Review of Damien - Omen II (1978) by Matthew D — 12 Sep 2018

An entertaining rehash of The Omen.

Damien - Omen II (1978) is a competent and intriguing sequel to one of the greatest horror films ever made from the legendary Richard Donner. Don Taylor is no Donner, but he is clearly a thoughtful director in his own way. On one hand, it is slowly paced, poorly written, and a derivative sequel that borrows heavily from the plot points and aesthetic of The Omen.

On the other hand, it is fairly well directed, as many shots look quite beautiful or just cool with the Chicago backdrop and familiar setting. Fancy offices, luxurious lodges, icy lakes, scenic forests, and Chicago streets and train yards complement Damien - Omen II's horror atmosphere.

Nice setups and payoffs make the deaths exciting, while not as shocking as The Omen's atrocities. There are a couple cute mini models and rag doll usage during the deaths. The obvious stunt doubles, prop wigs, and fake bird will take you out of the movie. However, the deaths are still grisly with some neat movie tricks to make them look more horrific.

The Omen theme still ever present with some nice callbacks to The Omen sonically. The score is still scary, but some moments do not need the jump scare of the soundtrack chiming in, honestly. I still think most audiences will enjoy the score to Damien - Omen II.

The acting is probably the movie's saving grace. Overall, the cast is a downgrade from the acting excellence from The Omen. However, Jonathan Scott-Taylor is quite demonic and cruel as a teenage Damien Thorn. He essentially carries the film as we follow him through much of his day.

Notably, William Holden is no Gregory Peck, but he is pretty engaging whenever he is on screen. The problem lies in that Holden is heavily underutilized, only getting some great moments towards the last third of the film. Lee Grant is alright as the overly dedicated mother to Damien. Nicholas Pryor is a pleasant surprise as the kindly Dr. friend to the Thorn family. His shocked and scared reactions are great and sometimes subtle.

Oddly, Damien - Omen II focuses much of its screen time on Robert Foxworth. He is charismatic in a sleazy and underhanded kind of way, but Holden should have been the main lead that we follow throughout the movie.

Overall, this is a surprisingly well done sequel. Damien - Omen II is nice for a single watch to see where The Omen left off and how Damien's rise to power continues. It does feel a little dull and slow at times when it focuses on the Thorn company inducing a man made famine for profit, but the stuff with Damien is cool.