The first movie I ever saw was The Omen. It may sound a little strange because of the genre, but I was in my mom’s belly and, a couple of hours later I was born. If anyone asks me about a movie that has marked my life, I have no doubt, it was that one; a fitting one for a girl, of the sign of Scorpio, who was born a few hours before Halloween.
It’s all about timing. My parents had been waiting to see The Omen on television after many years of its premiere in theaters, but they didn’t know that the birth pangs would begin at that moment. Not being first-time parents, and with my dad’s experience as a doctor, they knew they had some time, which is why they relaxed on the couch and watched to the end. That late night, they enjoyed a movie and welcomed a daughter in their arms who, fortunately, didn’t have the demonic mark on her head.
It’s a bit twisted to give birth after watching the movie about a child who is the incarnation of the antichrist, but it’s also quite hilarious. It’s the story about my birth, one that I’ve heard all my life and it helped me love horror movies since my childhood. My parents didn’t create weird stories in their head; that made me understand that scary films don’t belong to real life, and can be enjoyed as much as romantic, action or drama pictures.
During my childhood, I saw this movie on TV on different occasions; my parents knew how to set limits in my upbringing, but they didn’t put any restrictions for me to develop my cinematic preferences. If I wanted to see Damian, Freddy, Jason, or some other misfit who terrorizes adults at night, that was fine for them. So, it made me grow up with no fears of the dark. It’s a nice superpower to receive as a gift: no matter how much pain (childbirth or otherwise) looms in the future, it’s possible to stop and appreciate life’s good moments.
The Omen is one of my favorite classics. Watching it again, I appreciated how the director, Richard Donner, slowly draws us into the plot —until the expected tension of the genre kicks in. He didn’t need a lot of effects or gore to scare viewers, because the script, the soundtrack and Damian’s macabre gaze do much of the terrifying work.
When the credits ended: she showered, applied her makeup and a few minutes later I was born.
A series of dark coincidences and many deaths pave the way to the hell lived by the parents. I wondered while re-watching The Omen if my mom imagined (terrified) a baby swap that would make her keep the evil child. In a quick phone call, she clarified that it never crossed her mind, she was thrilled watching the movie. When the credits ended: she showered, applied her makeup and a few minutes later I was born. Maybe it helped that my birth was in October and not on the sixth of June.
The doctor, a friend of my parents, greeted them at the hospital with the obligatory question in these cases: “Were you watching the movie? What a pity! I couldn’t make it because I was on call”. It seems that all the country was paralyzed that night in front of their televisions, watching the story of the boy with the 666 on his head. Those were other times, when people consumed content in dribs and drabs and streaming services, like the ones we have now, were unimaginable.
After so many years without watching it, I was overcome with paranoia — as were Damian’s adoptive parents. But, while they continued to have their doubts, I was thinking: “How can they not realize the nanny is evil and the child has a diabolical smile?” — It’s the typical claim we make to the TV: “Don’t trust that nanny”, “don’t go down those stairs”, “don’t turn off the light”, “don’t go alone”, “don’t adopt the antichrist.”
Although we must admit that The Omen does not produce easy screams like other horror films, we are in front of a masterful psychological game, where the mystery is winning us over. There, the classic references of the genre until then were eliminated, obtaining a cleaner, more elegant and creative formula; great for people, like me, who do not usually cover their eyes in front of a strong scene.
Horror films have that touch of darkness perfect for the last days of October, when visual games, costumes, make-up and strange decorations take over the streets. These movies can be enjoyed all year round, but they don’t feel the same in the middle of this celebration. For me, the good stories of the genre grab me, I don’t need excuses to watch them, probably because of that first Halloween I had at birth.