Damien: Omen II
May 1st 2007 04:19
Seven years have passed and Damien Thorn (Jonathon Scott-Taylor) is now a 13 year old cadet at a military school near Chicago, living with his dead father’s brother Richard Thorn (William Holden), his wife Ann (Lee Grant) and his cousin Mark (Lucas Donat).
There are more disciples (wonderfully sly performances from Lance Henriksen and Robert Foxworth) of Satan surrounding Damien, protecting him, encouraging him to take heed of his origin and to embrace his dark destiny. And Damien acknowledges this, confused and almost reluctant, but he is the seed of Beelzebub, the Antichrist, and none shall stand in his way.
Like The Omen there are two or three standout deaths; paranoid Joan Hart (Elizabeth Shepard) is attacked by a raven by the side of a lonely stretch of highway, bloodied and blinded she stumbles out onto the road only to be kinghit by a massive 18-wheeler and sent cart wheeling up over the cab, then down under the wheels. It’s graphic and horrendous, but rather silly as it's plainly obvious it’s a dummy (oh well, as a lad barely in my teens when I first saw this movie, that killing really packed a punch).
There’s also a superbly eerie death scene at the beginning of the movie where Bugenhagen (Leo McKern), whom warned Robert Thorn in the first movie, shows a colleague Michael Morgan (Ian Hendry) the image of the Antichrist on Yigael’s Wall, down in the catacombs at an excavation site in Israel. It's the prologue, so you know good things are not gonna follow. The sands of Satan fill their lungs.
Omen II is a trashy movie, and it certainly doesn’t command the same persuasive sense of evil which The Omen exudes so wickedly well, but it works well enough on a superficially fun level. There's even the rather strange suggestion (online message boards, youtube)of a homoerotic subtext which exists between Damien and Mark and perhaps between the disciples. Some people read way too much into side glances and pregnant pauses.
Certainly if this is to be remade, and I think we can safely assume its already in pre-production since the remake of The Omen did reasonable box office, then one would hope – as a hardened horrorphile – that the filmmakers employ the best special effects make-up team to deliver the goods in the gore department, ‘cos Damien would provide that department with a field day.
Here is the original trailer:
| 112 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
Comment by KylieW
Celebrity Obsession
I never actually got around to seeing any of the Omen sequels. Sounds like it's a fun horror flick. I had actually forgotten that The Omen had been remade. Shouldn't be too long before the remade sequel hits cinemas.
Great review as always
Kylie
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
yes, there's a third - The Final Conflict (with Sam Neill as an adult Damien) and a fourth made for TV - The Awakening - which I've never seen. I'll round up the trilogy tomorrow (not gonna bother with the fourth)
Comment by Damo
It is the movie that vilified anyone with the name Damien. Thankfully Damo is short for Damian so I got off shot free.
The film also escaped the 'R' rating at the time and was aimed at the broader audience.
The elevator scene was kind of cool at the time but still had me wondering if any elevator was ever built like that.
Omen 1 was disturbing and had people checking their bibles for the references but this one was definitely a straight sporn of satan flick. Lots of thrilling kills but no lasting horror or sense of inescapable doom. That is the problem with most number 2 flicks in a trilogy I guess.
Comment by MelissaA
Fun Facts
I was first in line today too! : (
Let's try again shall we.....
I wish they would show this again late one night - a good time for viewing. ; )
Comment by katyzzz
Photography Tips
MS Paint Art
Hope you get your big break one day, you deserve it.
katyzzz
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
curiously the movie has an Aussie R rating for the DVD release, while The Omen has an MA and The Final Conflict an M. I remember in NZ the first two were rated R16.
Although the deaths in the first film are more disturbing in their depiction (including the tone), it is the more graphic, yet less convincing deaths in the sequel that the censors feel warrant a higher rating.
Go figure.
Melissa,
all three one after another starting at around 9pm ... with a big bowl of salted popcorn, a fridge full of beer and fat joint (to induce the Fear)
katyzzz,
value for money huh? cheers, but i wanna know who's bein' paid?!
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Comment by katyzzz
Photography Tips
MS Paint Art
You made me laugh, but didn't you know, "the best things in life are free" [convince me]
katyzzz
Comment by Nickoftime's Sanity Corner
saw the whole "trilogy" but enjoyed the original the best...speaking of Robert Foxworth, have you ever seen a film called Prophecy with him in it? A little known sci-fi/horror film made in the 70's I believe...
Although it has a big conservation message inbedded throughout, it is still one of the least known yet scariest flicks I have ever seen!
Great post! well written indeed...
Take care,
Nick
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Cheers! Yes, Prophecy, I saw it years and years ago, with the mutant animals ... I'd like to see it again, I remember the poster distinctly, the genetically mutated creature curled up in a foetal position all different colours!
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by Alex Kurzem