The Omen franchise has made film deaths an art. Like the Final Destination deaths, the Omen movie deaths become increasingly over-the-top in the first three films. They are shocking, bold, and stick in your brain. As of 2024, the franchise has six movies, including the 2006 remake and The First Omen.
I watched all six films and so many people died in these movies. They are sometimes comical, sometimes horrific, and sometimes believable (similar to some Final Destination IRL accident-related deaths). I picked some of the movie deaths that are the most memorable. This may be because of their iconic nature, horrific execution, or just because they are unforgettable. Let’s rank the best Omen movie deaths.
Warning: Spoilers for the Omen movies ahead. Proceed with caution.
10. Robert’s Death (The Omen)
Gregory Peck gives another outstanding performance as Robert, the loving husband and father who happens to adopt the antichrist. There is something so terrifying about movies where the bad guy wins. That’s exactly what happens at the end of The Omen. Robert finally accepts that Damien (Harvey Spencer Stephens) is evil and must die, only to get shot right at the moment he could rid the world of this demonic child.
Katherine (Lee Remick) may have a more dramatic death, but Robert’s death feels more important. It’s the final act of deviance as the bad guy — the devil — truly wins. Robert’s death is one of the best Omen movie deaths because of its significance, but it’s somewhat anticlimactic compared to the franchise’s many other ones.
9. Dogs Attack (The Final Conflict)
The Omen films have a lot of killer dogs. As substitutes for literal hellhounds, they’re drawn to protecting Damien. However, the dogs' attack in The Final Conflict may be the most terrifying, because of the cuteness of these puppies. You’d expect killer behavior from trained guard dog rottweilers, but not dogs who look like friendly pets.
They viciously rip apart a man just trying to stop Damien from continuing to bring evil to the world. The poor man had no chance against Damien or his many dogs. Even though this is a horrible fate that could happen in real life, it’s still pretty tame as an Omen movie death.
8. Damien Kills Mark (Damien - Omen II)
These are movies that don’t care about killing off a lot of characters, including children. Therefore, the moment we meet him, we know that Mark (Lucas Donat) is dead. Even as an adolescent, Damien (Jonathan Scott-Taylor) knows his purpose and has very little conflict about doing his duty. However, Damien killing Mark is the first time we see some humanity in the antichrist.
He truly does love Mark, in his way, so it hurts him to kill the one person he loves. However, once he commits the act, any other path for Damien no longer exists. He has fully embraced his demonic destiny.
7. Damien Finally Dies (The Final Conflict)
The original trilogy spent three films setting up Damien (Sam Neill) as this undefeatable creature. However, we did know about the one thing that could kill him, so he wasn’t truly invincible. He was now fully grown and doing everything to stay in power. Therefore, it comes as a shock when his former lover Kate Reynolds (Lisa Harrow) stabs him after he kills her son.
The moment shocks you, and it’s a relief to see Damien finally die. However, you’d expect a little more pizazz and razzle-dazzle with the death of such a menacing foe. It’s a deserved and earned death, but not the most exciting, especially for the franchise’s original lead.
6. The Birds Attack (Damien - Omen II)
Damien - Omen II may be the film with the biggest death count. It introduces several characters just to kill them in the next scene. This is the case with Joan Hart (Elizabeth Shepherd). We barely know her name before some ravens attack her. Sorry to Joan, but this is the funniest Omen death scene. It draws upon inspiration from The Birds, but in such a ridiculous manner.
To top off the insane raven attack, that’s not what ultimately kills Joan. It’s when she gets hit by a truck. Then we see a dummy tossed in the air and fall back to the ground. It’s a scary scene that’s also hilarious and memorable as hell. The devil is just having fun at this point.
5. “It’s All For You” Redo (The First Omen)
The First Omen is fairly restrained with the death scenes compared to the first four films. However, it pays homage to the original with another woman sacrificing herself for the antichrist. This nun, Anjelica (Ishtar Currie-Wilson), driven insane by the fetus of Damien decides to take things up a notch.
She doesn’t just hang herself but also sets herself on fire. It’s a brilliant Omen tribute that also differentiates it from the original.
4. Elevator Ride From Hell (Damien - Omen II)
This is another case of Damien - Omen II introducing a character just to die. The good doctor J. Kayne (Meshach Taylor) discovers that Damien has something abnormal with his cells. He tries to report his findings only to die in another over-the-top way.
This is such a crazy way to die that it had to rank high on the Omen movie deaths scale. The elevator crashes but that’s not what kills him. The cables from the malfunctioning elevator slice him in half. This is indeed an unforgettable “what the hell” moment.
3. Damien Kills All The Babies (The Final Conflict)
The Omen movies are ruthless with deaths. It has no remorse and that’s proven when Damien orders the death of a hundred baby boys born on the morning of March 24, 1981, in England. He’s trying to stop the Christ child from gaining enough power to defeat him.
Thankfully, The Final Conflict doesn’t show dead fake babies. However, it does a lot to emphasize the many horrible ways these babies die, including one being burnt to death with an iron by his mother. The thought of all those innocent deaths is horrific. It has biblical connotations and highlights the horror of Damien.
2. Keith’s Decapitation (The Omen)
The first film has a lot of death scenes but most aren’t gruesome. That’s what makes Keith’s (David Warner) death so memorable. It’s also one of the most unexpected death scenes in the franchise.
Photos are used to foreshadow his death and the way it happens. However, you never expect it in the moment. Then wham! He’s headless and it’s all up to Robert to stop Damien.
1. “It’s All For You Damien” (The Omen)
You have probably seen this scene even if you have never seen any of these movies. It’s such an iconic movie moment. It’s also the turning point in The Omen; everything after it escalates to a dark, deadly, and dangerous level. The nanny (Holly Palance) hanging herself at a party after yelling “It’s all for you Damien!” is one of the moments that make this one of the best '70s horror movies.
Several decades later, it’s a scene that is still haunting, memorable, and forever associated with the film.
Based on the ending of The First Omen, there will likely be more sequels and even more Omen movie deaths. I can’t wait to see where they rank in the Omen death hall of fame.
