Let he who hath wisdom count the number of the film, for it is the number of a sequel and that number is two.
Unlike many of its horror sequel contemporaries, Damien: Omen II dared to press on with its story, opening a mere week after the end of the first movie’s events but then taking a leap forward by about a decade. If The Omen was about the terrifying potential of a child of prophecy, Damien: Omen II explores what happens when that child begins to understand – and embrace – his true nature. Gone is the need for baboon-induced terror (though we do get some crow-based anxiety), and in its place comes a more event-packed exploration of destiny versus free will. Don Taylor takes over the directorial reins, and while he lacks Richard Donner’s deft touch, he oversees a surprisingly prescient sequel with satisfying results.
Damien (Jonathan Scott-Taylor), is now a teenager living with his uncle Richard Thorn (William Holden) and aunt Ann (Lee Grant), attending a military academy alongside his cousin Mark (Lucas Donat). As powerful forces continue to protect him by removing those who stand in his way, a more overt network of devotees reveals itself and Damien finds he must decide whether to embrace his role as the Antichrist or fight against it. Spoiler alert: resistance isn’t really his thing.
Where the original film built its suspense through slow, creeping dread, Damien: Omen II feels like a speeding train you can’t quite derail, possibly one that contains incriminating ancient artefacts, maybe. Without the shroud of ambiguity the first film played with, the sequel shifts from psychological horror into something a little more operatic, with elaborate deaths that feel both shockingly inventive and ever-so-slightly Rube Goldberg-esque. And while the first film made good use of Gregory Peck’s gravitas, William Holden steps into the fray with less intensity but equal sincerity, trying his best to reason away the signs while the world unravels around him. Holden, having been the original choice to play Robert Thorn but turning the role down as he didn’t want to appear in a trivial horror movie, jumped at the chance to appear in the sequel after The Omen was a massive smash hit. He’s matched by Lee Grant’s Ann, a more substantial counterpart than Lee Remick was allowed to be, offering a compelling blend of scepticism and low-key mendacity, – especially as her allegiances become clearer.
Damien: Omen II continues to draw from Revelation as the wellspring of its catechistic horror but also throws in a very contemporary-feeling subplot about the antichrist’s acolytes seeking to subvert and pervert the corporate power of the mighty Thorn Industries into unethical business practices, including buying up huge tracts of farmland and monopolising food production through controlling crops, fertilizers and pesticide technologies. You know, just the way Bill Gates and Monsanto are doing right now? Makes you think, huh?
As Damien grows into his role, the theological unease of the first film gives way to something more grounded in power and control—a subtle but effective shift. And once again, we have that eternal ecclesiastical struggle: the forces of good attempting to stop the Antichrist before it’s too late. Spoiler: it’s already too late. The Omen is the horror franchise where – so far – good guys always finish last.
Goldsmith returns to underscore the underhanded activities with suitably ominous overtures although he avoids repeating itself, avoiding all but the briefest use of the iconic “Ave Satani” in favour of a more pervasive, propulsive mixture of haunting choral Latin and musical electronica
Much like its predecessor, Damien: Omen II builds toward the unsettling revelation that things are now in motion that cannot be undone. It’s a bleak reminder that sometimes, evil doesn’t just win – it thrives. In many ways, with its themes of corporate geopolitical machinations and a shadowy conspiracy to drive the world to the brink of Armageddon, Damien: Omen II feels very much like a movie for the present day. Time to be suspicious of any overtly malevolent billionaires who are overly concerned about their hairlines – they may just be hiding a numeric birthmark under those plugs or amidst that elaborate nicotine stain yellow weave.
