In 1976 The Omen scored a hit with critics and audiences hungry for more after The Exorcist with its mixture of Gothic horror and mystery and its plot about a young boy suspected of being the personification of the anti-Christ. Directed by Richard Donner (best known for his Superman and Lethal Weapon films), The Omen gained a lot of credibility from the casting of Gregory Peck and Lee Remick as a distinguished American couple living in England, whose young son Damien bears "the mark of the beast". At a time when graphic gore had yet to dominate the horror genre, this film used its violence discreetly and to great effect and the mood of dread and potential death is masterfully maintained. It's all a bit contrived, with a lot of biblical portent and sensational fury but few would deny it's highly entertaining. Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar-winning score works wonders to enhance the movie's creepy atmosphere. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com Damien: Omen II takes place several years after the mysterious events that claimed the life of the US Ambassador and his wife as the now teenaged and militarily enrolled Damien Thorne is slowly being made aware of his unholy heritage and horrific destiny. Woe is he (including anyone in Damien's adoptive family and his classmates) who suspects the truth or gets in his way. While not as unrelentingly frightening as its blockbuster predecessor, this more-than-competent sequel raises some interesting questions about the nature of free will (can the anti-Christ deny his birthright?) before falling into a gory series of increasingly outlandish deaths, the best of which is a terrifyingly protracted scene beneath the ice of a frozen lake. Jerry Goldsmith (who won an Oscar for his work on the first film in the series) contributes another marvellously foreboding score. --Andrew Wright, Amazon.com The series concludes with The Omen III: The Final Conflict, starring Sam Neill as the adult Damien--aka the son of Satan--in a battle with the heavens for control of mankind. The film ends up depending more heavily on effects and spectacle than on the kind of basic horrors that made the first movie in the series so unsettling but at least this one gives some closure to the seemingly endless saga. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com On the DVDs: On the original movie disc there is an all-new 45-minute documentary, "666: The Omen Revealed", with contributions from all the major behind-the-scenes players, including director, editor, screenwriter (who confesses the movie was only set in England because he wanted a free trip to London!), producer and composer. The latter, Jerry Goldsmith, has his Oscar-winning contribution to the movie recognised with a separate feature in which he talks through four key musical scenes in the score. There's also a thought-provoking short called "Curse or Coincidence?" in which the many bizarre accidents that happened during shooting are related, including the terrible story of what happened to the girlfriend of the man responsible for designing the decapitation scene. Director Richard Donner and editor Stuart Baird provide a chatty audio commentary to the movie. The second and third films lack as many extra features, being content with audio commentaries and theatrical trailers: the commentary for Omen II is by producer Harvey Bernhard, that for Omen III by director Graham Baker. --Mark Walker
Set Comprises: The Omen (1976): He was born at 6am on the 6th day of the 6th month. The coming of Armageddon the sign of the final confrontation between the forces of good and evil as foretold in the Book of Revelations will begin with the birth of the son of Satan - in human form. The Omen II (1978): After the tragedy that befell his parents Robert and Katherine Thorn Damien is taken in by his caring Aunt and Uncle. However Damien is growing and so too are his mysterious powers - it is time for Damien to find out what his destiny really is... The Omen III (1981): Armageddon has come and the Evil One stands among us. His name is Damien Thorn and the power of evil is no longer in the hands of a child. The final and most terrifying chapter in the Omen Trilogy sees the fate of all mankind hanging in the balance as the battle lines are drawn for the ultimate war between good and evil for the Final Conflict.
Cult favourite actor Herbert Lom takes on his first British television role as the gifted and compassionate psychiatrist Dr. Roger Corder in this classic series from ABC Television. A widower in his mid-forties, Corder spends his life analysing others; tearing them apart to put them back together again in better shape. Primarily he is a detective, probing secrets and searching for causes dispassionately laying the facts before those seeking his help in the human jungle ...This complete series set contains all 26 episodes of this hard-hitting and well-remembered series. John Barry's rousing theme tune sets the scene for each story (based on a real-life case history) and the cast includes Joan Collins, Francesca Annis, Rita Tushingham, Alfred Burke and Annette Andr, among many others.
