Damien: Omen II
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| Damien: Omen II | |
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 Damien: Omen II theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | Don Taylor |
| Produced by | Harvey Bernhard |
| Written by | Harvey Bernhard Stanley Mann Michael Hodges |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Cinematography | Bill Butler |
| Editing by | Robert Brown |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Running time | 107 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | The Omen |
| Followed by | Omen III: The Final Conflict |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Damien: Omen II, is a 1978 sequel to the iconic horror film The Omen. Set seven years after the first film, it stars William Holden, Lee Grant, Sylvia Sidney, Lew Ayres, Robert Foxworth, and Jonathan Scott-Taylor. It was directed by Don Taylor. The film was released on June 9. It is the second film in the Omen series.
It is followed by a third installment Omen III: The Final Conflict in 1981.
British film director Mike Hodges was the original choice to helm the movie. Some sequences directed by him (some of the factory footage, the military academy footage and all of the early archaeology scene) remain in the completed film, for which Hodges retains a story credit. Hodges, in recent interviews, comments sanguinely on his experiences working on this film.
The movie was set in Chicago and was largely filmed in downtown Chicago and on the campus of Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, Illinois. The "Thorn Industries" building was actually Chicago's city hall. Another scene took place at Graceland Cemetery.
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[edit] Plot summary
Damien Thorn is now thirteen and living with his uncle Richard Thorn, a wealthy industrialist, his uncle's second wife, Ann, and Richard's son from his first marriage, Mark.
The young Damien doesn't understand his true potential, but others are beginning to suspect that he is not the sweet young boy that he appears to be. Within his life there are many people working to help him ascend to his rightful place as the Antichrist, but at the same time, lone journalists, doctors, scientists and friends all try to stop him and warn his foster parents.
Mark sees (and hears) things he shouldn't, and although Damien has fond feelings for his cousin, nothing can stand in his way.
The Daggers of Megiddo from the first film (reputedly the only weapons able to kill the Anti-Christ, according to the series' interior logic) make a reappearance.
[edit] Deaths
Carl Bugahagen and Michael Morgan - buried alive at start of film while examining Yigael's Wall
Aunt Marion - Aunt Marion is lying in her bed and she sees the Satanic crow perched in her window. When she tries to get up to shoo it away, it uses its powers to give her a heart attack. She falls to the ground, dead.
Joan Hart - when she is driving her car on a deserted highway, it slows down. She tries to start it up again but too late. The Satanic crow appears. The crow attacks her and she tries to run away but her eyes are pecked out. Moments later, a truck runs her over.
Bill - when Bill is playing hockey with the Thorne's and their friends, the Satanic crow causes him to break through the ice. Mark and Richard Thorn panic with the others and as Bill floats through the current, the others try to break the ice to get him out. Finally, Bill appears at a hole by the tree where the crow was. He is able to stay above the surface for a few seconds but he then sinks back under.
Doctor J. Kayne - when the doctor finds Damien's cell structure is different from the other boys Damien uses his powers to cause elevator cables to snap and bisect the doctor's body.
Mark Thorn - Damien asks Mark to join him several times. Mark refuses. Damien asks him once more. When Mark again says no, Damien uses his Satanic powers to cause an aneurysm in Mark's brain.
Charles Warren - impaled between train cars while Richard is examing Yigael's Wall relief (mural) that verifies Damien's identity.
Richard Thorn - Richard asks Ann to get away from a drawer and give him the Seven Daggers so he can kill Damien. Ann pulls two out and stabs him in the groin, revealing herself to have always belonged to Damien.
Ann Thorn - after she kills Richard, Damien uses his powers to light her on fire.
[edit] Cast
- William Holden ... Richard Thorn
- Lee Grant ... Ann Thorn
- Jonathan Scott-Taylor ... Damien Thorn
- Robert Foxworth ... Paul Buher
- Nicholas Pryor ... Dr. Charles Warren
- Sylvia Sidney ... Aunt Marion
- Lew Ayres ... Bill Atherton
- Lance Henriksen ... Master Sergeant Daniel Neff
- Lucas Donat ... Mark Thorn
- Elizabeth Shephard ... Joan Hart
- Meshach Taylor ... Dr. Kane
- Allan Arbus ... Pasarian
- Fritz Ford ... Murray
- John J. Newcombe ... Teddy
- John Charles Burns ... Butler
- Paul Cook ... Colonel
- Diane Daniels ... Jane
- Robert E. Ingham ... Teacher
- William B. Fosser ... Minister
- Corney Morgan ... Greenhouse Technician
- Russell P. Delia ... Truck Driver
- Judith Dowd ... Maid
- Thomas O. Erhart Jr. ... Sergeant #1
- Sorin Serene Pricopie ... Pasarian's Assistant
- Robert J. Jones Jr. ... Tour Guide
- Rusdi Lane ... Jim Gardner
- Charles Mountain ... Burial Priest
- