EXCLUSIVE: Bad Omens — How Iconic Horror Flick Was Haunted by Demons as It Turns 50
The iconic horror flick is haunted by demons as it marks its 50th anniversary.
March 22 2026, Published 7:00 a.m. ET
Scary and ominous events seemed to stalk the cast and crew of the 1976 supernatural thriller The Omen, with a string of deaths and near-death experiences that many later described as disturbingly prophetic, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Written by David Seltzer and Harvey Bernhard and directed by Richard Donner, the film starred Gregory Peck and Lee Remick as Robert and Katherine Thorn, the parents of young Damien – a seemingly innocent boy who may in fact be the Antichrist.
Omen Casting Came With Chills
Gregory Peck, who won an Oscar for 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' returned from semi-retirement to star in 'The Omen' after personal tragedy struck his family.
David Warner portrayed a photographer who uncovers a horrifying clue: a hidden "666" birthmark beneath Damien's thick hair.
Peck, who won an Academy Award for 1962's To Kill a Mockingbird, was semi-retired when he accepted the role.
William Holden and Roy Scheider had reportedly turned it down, and Charlton Heston was also considered. Personal tragedy played a role in Peck's decision. In 1975, his 30-year-old son Jonathan died by suicide. Peck's agent urged him to take the part as a way to throw himself back into his work.
Casting Damien produced its own memorable moment. During auditions, Donner asked children to show aggression by attacking him. Four-year-old Harvey Stephens took the instruction literally and punched the director in the groin – a move that immediately won Stephens the role.
Even the character's name came with an eerie backstory. Seltzer originally intended to call the boy Domlin, after the unruly child of a friend, but his wife convinced him not to saddle a real child with such a legacy. He instead chose "Damien," inspired by Father Damien, the priest who founded a leper colony in Hawaii.
The Omen's Cursed Production
During casting for 'The Omen,' four-year-old Harvey Stephens won the role of Damien by punching director Richard Donner in an audition.
The film's title also changed repeatedly. It began as The Antichrist, then became The Birthmark before Seltzer finally settled on The Omen.
Before filming had even begun, unsettling incidents piled up. Peck's plane was struck by lightning while flying to London.
Planes carrying Seltzer and executive producer Mace Neufeld were also hit by lightning on separate trips. A small aircraft hired for aerial shots was canceled at the last minute; it later took other passengers and crashed, killing everyone aboard. Neufeld and his wife narrowly escaped death when their London hotel was bombed by the Irish Republican Army.
Another tragedy involved an animal trainer hired for the film. The day after working on a scene featuring baboons, he was killed by a tiger at his zoo. Bernhard later recalled that the animal "grabbed him by the head and killed him instantly."
Omen Curse Turned Horrifically Real
Executive producer Mace Neufeld narrowly survived an IRA hotel bombing amid a string of lightning strikes and crashes linked to 'The Omen's' production.
One of the film's most chilling moments – Warner's decapitation by a pane of glass – was mirrored in real life. After production wrapped, special effects director John Richardson and his assistant Liz Moore, were traveling in the Netherlands when they were involved in a horrific car crash.
Richardson survived, but Moore was decapitated. According to legend, Richardson crawled from the wreckage and saw a roadside sign reading "66.6 km to Ommen."
Remick feared she might be seriously injured during a scene in which baboons attack her car. The animals had not been fed the night before, food was placed on the vehicle to provoke them, and two baby baboons were put inside the car. The adult baboons went berserk.
Donner later said: "Lee screaming in there is Lee really screaming."
Cursed Film Became Box-Office Smash
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Composer Jerry Goldsmith earned an Academy Award for his score to 'The Omen,' which grossed $61 million on a $2.8million budget.
Despite the dark legends surrounding its production, The Omen was a massive hit, earning about $61million on a $2.8million budget and spawning a franchise of sequels and remakes. Peck accepted a reduced salary plus a share of the profits – and it became the biggest paycheck of his career.
Even awards season bowed to the film's power.
Composer Jerry Goldsmith won an Academy Award for Best Original Score for his chilling music, including the infamous chant "Ave Satani," giving The Omen one final seal of approval from Hollywood – and sealing its reputation as one of the most cursed films ever made.
