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The demonic stare of Damien Thorn in the new movie The Omen may send chills down viewers' spines.

But to Marty Davey, mother of the East Stroudsburg first-grader who plays the Antichrist, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick's glare is familiar.

"That's the same look he gives me when I tell him he has to go brush his teeth," said Davey.

Seven-year-old Seamus is making his film debut as the child demon in John Moore's remake of the 1976 horror classic, which also stars Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles and Mia Farrow.

In the movie, Seamus' blue eyes and pale skin — evidence of his Irish heritage — contrasts with his brown hair dyed black, adding to the otherworldly effect.

But Seamus, whose glowering image is featured in ads and trailers for the movie, is a happy, talkative child who says he is "really shy" and a little afraid of the dark.

Seamus loves soccer and skateboarding and attends J M Hill Elementary School in East Stroudsburg, where he calls gym and recess his favourite subjects.

The son of two actors, Seamus had his first role when he was a month old, portraying a crack baby in a pitch for a TV pilot. By age 4, Seamus was a seasoned pro, acting in Marriott Hotel commercials and appearing as a boy with chocolate on his face in an episode of HBO's Sex and the City.

"This is just our business," said Davey, who took Seamus with her to auditions in New York when he was a baby.

The family lived in New York City before moving to East Stroudsburg five years ago. Davey said they were looking for an area with a small-town feel.

Her sister, Margaret Davey, has a summer home in Wind Gap, Pennsylvania.

Seamus' father, James Fitzpatrick, said Seamus had had two callbacks for The Omen when director Moore asked if Seamus could go to Prague, where the movie was filmed, for a screen test.

During the test, Fitzpatrick said, Seamus slowly swung on a creaky swing, and when Moore called his name, looked right down the lens into the camera.

Fitzpatrick, who was watching the monitor, said the image gave him the chills. Moore was so impressed with the take, he used it as the teaser-trailer for the movie.

Seamus said maintaining the "Damien stare" was one of his harder tasks. "I had to stare and stare at the camera," Seamus said. "I couldn't blink."

Seamus also recalled filming the final scene in 40-degree weather, when sprinklers and fans were used to simulate a storm.

"The only hard part was when it was raining," said Seamus, who wore a neoprene dive suit under his pajamas for the scene. "It was so cold."

Davey said she and her husband have no qualms about the movie's subject matter.

"Those in the business know it's so much more fun to play the bad guy," said Davey. "It's just a movie. Once they break it down, it takes the mystery out of it."[[In-content Ad]]

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