After his spooky turn in Jonathan Demme's update of The Manchurian Candidate, Liev Schreiber played dad to the devil in a remake of 1976 horror The Omen. It was the "classy performances" from the likes of Schreiber, Mia Farrow and Pete Postlethwaite (delivered under the guidance of Irish helmer John Moore) that were the big selling point, yet it still failed to set the box office alight.

Battling Demons

Among a modest set of extras, it is the 40 minute Making Of documentary that really gives a palpable sense of the trauma that is making a Hollywood film. Moore is in a bad mood from the outset when he discovers that acres of celluloid have been accidentally destroyed. After a series of other mishaps, he's convinced the production is "cursed". For a while it looks like this documentary is just a cheesy slice of marketing hype, but then it develops into a scathing exposé of studio politics, eg Moore is furious when the execs demand rewrites of key scenes in the middle of the shoot.

Between takes, the cast (including little Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick who plays Damien) talk about their experiences on the set. Schreiber admits that his first reaction on being offered the part was, "Oh, s****. Another remake." Stiles confesses to a lot of "anxiety" about the playing mum to the antichrist while Farrow felt it strange to be in a scene attacking the young actress after having just played her loving mother in the play Fran's Bed. Postlethwaite explains that the script was simply hard for everyone to resist because it was so "taut". Talking of which, there's also a behind-the-scenes look at the stuntwork, eg the nanny hanging herself, bungee style off the side of a building.

Slash And Hack

There are two extended scenes titled 'beheading' and 'impaling' (enough said), plus an alternative ending. In fact the original ending hardly differs from the sequence in the final cut - it's just that there are less lingering close-ups of the carnage. We can safely assume all these revisions were made to secure a more teen-friendly certificate from the ratings board.

Moore is joined by editor Dan Zimmerman in his commentary for the film, but they don't complain about any interference from the studio. Perhaps that's because producer Glenn Williamson is also in the room. Still, there are some interesting notes on re-shoots, like the early scenes at the Vatican where a montage of real-life events (including the attack on the World Trade Center) are used to represent growing evil in the world. This wasn't in the original script, but it was felt that Damien's story needed a broader context. Moore also points out his careful use of colour eg "We used the colour red as a harbinger of doom," he says. And in regards to spooky things happening behind the scenes? We're told Stiles suffered from really bad nightmares...

Composer Marco Beltrami amps up the creepy atmosphere in the Abbey Road Sessions featurette. He has a full orchestra and a choir at his disposal and seems to be getting along quite happily until Moore turns up with his notes on the scene. Finally, Revelations 666 investigates the Biblical reference to the number of the beast with opinions from the academic community and one Brian Moore - a warlock of the Church of Satan. "It's just a number like any other number," says Brian. But then he would say that, wouldn't he?

Although it didn't hit big on its theatrical release, this DVD makes for an entertaining night in. Of course you will have to go to bed with the lights on...

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