The Omen was released in 1976 and grossed over $60 million at the box office and would become one of the highest grossing films of the year. Directed by Richard Donner, The Omen was nominated for 2 Academy Awards and won for Best Motion Picture Soundtrack.

David Seltzer wrote the screenplay about a couple whose child they think died at childbirth (really, he was killed by a priest).  They adopt a baby they name Damien.  Things seem normal until around Damien’s 5^th birthday party. His nanny declares her love for him and then publicly hangs herself. A large black dog becomes the boy’s protector and doesn’t like his parents getting close to him. Zoo animals are afraid of him. So is his mother afraid of him. (She was never told that her biological child died and thinks Damien is her own.) As people are used as pawns in a game to bring Damien closer to power, it becomes apparent that he is the Antichrist.

It is said that the cast and crew were plagued by horrific deaths and some even had real life encounters with the Devil himself.

Is The Omen a cursed movie? You decide.

• Lead actor Gregory Peck’s son died of suicide shortly before filming began.
• Gregory Peck’s plane was struck by lightning while Peck was flying to London to film the movie.
• A few weeks later Executive Producer Mace Neufeld’s plane was struck by lightning.
• The animal trainer who helped with the zoo scene was later mauled and killed by a tiger.
• Special effects artist John Richardson worked on a decapitation scene in the movie.  On Friday the 13^th, Richardson was in a head on collision. He survived but the person in the passenger seat was decapitated. The accident happened near a road sign for a Dutch town. It read: Ommen 66.6km.
• A plane that was chartered for the film (but switched at the last minute) crashed, killing everyone on board.
• Rottweilers hired for the movie attacked their trainers.
• The hotel Richard Donner was staying at was bombed.
• Richard Donner was struck by a car.
• Producer Harvey Bernhard narrowly escaped being struck by lightning.
• On the first day of filming several crew members were in a head on car crash. (All survived.)

These are all coincidences because there is no such thing as a curse, right?