Damien: Omen II (1978)

Director:

Don Taylor

Writers:

Harvey Bernhard (story)
David Seltzer (characters)

Release Date:

9 June 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The first time was only a warning.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Devil Child | Christian Horror | Attacked By Bird | Death Of Cousin | Priest

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 (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Certification:

Italy:VM14 | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Canada:18A (video rating) | 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 skating scene was filmed on Catfish Lake in Eagle River, Wisconsin using local children as the skaters. The local paramedics were standing by in case any of the children fell through the ice.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Damien reads aloud from Revelation 13 but what he reads is actually cobbled together from seperate sections of the Bible. In order, they are Revelation 13:4, 19:19, Daniel 8:25 and concluding with Revelation 13:16-18.

Quotes:

Dr. Kane: Hello, Ben? I need to see you urgently can I come down? No-no, there is something here that I just don't understand.

Movie Connections:

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

A guilty pleasure that will entertain if not enlighten!

While I will be the last one to say that this is a great film or a must-see, it certainly is very entertaining though you might be embarrassed to tell your friends you liked it! That's because it has a silly plot involving the spawn of Satan, occasionally lame and overwrought dialog and a style that just needs to be seen to be believed! But, despite its many shortcomings, this is still a fun little film and not nearly as awful as I'd first suspected. That's because the previous film (THE OMEN) was panned and placed in Harry Medved's "Fifty Worst Films of All Time" book. However, after having seen both films I can definitely say that there are hundreds or perhaps thousands of worse films. In fact, since they entertain and keep your attention, they really aren't bad films but more guilty pleasures!

The film begins with budding teen Damien seeming a lot like a normal boy--not acting at all like the result of a mating with the Devil and a Jackal (wouldn't that make him a son of a .....?). But, slowly, it is revealed that some around the boy are well aware of who he is and are there to serve him without fail. When he is finally told who he is, Damien suffers a short existential crisis before he ultimately gives in to the dark side....no wait, he IS the dark side! Along the way, there are countless exciting to watch and very silly deaths--some orchestrated directly by Damien and his followers and others created by either an unseen force or a nasty crow who seems to be the one behind all the mess. Because the deaths are so bloody and creative, the film reminds me a lot of the low-budget Vincent Price film, THE ABOMINIBLE DOCTOR PHIBES. The dumbest death was the lady who is hit by a truck and the most interesting and disturbing is the man who was sucked under the ice (a nice touch).

While you will be entertained, please do NOT stop to think or reason this out as this is NOT a well-constructed plot. The Biblical passages are wrong--being twisted and misquoted and the film was not meant to be anything other than a silly little exploitation film. While this may offend some religious fundamentalists, if they actually sit still and watch the film, they, too, will probably find the whole thing ludicrous yet oddly entertaining.