An American official realizes that his young son may literally be the devil incarnate.
Of course here we have the obligatory remake.
Apparently the studio originally wanted the film to have a PG-13 rating but Director John Moore insisted on an R-rating, suggesting people would “smell a cop-out” if the remake was to receive a family friendly certificate. The fact that the film was released to coincide with the date 06/06/06 in order to spark interest and gain publicity is more of a ‘cop out’.
The fact that the movie was released on the 30th anniversary of the original really irritated me, I remember people swarming to cinemas to see this because of the 06/06/06 connection and I stayed home and watched the original. Many of them ended up saying they wished they’d have done the same and I’m glad I never wasted my money on it.
The most irritating thing about this film is the fact that it has an amazing cast with the likes of Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles, David Thewlis, Michael Gambon, Pete Postlethwaite, Mia Farrow and more. With a cast like this it should’ve been an amazing film but it just fell flat, especially with a budget of $25,000,000.
This remake was just the same as the crop of remakes of classics, it was boring and nowhere near as good a the original. Despite the great casting of this film it’s just so bland, they’d have been better off making something new and original. In all honesty this remake was just inferior and totally unnecessary.
Don’t bother with this remake, jut stick to the original, trust me.
Miscellaneous facts about the film:
Pierce Brosnan and Jim Carrey were both considered for the role of Robert Thorn.
A curiosity here has Mia Farrow playing nanny to devil child Damien, when she’d previously played the “mother” of a devil child in Rosemary’s Baby (1968).
Harvey Stephens, who portrayed Damien in The Omen (1976), appears in this remake as the tabloid reporter who asks Robert Thorn if the deceased nanny “was on drugs”.
During filming, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick was never told that his character was supposed to be the son of the Devil; co-star Julia Stiles has commented that it was because the filmmakers thought “he was too young to understand it, but he was really obedient when John asked him for the Damien face.”
The role of Katherine Thorn was originally offered to Rachel Weisz who declined because she was pregnant at the time. Other actresses considered for the part were Laura Linney, Hope Davis and Alicia Witt, before Julia Stiles who finally got the part. Stiles and Mia Farrow were both in a play together, and Stiles suggested to director John Moore that they use Farrow for the role of Mrs. Blaylock (Damien’s nurse). Initially Moore didn’t think that Farrow would accept the role, but Stiles convinced him she would. Eventually he just rang up Farrow at her home and offered her the part.
In Damien’s bedroom, the wallpaper is a floral vine design curved in such a way as to make a wall of sixes.
The teaser trailer was actually Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick’s screen test.
The day after they filmed the scene where Robert cuts his son’s hair to reveal the birthmark, the entire scene was completely destroyed.
The text of the newspaper announcement of Thorn’s appointment reads: TOP JOB FOR US PRESIDENT’S GODSON 34 Year old is USA’s Youngest Ambassador LONDON – Robert Wade Thorn has been appointed by the White House as the new ambassador to the Court of Saint James. Thorn, at 34 years old, is the youngest appointee in the history of the US. The post became available to Mr. Thorn following the tragic death last month of his predecessor and former boss, US Ambassador to Italy, Mr Stephen Haines. Haines had been named as the new UK Ambassador and was due to take up the post this week when he was killed in a bizarre traffic accident in Rome city center on May 14. Thorn, a Connecticut native, and constant fixture on the Washington DC “rising star” list has often been regarded as a close confidante of the US President’s inner circle…” (The text repeats at least three times within the article.)
Throughout the movie, director John Moore uses the color red to signal a supernatural event, much like ‘M. Night Shyamalan’ (although more proliferative) in The Sixth Sense (1999).
The opera “Salome” by Richard Strauss, is about the step-daughter and niece of King Herod. Herod, desiring Salome, asks her to do the dance of the seven veils in exchange for her heart’s desire. Salome agrees, but after the dance requests the head of John the Baptist on a platter. She receives the head, but Herod, frightened and superstitious, orders Salome to be killed.
James Nesbitt was originally up for the role of Jennings until the director eventually went for David Thewlis.
This movie has a link to Harry Potter reconnecting David Thewlis (Professor Lupin) and Michael Gambon (Professor Dumbledore)
According to the newspaper account shown in the film, Robert Thorn’s middle name is Wade and he is a native of Connecticut.
Mia Farrow’s death kiss (to Julia Stiles) wasn’t scripted and no one knew she was going to do it.
Julia Stiles did her own stunt when she fell to the floor (when Damien tries to kill his mother). The flooring for that scene was specially built and padded so that she could safely do the fall.
The death of Mrs. Baylock by having Robert hit her with his car was originally scripted and filmed in The Omen (1976), but scrapped by director Richard Donner for being excessive.
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