Damien: Omen II (1978)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Don Taylor

Writers:

Harvey Bernhard (story)
David Seltzer (characters)

Release Date:

9 June 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The first time was only a warning.

Plot:

Damien the Antichrist, now age 13, finally learns of his destiny under the guidance of an unholy disciple of Satan. Meanwhile dark mystical forces begin to eliminate all those who suspect the child's true identity.

Plot Keywords:

Uncle | 13 Year Old | Antichrist | Aunt | Satan

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

William Holden	...	Richard Thorn
Lee Grant	...	Ann Thorn
Jonathan Scott-Taylor	...	Damien Thorn
Robert Foxworth	...	Paul Buher
Nicholas Pryor	...	Charles Warren
Lew Ayres	...	Bill Atherton
Sylvia Sidney	...	Aunt Marion
Lance Henriksen	...	Sergeant Neff
Elizabeth Shepherd	...	Joan Hart
Lucas Donat	...	Mark Thorn
Allan Arbus	...	Pasarian (as Alan Arbus)
Fritz Ford	...	Murray
Meshach Taylor	...	Dr. Kane
John J. Newcombe	...	Teddy
John Charles Burns	...	Butler

Also Known As:

Omen II
Omen II: Damien (reissue title)

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Italy:VM14 | South Korea:15 | Canada:18A (video rating) | UK:15 (re-rating) (2006) | Australia:M | Canada:18A | Finland:K-18 | Norway:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The final cinema film of Lew Ayres.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Although much is made of Damien's invulnerability, when he screams after he kills Mark, you can see his fillings.

Quotes:

Master Sergeant Daniel Neff: What were you trying to do, Damien? What were you trying to do?
Damien Thorn: I was just answering questions Sergeant.
Master Sergeant Daniel Neff: You were showing off.
Damien Thorn: No. I just knew all the answers. Somehow I knew them all.
Master Sergeant Daniel Neff: You mustn't attract attention.
Damien Thorn: I wasn't trying to. I just felt...
Master Sergeant Daniel Neff: The day will come when everyone will know who you are but that day is not yet.
Damien Thorn: What you mean who I am?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Devil's Disciples (2006) (V)

Nowhere near as good as the original but surprisingly entertaining

I'm an avid fan of the original "Omen". I think it was everything that "The Exorcist" is made out to be by fans and critics all over the world: thrilling, intriguing and incredibly creepy. With it's apocalyptic open ending a second part could only take away from the original's ending.

The truth is, "Damien: Omen II" is by no means as bad as it could have been. Sure, the excitement and the perfect structure of the original aren't there. Basically, this plays out like an early ancestor of the "Final Destination"-franchise. Characters become aware of who Damien is and from this point on we know their doomed and anticipate their gruesome death. Most of all the movie is muddled with bad character development. Lance Henriksen's character, for instance, is never elaborated on. It doesn't make him any more mysterious, it just feels incomplete.

A good portion of the movie is spent with nothing much going on except for a few people dying around Damien while he just keeps on living a completely normal life unaware of who he his. Then, all of a sudden everything happens way too quickly. Damien finds out about his destiny and immediately excepts it. The same goes for his father, who is infuriated at first when someone suggests that his son might be Satan's spawn, only to accept that fact shortly afterwards. The final climax and ending arrive just as quickly leaving you wondering why the whole thing was so unbalanced.

Still, as long as it's running "Damien: Omen II" doesn't fail to entertain. Like every "Omen"-movie up to and including "The Final Conflict" this one has this nice 70's UK-flair that you can get lost in for a few hours on homey evenings in front of the television. It may not be enough to make the series go down in history as one of the best, but these movies are all very watchable in one sitting, making this one of the most coherent franchises of the horror genre.