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'The Omen' pulls out all the shlock stops

You've seen The Da Vinci Code by now, right?

Then how about another thriller with religious overtones, featuring a curiously similar chase throughout Europe, led on by the clues from a riddle-laden poem? The only difference is one movie involves a search for Christ, and the other for the Antichrist.

20th Century Fox 'The Omen' B The verdict: An unnecessary remake that manages to entertain, mainly thanks to a better-than-needed cast. Director: John Moore Starring: Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles, Mia Farrow, David Thewlis, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick Run time: 110 minutes Release date: June 6, 2006 Rating: R for disturbing violent content, graphic images and some language. See showtimes On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate 'The Omen'   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

The latter is, of course, The Omen, perhaps the only movie whose production was timed so it could have a really cool opening date, 6-6-06, the numerical sign of the devil.

Otherwise, this is a fairly faithful, fundamentally unnecessary remake of Richard Donner's 1976 art-house horror film of the same name, which starred Gregory Peck and Lee Remick, a couple of classy actors not used to slumming in the shock-and-shriek genre.

The same goes for Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles as the newly installed parents of pint-sized imp Damien, a kid you do not want to anger. Schreiber plays a career diplomat, and she is his suspicious wife; together, they gradually figure out that they have a satanic tot on their hands.

Give screenwriter David Seltzer points for beginning the movie by placing it in biblical and contemporary context. With quick shots of the burning World Trade Center and the devastation of the Asian tsunami, the film suggests that these signs of imminent Armageddon foretell the return of Satan to Earth. Otherwise, the two movies are quite similar, with the new one clearly geared to those with a taste for gore and quick camera cuts who were not around 30 years ago.

And credit director John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines) with some devilish casting in the supporting roles. As Mrs. Baylock, Damien's malevolent new nanny, Mia Farrow plays against her frail, benign screen image with relish. Her inclusion is an unspoken nod to Rosemary's Baby, in which she had her own demonic bundle of joy. Here, she is steadfast in her devotion to her young charge and not someone to turn your back on.

Add such fixtures of the British stage as Pete Postlethwaite and Michael Gambon as a couple of feverish priests and the estimable David Thewlis as the sort of photojournalist-turned-detective that only exists in the movies, and you have a far better collection of acting talent than this picture needs or deserves.

The creepy yarn begins when Kathy (Stiles), wife of ambitious Rome embassy underling Robert Thorn (Schreiber), has a baby who dies in childbirth. Her grief-stricken hubby hastily agrees to adopt a newborn without knowledge of his lineage. En route to a career transfer to London, Robert's boss dies in a fluke fire, and, suddenly, Robert is ambassador to Great Britain. Fast-forward to Damien's fifth birthday party, when he starts communing with ugly black dogs, as those around him abruptly meet their demise by gruesome — and occasionally Rube Goldberg-like — means.

Director Moore is fond of surreal and spooky images, scare effects that usually turn out to be nightmares. You may jump, but you'll hate yourself for falling for the cheap trick a minute later. Eventually, rational, irreligious Robert becomes convinced that Damien is the devil, so he must kill him before being snuffed out himself. Schreiber, a programmed killing machine in the remade Manchurian Candidate, goes ably from button-down bureaucrat to action figure. As Damien, moptop Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick has the requisite chubby cheeks and adorable looks, which transform well to an evil, furrowed pout when the clouds darken.

Surely, no one was waiting for The Omen to be remade, but with its new touches and an unexpected reverence for the original movie, this could become the summer's first sleeper hit.