Actuakers
One of my all time favorites.
Pacionsbo
Absolutely Fantastic
Voxitype
Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.
shiner310
First of all -- who are these people who give this movie ten stars? Either they work for the company that made this movie or are incredibly stupid or have never seen a good movie. As noted by others - this movie is a really poor imitation of The Omen and its other incarnations. There is no tension or suspense or even drama. Without any subtlety, our demonic boy uses his 'powers' to kill those around him. Here is where the movie's low budget becomes most evident with its basement quality (laughable) CGI. There was zero empathy created for the characters. The mom is daft to the facts around him, unconvinced his baby is responsible for the various murders around him - even when he walks away from a burning car without a scratch. This movie looks like the typical crappy Syfy made for TV movies. And even though, every time I see one of these POC, I vow never to watch this channel again, but the kid in me who grew up on 'Creature Features' (showing my age here), still loves a good monster/horror movie. This wasn't one.
lavatch
In any formula film, the idea is to try to bring something new to the experience of the viewer, as opposed to recycling the same characters and situations. The formula of "Ominous" is the child-possessed-by-the-devil yarn. Unfortunately, there is nothing new or creative in reworking the demonic child motif.The premise of "Ominous" is that a Mephistopheles-like character called The Stranger preys upon parents who have lost a child. The Stranger promises to bring the child back to life in return for a promise to "protect" the youngster. Of course, the grieving parents agree to the bargain. But the replacement child is not the one they lost, but the devil in disguise.The one twist on the story that had potential was the incorporation of the Oedipus legend into the mix. The only way that the antichrist may die is for the father to kill the son. Such is the dilemma of the kind father in "Ominious," who is the first to recognize that the devil was swapped for his real son.Some credit should go to the filmmakers for interesting locations and camera angles. But the film as a whole is made-for-television fare with not much suspense. Somehow, even with the passing of over forty years, it is impossible to improve upon "The Exorcist."
Monica Kozlowski
Unexpected coming from the Syfy Channel, but "Ominous" actually manages to be one of the most intense horror films of the year. What could have been another retread of The Omen actually becomes something worth watching, thanks to good direction, a gripping script and solid production values on par with a Blumhouse movie. Things get off to a terrific start with a teaser depicting an untraditional exorcism and then quickly turn tragic with a heartbreaking few scenes where a couple lose their young son. However, apparently not having read any Stephen King books, they proceed to make a deal to get their son back. With the death of not one but two cuddly animals, you know this isn't going to be your ordinary TV movie, and sure enough, it delivers. Once the friendly neighborhood priest catches fire, daddy starts investigating his son's unusual behavior and finds out that someone's pulled a Rosemary's Baby on him. Things get even creepier when the dad realizes he's got to kill his demonic kid and tries to blow him up. The camera work is good and the movie looks suitably creepy. The performances are well above the usual Syfy standards with several standouts including Game of Thrones' Essie Bianco and Mark Chapman as the devil's creepy helper. Some of the cgi shots aren't great but there's a lot of great make up, especially when the kid finally transforms into Satan. This is a stand out film and definitely worth a look.
Steven Lancaster
Now THIS is a horror film! From the creepy atmosphere and tone, to the way the director slowly builds the dread and tension, this is one that belongs in the theater, not TV. Basically the story is about a child who is killed in a car accident, and his parents, who make a deal with the devil to get him back. Except, as a priest later explains, the son they got back is the devil incarnate. And if the demon child is allowed to reach maturity, bad stuff will happen. Of course bad stuff already is happening: dead dogs and birds, people catching on fire, bodies hanging in meat lockers, a playground massacre, melting flesh and crucifixions, etc. so the father (Barry Watson from 7th Heaven) decides something has to be done. Like The Omen, only the child's father can kill the demon child, so he decides to give it a shot. I won't give away how he does it, but it's actually a terrific slow-burn sequence full of suspense and one of my favorites of the movie. The script isn't exactly original but what it has going for it is pacing. There's not a dull point to be had here and the story is constantly moving. Plus the director and the cinematographer really do a good job at making this feel like a theatrical release and not just another movie for Syfy. There's also a lot of action and some unexpectedly well done physical FX, which is a rarity in this day and age. The performances are good too, from Watson to his wife, who I recognized from Game of Thrones, and their creepy son, who reminded me a lot of Pierce Gagnon from Looper. I really liked this one and give it a hearty recommend.
