Zagged. [[spoiler: When the police burst in on Robert about to kill Damien, it ''is'' what it looks like. That having been said, the police are unaware of Damien being TheAntichrist, and reasonably but incorrectly assume that Thorn has simply gone crazy and tried to kill his son for no reason. Indeed, the fact he ignores their attempts to talk him down implies he ''knows'' there's no way to explain the extenuating circumstances without sounding like a madman.]]

* RubeGoldbergHatesYourGuts: Instead of just killing Jennings, Satan [[spoiler: sets a truck in motion, then has it hit an obstruction, sending a piece of glass flying that decapitates Jennings.]] With Father Brennan, [[spoiler: Satan creates a storm to drive Brennan to a church, and then causes a lightning rod to fall, impaling the priest.]] It would have been simpler to have lightning strike Brennan dead, but instead [[spoiler: Satan causes the lightning to hit the lightning rod, which falls to kill Brennan.]] Gaslit, as it it shown Satan can make people kill themselves [[spoiler: as he does with the nanny.]] But with Brennan and Jennings, he kills them gorily and violently in an overly complicated manner instead.

* StealthPun: [[spoiler: Damien's biological "mother" was a jackal, literally making him a ''son of a bitch''.]]

* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler: Jennings. After Thorn is given the daggers to kill Damien and throws them away, Jennings, tired of arguing with Thorn over the fact Damien isn't human simply stares him down and tells Thorn that if Thorn won't do it, (kill Damien) he will. Satan executes Jennings mere moments after that declaration, showing Jennings meant what he said, and would have done it if he hadn't been taken out.]]

* WithinArmsReach: Robert kills Mrs. Baylock with a knife that he drops when she tackles him. He manages to grab it and stab her.

The film kicked off a franchise which spawned several sequels: ''Film/DamienOmenII'' (1978), ''Film/TheFinalConflict'' (1981) and ''Film/OmenIVTheAwakening'' (1991). The original movie was [[Film/TheOmen2006 remade in 2006]]. The 2016 TV series ''Series/{{Damien}}'' is a direct sequel to the original film, ignoring the film sequels. A prequel, ''Film/TheFirstOmen'', is set to release in 2024.

The film kicked off a franchise which spawned several sequels: ''Film/DamienOmenII'' (1978), ''Film/TheFinalConflict'' (1981) and ''Film/OmenIVTheAwakening'' (1991). The original movie was [[Film/TheOmen2006 remade in 2006]]. The 2016 TV series ''Series/{{Damien}}'' is a direct sequel to the original film, ignoring the film sequels.

* ArcWords: "Look at me Damien! It's all for you!"

It kicked off the [[Film/TheOmen ''Omen'' franchise]] and spawned several sequels: ''Film/DamienOmenII'' (1978), ''Film/TheFinalConflict'' (1981) and ''Film/OmenIVTheAwakening'' (1991). The original movie was [[Film/TheOmen2006 remade in 2006]]. The 2016 TV series ''Series/{{Damien}}'' is a direct sequel to the original film, ignoring the film sequels.

When Robert Thorn's (Peck) wife Katherine (Remick) delivers a stillborn child, a priest approaches Thorn with the offer of another newborn whose own mother [[DeathByChildbirth died at the same moment]]. To spare his wife the grief, Thorn agrees to the switch and lets her believe the child is their own. A number of years later, Robert becomes the American ambassador to England and the Thorn family moves into a large manor there. And that's when mysterious deaths and odd events begin to plague the Thorns and those in their orbit, ''especially'' those who attempt to convince them that little Damien (Stephens) is not all he seems...

It kicked off the [[Film/TheOmen ''Omen'' franchise]] and spawned several sequels: ''Film/DamienOmenII'' (1978), ''Film/TheFinalConflict'' (1981) and ''Film/OmenIVTheAwakening'' (1991). The original movie was [[Film/TheOmen2006 remade in 2006]]. The 2016 TV series ''Series/{{Damien}}'' is a direct sequel to the original film, ignoring the rest of the sequels.

When Robert Thorn's (Peck) wife Katherine (Remick) delivers a stillborn child, a priest approaches Thorn with the offer of another newborn whose own mother [[DeathByChildbirth died at the same moment]]. To spare his wife the grief, Thorn agrees to the switch and lets her believe the child is their own. Several years later, Robert becomes the American ambassador to England and the Thorn family moves into a large manor there. And that's when mysterious deaths and odd events begin to plague the Thorns and those in their orbit, ''especially'' those who attempt to convince them that little Damien (Stephens) is not all he seems...

* TheAtoner: Father Brennan was previously a Satanist who was responsible for Damien being born, he turns to God and tries to help the Thorns to no avail.

* BrokenBird: Katherine, she was already established to be one even before Damien was adopted. The peculiar occurrences caused by the him makes things worse for her.

* DeathOfAChild: The Thorns' son is stillborn at the start of the movie. [[spoiler: But Robert later learns that his infant son was murdered so he could be switched for the Devil's son.]]

* HeelFaithTurn: Father Brennan was one of the Satanists involved in the plot to begin Damien's rise to power. After being diagnosed with cancer, he decides to try and redeem himself in the eyes of God by warning Robert about Damian's true nature.

* MadnessMantra: The very first words in the film: [[DeathOfAChild The child is dead. He breathed for a moment. Then he breathed no more.]] The child is dead. The child is dead.

* SwordOverHead: Despite the victim being a [[spoiler: [[CrocodileTears crying child]]]] the audience is likely screaming "[[KillHimAlready KILL HIM ALREADY!!!]]"

* TheVoiceless: In an earlier draft of the script Damien had absolutely no lines. In the actual film he talks infrequently but is still curiously quiet for a 5-year old.
* WithinArmsReach: Robert kills Mrs Baylock with a knife that he drops when she tackles him. He manages to grab it and stab her.
* YouHaveToBelieveMe: Falther Brennan probably would have convinced Robert that Damien was the Antichrist sooner if he hadn’t done so through vague warnings that are easily interpreted as deranged ranting.

->''“Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six.”''
-->-- '''[[Literature/BookOfRevelation Revelation 13:18]]'''

!!This film has examples of:.

* YouHaveToBelieveMe: Father Brennan probably would have convinced Robert that Damien was the Antichrist sooner if he hadn’t done so through vague warnings that are easily interpreted as deranged ranting.

* ItIsDehumanizing: At least two characters refer to Damien as “it” rather than “he”, namely Father Brennan and Jennings. Which makes some sense, since he is the Antichrist.

!!This film has examples of:

* ActorAllusion: When Ambassador Thorn receives the call that Father Brennan wishes a visit, Thorn's response is "who?" Brennan is played by Patrick Troughton, the actor that portrayed the second Doctor in ''Series/DoctorWho''.

* BuryingASubstitute: They dig up Damien's birth mother and there's a jackal in the casket. It isn't clear if a substitute burial happened or if the jackal ''is'' the mother.

* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler: Damien lives on, with most of the people who were wise to his true nature (including his adoptive parents) dead]].