The Omen franchise
had a lot of success on the big screen, but its TV history is spottier. The
made-for-TV Omen IV: The Awakening does not have many champions, whereas
the A&E-produced Damien was not bad, but short-lived. A lot of fans
missed the first attempt at an Omen series, because the pilot was not
picked up for a full series. (It is also dismissed as non-canonical and related
in name only.) Yet, because it was produced in the 1990s, NBC aired it anyway, because
the networks took their viewers for granted back then. Nevertheless, it was
indeed broadcasted, so it technically counts as a “vintage episode.” With The
First Omen releasing this week, it is a fine time to look back at the 1995
pilot for The Omen, if you don’t mind searching for a grainy internet version.
Dr.
Linus is about to find his missing colleague, strung-up dead, in a ritualistic
manner. Tragically, it was most likely of his friend’s own doing, to prevent an
evil parasite from devouring another victim. Of course, Linus inadvertently
releases it back into the world.
Being
a man of science, he is not sure what to make of what he saw, even when he is
visited by Aaron Rainier, a self-described “hunter,” who dedicated his life to
fighting the all-consuming entity. However, photojournalist Jack Mann has
become a believer, after watching the viral-like demon possess and destroy his
pregnant wife. He will follow its trail to a Boston hospital, where Dr. Linus
has been called in to consult on an inexplicable contamination afflicting Annalisse
Summer, a nurse who contracted it from late sister.
In
a way, the viral hot-zone-like aspect of the 1995 pilot is a lot like the Star
War prequels demystifying the Force with scientistic Midi-chlorians, except
it is much more interesting. Although there is more science to explain the
ancient entity’s powers, it still directly addresses issues of good and evil.
According
to Rainier, most people burn themselves out trying to fight the evil virus, or
whatever, which rather implies most people are inherently good. However, when
it lands in an evil host, they develop a symbiotic relationship, in which the human
accepts its presence, in return for power. At the end of the pilot, we learn
the unseen force is heading west, as if it is searching for something. Could
that have been a nasty little boy named Damien Thorn?
Unfortunately,
we will never know, but the pilot holds up okay as a stand-alone. The pacing is
quite snappy, which makes sense, since it was directed by Jack Sholder, who
also helmed Nightmare on Elm Street 2 and The Hidden (which also
features an unearthly entity hopping from person to person). There are a lot of
big genre names involved, starting with Richard Donner, the director of the
original film, who was on-board as an executive producer according to IMDb (but
his name was not included in the broadcast credits).
With the success of Wonka, Roald Dahl’s kid’s books are selling like
crazy, but for cool readers, his macabre stories are where it is at. Alfred
Hitchcock was a fan. He “presented” six of Dahl’s stories on his famous
anthology show. This one was later remade by the 1980s Alfred Hitchcock
Presents reboot and the Dahl anthology series Tales of the Unexpected,
but the first was the best. Fittingly, “Man from the South” screens tomorrow as
a part of “Good Evening,” a program of Hitchcock’s TV work at UCLA.
When
the young “Gambler” meets the young “Woman” in a casino café, sparks immediately
fly, even though they are each recovering from a hard luck night. That is why he
is initially annoyed when the mysterious Carlos invites himself to their table.
However, his interest perks up when the rich weirdo offers him an unusual bet.
If the Gambler can light his zippo ten times straight without fail, he wins
Carlos’s convertible. However, if he misses just once, Carlos chops off the
Gambler’s little finger.
This
is a familiar story, because Tarantino spoofed it in his segment of the
anthology film Four Rooms, the only good “room.” Yet, the original Hitch
Presents production is still surprisingly tense, because Norman Lloyd’s direction
is so tight and focused. (Lloyd, the prolific character actor, also co-starred
in Hitchcock’s Saboteur and Spellbound, and later produced a
dozen episodes of Tales of the Unexpected, but not the “Man from the
South” remake.)
Of
course, the legendary cast is another big reason why this is absolutely classic
television, starting with Peter Lorre’s massively creepy performance as Carlos.
He looks like a man who really wants another finger. He took his share of corny
gigs late in his career, but this is the vintage Lorre we know from M, Mad Love, and, of course, the Hitchcock films Secret Agent and The
Man Who Knew Too Much.
