The Omen Collection - Deluxe Edition

I personally never found "The Omen" horror film series to be particularly scary or profound. It's not that the performances by the actors are bad, as seen in the five-disc Blu-ray set "The Omen Collection - Deluxe Edition." It's the idea that having a precocious child doing devilish and murderous deeds appears hokey, rather than chilling.

But for the fans of this five-movie series, this attractive-looking box set (featuring the first four films of the franchise and the 2006 remake) will be scooped up and celebrated this Halloween season.

The 1978 version of "The Omen" mimicked "The Exorcist," minus the possession angle, having an adopted young boy named Damien performing acts under the spell of the Devil. The audience knows from the get-go that Damien is the Antichrist, and we watch as actors Gregory Peck and Lee Remick slowly discover this fact. Peck and Remick are fine in their roles, although the latter disappears during the last half of the film. I would be remiss if I did not mention a few memorably suspense sequences; one especially shocking scene features a nanny who hangs herself while a horrified Remick watches.

An open end to "The Omen" led to "Damien: Omen II," a sequel that disappointed some and didn't do as well at the box office. In this second film, Damien is now 13 years old and spends time at his military boarding school. As he discovers his heritage, Damien goes on a downward spiral and even has regrets for some of his devil-like ways. Lee Grant chews up the scenery in her role as Damien's foster Mom.

"Omen III: The Final Conflict" was supposed to be the end of the series. The talented Sam Neill plays an adult Damien this time around, and tortures people around him. A 1991 cable movie called "Omen IV: The Awakening" tried to remake the first "Omen" film, and has a female child as the Antichrist instead.

The 2006 remake of "The Omen" initially premiered on 6/6/16 (to coincide with the "666" theme of the film). But this almost scene-by-scene re-creation of the original is even blander than the 1978 version, offering nothing new. The stunt casting of Mia Farrow was probably a good idea at the time; she unfortunately is completely over the top in her role.

Several brand new interview segments and audio commentaries adorn each disc, with the exception of the 2006 "Omen," which carries over previous extras from other releases.

"The Omen Collection - Deluxe Edition"
Blu-ray 5-Disc Set
$59.99
www.shoutfactory.com