This Hammer Horror Resurrected box set collects Hammer movies from the mid-1960s (plus a stray 1975 title), an era when Hammer was making sequels or even sequels to sequels and occasionally cobbling together films with a lack of care that would not have passed muster in the 1950s. Nevertheless, all of these films have elements that remain pleasing and a good half of the titles represented are in the front-rank of the Hammer canon. Rasputin the Mad Monk is a bloodied-up slice of Russian history, hindered somewhat by the need to limit the sets to those that could be recycled from Dracula Prince of Darkness and a legal injunction to refrain from naming names. Christopher Lee makes a fair fist of the lead role, employing his Dracula staring eyes and wringing hands to go with an impressive false beard and using sheer force of will to dominate the Tsar's court, especially the elegantly masochistic lady-in-waiting Barbara Shelley. Frankenstein Created Woman sends Peter Cushing's Baron back to the drawing board and finds him diverted from his usual brain surgery and corpse-stitching into experimenting with cryogenic suspension and soul transference. Terence Fisher, on his third Hammer Frankenstein, directs the cynical script with cold flair. The side is let down only by Playboy Playmate Susan Denberg's insufficiently devastating lady monster. The Vengeance of She is the mildest effort in this bunch, a quickie sequel to She in which blonde, bosomy Czech "discovery" Olinka Berova did not turn out to be an international sensation along the lines of previous Hammer babes Ursula Andress and Raquel Welch. The feeble storyline peters out as the heroine is plagued by dreams that suggest she is the reincarnation of the evil ice queen Ayesha but then turns out not to be. The Plague of the Zombies is a grimmer Hammer, with cartoonish social comment ladled onto the voodoo goings-on. Cornish squire John Carson (even chillier than the usual Christopher Lee) enjoys rampaging around the countryside with his hunting pals abusing comely lasses while his fortune is kept going by the exploited living dead working his tin mine. Andre Morell has the Peter Cushing role as a concerned expert who recognises that there's voodoo in the air, and Jacqueline Pearce--unforgettable in director John Gilling's companion piece, The Reptile--is suitably affecting as the secondary heroine who turns into a seductive zombie and gets her head lopped off. In Quatermass and the Pit boffin Professor Quatermass (Andrew Keir) unearths an eerie history of insect aliens who have influenced human evolution when workmen extending the London underground discover a five million year old Martian spaceship. This is a rare intelligent science fiction movie with genuine ideas to go along with its creepy moments. 1975's To the Devil a Daughter was the last gasp of Hammer's horror cycle, an attempt to rejig Dennis Wheatley's once-popular Satanist-bashing novel into a post-Exorcist/Omen Devil movie. Fallen priest Christopher Lee tries to get teenage novice Nastassja Kinski pregnant with a monster, while pipe smoking occultist Richard Widmark does his best to foil the dastard. Sloppy, silly and awkwardly structured, with an especially limp climax (the villain is foiled by being bashed with a rock), it does manage some chills along the way, and has an interesting supporting cast of neurotics (especially Denholm Elliott, cowering inside a pentagram). This release presents a fuller version than some video or TV prints, including a strange sequence in which Kinski's womb is invaded by a repulsive demon child. The very young Kinski has a nude scene, but so does Christopher Lee's game stunt double. On the DVD: Hammer Horror Resurrected box set has no extras at all. But the films are presented in nice, anamorphic transfers which bring out the pretty pastels of the landscape around Bray Studios and the rich red splashes of blood. --Kim Newman
Swingingly stylish adventures with super spies John Steed and Mrs Peel! Flashback to the Sixties with the coolest duo in crimefighting! Episodes: Too Many Christmas Trees: Steed hangs up his stocking and Emma asks for more... Silent Dust: Steed watches birds and Emma goes hunting. The Girl From Auntie: Steed almost outbids himself and Emma is a bird in a gilded cage. The Thirteenth Hole: Steed finds a bogey and Emma gets a birdy. The Quick-Quick Slow Death: Steed has two left feet and Emma dances with danger. The Danger Makers: Steed joins a secret society and Emma walks the plank. The House That Jack Built: Steed takes a wrong turning and Emma holds the key to it all.
Seven further swingingly stylish adventures with super spies John Steed and Mrs Peel! Flashback to the Sixties with the coolest duo in crimefighting! Room Without A View Steed becomes a Gourmet and Emma awakens in Manchuria. Small Game For Big Hunters In which Steed joins the natives and Emma gets the evil eye. A Touch Of Brimstone Steed joins the Hellfire Club and Emma becomes the Queen of Sin. What The Butler Saw Steed becomes a Gentleman's Gentleman and Emma faces a fate worse than death. A Sense Of History Steed dons a gown and Emma becomes a Don. How To Succeed...At Murder Steed becomes a perfect boss and Emma goes seeking charm. Honey For The Prince Steed becomes a Genie and Emma joins a harem.
This one hour DVD takes the viewer on a wondrous tour of the Universe featuring the most amazing photographs yet made by the largest telescopes. Spectacular graphics and animation show the beauty of not only the nearby planets but also the most distant stars.
One of the most chilling horror trilogies of all time is now available as a highly collectible Classic Series box set! Starring a wealth of talent including Gregory Peck Lee Remick William Holden Sam Neill David Warner Lee Grant and Billie Whitelaw the series spans the rise of Damien Thorn the Antichrist from devil's spawn to devious political figure. The films with their haunting and terrifying imagery together with the Oscar-winning soundtrack were box office smashes and have become must own films any horror or film fans' collection! The Omen He was born at 6am on the 6th day of the 6th month. The coming of Armageddon the sign of the final confrontation between the forces of good and evil as foretold in the Book of Revelations will begin with the birth of the son of Satan - in human form. The Omen II After the tragedy that befell his parents Robert and Katherine Thorn Damien is taken in by his caring Aunt and Uncle. However Damien is growing and so too are his mysterious powers - it is time for Damien to find out what his destiny really is... The Omen III Armageddon has come and the Evil One stands among us. His name is Damien Thorn and the power of evil is no longer in the hands of a child. The final and most terrifying chapter in the Omen Trilogy sees the fate of all mankind hanging in the balance as the battle lines are drawn for the ultimate war between good and evil for the final conflict.
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