20 Things You Didn't Know About The Omen

18. William Holden Turned Down The Lead

Poster for The Omen
Paramount Pictures

All of the major religious horror releases of the era shared one common denominator: a big name lead to establish credibility.

The horror genre is often considered fringe, catering to a specific group of fans. Like the recent success of Get Out, the genre had poked its head out of the shadows to enjoy mainstream popularity and awards thanks to The Exorcist. Rosemary's Baby had a great turn from Mia Farrow with the support of old guard actors like Elisha Cook Jr., Ruth Gordon and Maurice Evans.

The Omen needed its own headliner. First, the studio approached William Holden, who turned down the role of Robert Thorn, U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain.

Contributor
Contributor

Kenny Hedges is carbon-based. So I suppose a simple top 5 in no order will do: Halloween, Crimes and Misdemeanors, L.A. Confidential, Billy Liar, Blow Out He has his own website - thefilmreal.com - and is always looking for new writers with differing views to broaden the discussion.