"The Omen" ** (out of four): Unnecessary remake does little to explain its own existence, let alone improve on the original.

In the late-70s, the “Omen” franchise was the “Final Destination” of its day, fulfilling the need for audiences to see characters dispatched with Rube Goldbergian flair. The original 1976 “Omen”, directed by then-TV-director Richard Donner, offered the requisite chills that come from having the Antichrist embodied in a small boy. But the sequels degenerated into schlock, culminating in 1981’s “The Final Conflict” which gave us Sam Neill in the role of a grown-up Damien. With the exception of Gregory Peck in the lead role, there’s little to hold dear about the original “Omen” so I don’t have a problem with the idea of remaking it. But “The Omen 666”, as this new version has been playfully nicknamed, does little to justify its existence.

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