ON THIS DAY IN HORROR - June 9th
"DAMIEN: OMEN II" released in 1978
To view the trailer on our Facebook page, click on IHdb
Having been adopted by his uncle, industrialist Richard Thorn (Academy Award winner William Holden) and his wife, Ann (Lee Grant), after his adoptive father's death in The Omen (having been shot by the police while trying kill Damien as a child), Damien, now thirteen years old, attends a prestigious military academy with his cousin, Mark (Lucas Donat). It is there, under the guidance of his new commander, Sgt. Neff (Lance Henriksen) and Thorn Industries manager, Paul Buher (Robert Foxworth), that Damien finally comes to realize his final destiny, all the while dark forces begin to eliminate all those who suspect the child's true identity.
To view the trailer on our Facebook page, click on IHdb
David Seltzer, who wrote the first film's screenplay, was asked to return to write the sequel, but declined. Years later, Seltzer commented that had he written the story for the second Omen, he would have set it the day after the first movie, with Damien a child living in The White House. Instead, the story was outlined by Damien: Omen II producer Harvey Bernhard and written by Stanley Mann. Lee Holden was originally asked to play Robert Thorn in the first Omen but turned it down (the role being subsequently filled by Gregory Peck), however after the success of The Omen, Holden made sure he did not turn down the part of protagonist Richard Thorn. Another Academy award winning actor Lee Grant also accepted enthusiastically the role of Ann Thorn.
To view the trailer on our Facebook page, click on IHdb
Robert Foxworth, Lance Henrickson, Elizabeth Shepard (as the doomed investigative journalist Joan Hart), and Nicholas Pryor (as museum curator Dr. Charles Warren) also joined the film. Leo McKern, as the grizzled archeologist Carl Bugenhagen who knows the true identity of the Antichrist, remains the only cast member from The Omen to return for the sequel.
To view the trailer on our Facebook page, click on IHdb
British film director Mike Hodges was the original director of Damien: Omen II, and had shot a few key scenes before the producer's - deciding his methods were too slow - replaced him with Don Taylor, who was known for finishing films on time and under budget. However some of Hodges footage at the factory and at the military academy, all of the early archaeology scenes, and the dinner where Aunt Marion shows her concern about Damien, have remained in the completed film.
Despite the presence of two Academy Award winners (Holden and Grant) and being a sequel to very successful first film, Damien: Omen II was not as well received as The Omen, with many critics writing mainly mixed reviews. Reviewer Ted Prigge wrote "...it is a mess, but it's actually very engrossing. There's not a minute of the film that isn't watchable."
To view the trailer on our Facebook page, click on IHdb
Two more sequels would soon follow, Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981) Damien this time played by the deliciously evil Sam Neill, and Omen IV: The Awakening (1991) a made-for-television movie which tries to tell the story of Damien's long-lost daughter following in her daddy's footsteps. And of course there was the 2006 remake, with Liev Schreiber and Julie Stiles playing the roles of Robert and Katherine Thorn. Recently there was the Damien (2014) TV series which ignores the last two films in the series and portrays Damien (played by Bradley James) embracing his role as the Antichrist, but the series was cancelled by A&E after one season. Next up will be a possible prequel to The Omen, the Hollywood Reporter announcing that The First Omen will have Ben Jacoby writing the script and Antonio Campos in talks to direct. So be on the lookout for the Antichrist's next movie outing!
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 41%
Check out our Facebook page and don't forget to Like
No comments:
Post a Comment