10 Films Whose Novelisations Took On A Life Of Their Own
6. The Omen
Of the many religious-themed horror films released after the success of The Exorcist, The Omen is usually considered the best.
It's much more pulpy than William Peter Blatty's grim possession novel, but a surprisingly nuanced performance from Gregory Peck and some effective chills from director Richard Donner set it above other, less successful attempts like The Sentinel.
David Seltzer adapted his own script into the film's novelization, and it wasn't the only time he'd rewrite the same material - he wrote the remake's script as well.
The sequel, however, did not retain much of the original cast or crew. Killing off its only surviving side characters in the opening scene, the film is mostly a retread with equally overqualified actors (William Holden and Lee Grant) and a slightly older Damien Thorn aka Son of Satan.
Even Seltzer's own novelisation starts to play with details like character names and backgrounds, but the series didn't take a turn until writer Gordon McGill took over for Damien: Omen III.
After the events of that film, McGill published two follow-ups: The Omen IV: Armageddon and The Omen V: The Abomination.
There's little information online about the plots, however a brief backpage blurb explains that they do follow the death of Damien in Part III, the rise of his disciples and attempt to resurrect him around the Millennium.
The fourth Omen film, a TV-movie with a female spawn of Satan, is wisely not addressed.