PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Being a teenager in any social environment is always going to be awkward what with hair growing in weird places, discovering what sex is and how to get it, and random mood swings that can cause spontaneous combustion of your enemies. But it’s especially awkward when you find out you’re being groomed to be the Antichrist!
Enter Damien: The Omen II, the continuing story of young Damien Thorn’s journey to become the Anti-Christ. Our story initially begins just after The Omen, with Damien, played by Jonathan Scott-Taylor,
being adopted by his uncle Richard and Ann Thorn (William Holden and Lee Grant respectively) while also striking up a friendship with his cousin Mark (Lucas Donat), Richard’s son from a previous marriage. We also see Carl Bugenhagen, an uncredited Leo McKern, attempt to convince Michael Morgan, also an uncredited Ian Hendry, that Damien is the Anti-Christ. While taking him to Yigael’s Wall, Carl and Michael and are buried alive inside the tunnel along with the evidence, a depiction of what the Anti-Christ is supposed to look like!
Fast forward 7 years and we see a now 12 year old Damien, along with his cousin Mark,
enter prestigious military academy. Damien is initially unaware of his lineage, unlike in the first Omen, nearly killing a classmate who started a fight with his cousin. With the guidance of Lance Henriksen
Damien is guided towards a passage in the bible, Revelation Chapter 13, and discovers his lineage.
While initially hesitant about taking his place, Damien eventually accepts his fate in probably one of the most heart breaking scenes in the film. I don’t want to spoil a movie that is over 30 years old but I will say just about every one important to him dies in the end!
While the first film was written by David Seltzer and directed by Richard Donner, Damien went through two directors with Mike Hodges filming a handful before Don Taylor took over directorial duties. The reason for the change up was initially due to Donner filming the original Superman at the time. Mike Hodges was brought in to initially direct the whole movie but was let go due to the studio believing his methods were too slow. Although I will note that he still receives a credit for an archaeology scene and a dinner scene!
David Seltzer, the writer of the original film, also declined to do this film as he didn’t want to write a sequel at the time. Although he later admitted that if he did write the sequel that it would take place the very next day after the first one, with Damian living in the White House!
While not the strongest in the series I enjoyed some of the great moments it had to offer, such as the train yard kill scene, and watching him slowly realize just how different he is from the rest of his friends is something else! All in all if you’re a completionist like myself I recommend this, if only to continue the series!
