Joining a select few, The Omen is opening at 2660 locations nationwide on a Tuesday.  Actually, I cannot find any other films that opened on a Tuesday, although I am sure there has to be something, anyone know?

It is being released on this day to take advantage of  the once in a lifetime opportunity to tie it to the date: 06/06/06. Put that together and what do you get? Why, the number of the beast, 666, and a number closely tied to this movie about the son of Satan.

Now, I know I am going to get jumped on for this, but as much of a movie fan as I am, and as much of a horror fan as I am, I have never seen the original The Omen. I know, I know, that is unacceptable; it is one of a number of major films that I have not seen, and something I do plan on rectifying. As I realized that I had never seen it, I decided that I would wait until after I see this remake, so as not to color my perceptions.

This take on the Richard Donner original was directed by John Moore, who also brought us the remake of Flight of the Phoenix and Behind Enemy Lines. How well he handles this has yet to be seen, but he is an unknown quantity in the horror world. I have read that it is a remake, and not a reimagining; either way, this is a tricky proposition. David Seltzer gave birth to the screenplay. His past work includes the surprisingly good (at least to my memory) Eighteenth Angel, and Omen IV: The Awakening, not to mention the original The Omen.

The film stars Julia Stiles and Liev Schreiber as the adoptive parents to the young Damien. Strange things begin to happen, and suspicions arise that he is the son of the devil. Seamus Davey-Firzpatrick slips into the schoolboy outfit of our resident Satan spawn. I cannot say that I am terribly impressed by him, he just looks like yet another creepy kid in a movie, which I have grown tired of. That said, I loved the first teaser trailer for this that had the camera coming up around him while he was on the swing.

The trailer overall looks pretty decent, it has a couple of moments that I really liked. I like the women jumping off the roof for him, could you imagine being at a party and seeing someone do that in the name of a child? The other is when Julia Stiles says in a hushed breathy voice: "Don't let him kill me!" It reminds me of another line, one from X-Men: The Last Stand where Famke Janssen's Jean Grey says "kill me" in the same hushed tone.

I wonder how many are planning on seeing this on 6/6/6?

The Omen. (2006, 105 minutes, R, horror, trailer)