Damien: Omen II (1978) 20th Century Fox/Horror RT: 107 minutes Rated R (graphic violence, terror, disturbing images) Director: Don Taylor Screenplay: Stanley Mann and Mike Hodges Music: Jerry Goldsmith Cinematography: Bill Butler and Gilbert Taylor Release date: June 9, 1978 (US) Cast: William Holden, Lee Grant, Robert Foxworth, Lew Ayres, Sylvia Sidney, Jonathan Scott-Taylor, Lucas Donat, Nicholas Pryor, Lance Henriksen, Elizabeth Shephard, Allan Arbus, Meshach Taylor, Fritz Ford, Leo McKern, Ian Hendry, John J. Newcombe. Box Office: $26.5M (US)
Rating: ****
Damien: Omen II is a coming-of-age movie. Hey, it happens to everybody, even the son of Satan. Of course, Damien’s concerns aren’t limited to acne and girls. There’s also the small matter of his rise to power as prophesied in the Book of Revelations. And you thought you had it rough when you were 12. Coincidentally, I was 12 the first time I saw Damien: Omen II (on network TV).
I may be in the minority, but I like Damien: Omen II as much as the first movie. Sure, there’s less suspense since we already know Damien Thorn (now played by Jonathan Scott-Taylor) is the Antichrist. We also know that most of the characters will meet their demise by the time the end credits roll. Plus, we know that one of those characters will NOT be Damien. I say, so what? Damien: Omen II is still cool. The death toll is higher, the deaths are more gruesome and there’s more at stake with one of Damien’s followers rising to power within Thorn Industries. Basically, it clears the way for Damien to begin his ascension to power.
In Damien: Omen II, the titular character now lives with his uncle, Richard (Holden, Network) and aunt, Ann (Grant, Shampoo). He attends military school with his cousin Mark (Donat). He’s as content as any other 12YO boy; he has no idea how drastically his life is about to change. Once again, people around him start dying starting with his elderly Aunt Marion (Sidney, Beetlejuice) who despises him for some unknown reason. She dies of a massive heart attack after a raven shows up in her bedroom. At school, the boys have a new drill instructor, Sgt. Neff (Henriksen, The Terminator), who takes a special interest in Damien.
At Thorn Industries, a manager named Paul Buher (Foxworth, Prophecy) suggests expanding the company’s interests into agriculture. Basically, he wants to use famine for profit by buying up land in poor countries for farming, an idea senior manager Bill Atherton (Ayres, All Quiet on the Western Front) deems unethical. Then, of course, there’s the whole Damien/Antichrist thing. This time it’s a reporter, Joan Hart (Shephard, The Tomb of Ligeia), who brings it to Thorn’s attention. She was a friend of the photographer who was decapitated in the first movie and has pieced together the circumstances surrounding Damien’s origin. Naturally, he dismisses her as crazy. Of course, she ends up dead a few scenes later.
Thanks to Neff, Damien finally learns the truth about who he is and his destiny. After some initial panic, the boy starts to accept his identity. By the final scene, he’s ready to begin his rise to power. Along the way, many people die in crazy ways. The reporter has her eyes pecked out by the raven before getting creamed by a truck. Atherton falls through ice and drowns during a game of hockey. Another Thorn employee gets crushed between two train cars. The best kill scene, however, is when a doctor (Taylor, Mannequin) is sliced in half by an elevator cable. It’s even cooler than Jennings’ beheading in the first movie. In all, 12 people die.
While I like Damien: Omen II as much as its 1976 predecessor, I don’t think it’s as great a movie. For one thing, it’s not all that scary or suspenseful. It has a few freaky scenes, but nothing on the level of The Omen. Still, as far as sequels go, Damien: Omen II is pretty damn good. Holden and Grant are great in the lead roles. Foxworth does a nice job as one of Damien’s acolytes, the one who will usher him into his role as head of Thorn Industries. Taylor does a fine job as preteen Damien. He conveys both innocence and malevolence as the son of the Devil. The movie has a decent cast.
The screenplay, by Stanley Mann and Mike Hodges (who was replaced as director three weeks into shooting), is solid. I like the subplot about the famine-for-profit idea. Don Taylor does a pretty good job directing the movie. Of course, Jerry Goldsmith’s score enhances the mood perfectly. It’s still very effective. While not a classic, Damien: Omen II is a fairly effective horror movie with a few really cool deaths. I wish it had been scarier, but you can’t have everything.
