Poll: The Exorcist (1973) vs The Omen (1976)
-
Melton1 — 3 weeks ago(March 13, 2026 07:03 AM)
The Exorcist is a serious film about the mystery of faith, wrapped in the skinsuit of an extreme horror film.
The Omen is straight up genre trash, but very well made, and with a much darker ending.
Both classics, but Exorcist wins. -
NZer — 3 weeks ago(March 13, 2026 07:09 AM)
I disagree. Some parts of The Exorcist are so OTT that I wanted to laugh, whereas The Omen wasn't trying for shock/horror but more for slower nerve wracking unfolding of a horror that was infinitely worse for the future of all humanity.
-
Melton1 — 2 weeks ago(March 14, 2026 01:21 AM)
Exorcist had people fainting and running out of theatres in 1973. I’m not surprised - there’s stuff in that film that wouldn’t be allowed in R-rated movies today.
For most audiences the top class performances and Friedkin’s cinema verité style grounded everything, so when things get crazy it
works
. There’s a reason The Exorcist is widely regarded as the best horror film ever made.
It’s also got interesting things to say about the nature of evil, the existence of god, and the value of faith.
The Omen was a cash-in on the ‘devil’ craze started by The Exorcist. It’s very good as a genre piece, and the creepy ending does get under the skin, but it doesn’t transcend the genre like The Ex. It also has its share of OTT sequences (like David Warner’s spinning severed head with laughable effects).
Omen is good, Exorcist is great.