The Omen
Jesus. It's been a few years since I last saw the original film, but I'd forgotten just how unnerving it is. Maybe it was to do with my viewing conditions. Here I am - sitting up close to my laptop with my back to the door, and the lights are switched off. The sound was up too.
Now they say that that is the recommended way to watch a horror movie if you want it to truly succeed in scaring you. They were right; The Omen really got to me. It's all about atmosphere, with extreme closeups of peoples' eyes partially covered in shadow, steady shots complemented with superb lighting, and Gothic choir chanting. Of course, there are also long periods of time without any music whatsoever, but those moments are often even more suspenseful because of it! Everything comes together to create an air of pure dread.
And it works! This is from a completely different school of horror to, say, something like Halloween. Whereas that movie gradually (and excellently) built up tension before unleashing a BOO! scare, The Omen is comprised wholly of suspense. This doesn't try to make you jump; rather, it simply keeps you in a state of constant insecurity. But when the horror does indeed come, it leaves you with your eyes wide open in shock (instead of making you rocket up into the air by about five inches). After that, you're taken straight back to the movie's unrelenting grip of fear.
But at the end of it all, you'll still be asking yourself why Doctor Who didn't just take a step to the right!
*looks over shoulder*
5/5
