Remake thrills but falls short of original

The remake of the classic horror movie 'The Omen' is set to open on 6-6-06.
By ROGER MOORE
ORLANDO SENTINEL
True confessions time. How many parents can honestly claim that they haven't thought, on occasion, that they were raising Satan under their very own roof?
Maybe it was the first EPA Superfund Site diaper change. Or that first unwarranted screaming jag, or bit of "accidental" vandalism of the car.
Or maybe they just seem overly fond of "Dragon Tales." Surely you searched the little tyke's scalp for a "666" birthmark, at least once.
Thus, the timeliness of "The Omen" remake. It's not just that "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" proved that horror based in Catholicism still sells, or that "The Da Vinci Code" is a Catholic cover-up smash. It's the child-rearing nightmare that will hit closest to home for many.
The story
At a Catholic hospital in Rome, a foreign service officer (Liev Schreiber) learns that his wife (Julia Stiles) suffered mightily while in childbirth. The baby was lost. But a helpful priest suggests "this little deception." They should raise a baby whose mother died in the maternity ward.
They do. But as Robert Thorn's diplomatic career advances, people start dying in the most God-awful circumstances -- accidents that have that "Final Destination" chain-reaction touch.
The Vatican knows something is up. There are signs -- the Columbia disaster, the tsunami, a confluence of comets. A priest (Pete Posthlethwaite of "In the Name of the Father") tries to warn the dad. Secular humanist that the dad is, he'll hear nothing of it. He does, however, pay attention when a greasy photographer (David Thewlis) shows him some interesting photographic "evidence."
Director John Moore, of "Behind Enemy Lines" and "Flight of the Phoenix," handles all this mystery and supernatural silliness with a little wit and style. A woman climbs up onto a ledge during a child's birthday party, and the Punch and Judy puppets turn their heads to see what she's doing. Grim, gray skies abound, with splotches of scarlet, the odd jolting shock and one scene of genuine terror.
The kid, sulking newcomer Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, will have you thinking little ol'blue eyes is back. Then again, you name your son Damien, you have a pretty good idea of what you're in for. The original "Omen" put Damien in a league with "Adolf" and "Milhous" as names most parents have the good sense to avoid.
If you have any memories of the 1976 film, you know what role Rottweilers and sharp objects play. Moore ups the ante on the violence, but doesn't do much to alter that original plotline. When the story's as familiar as this one, that's a problem.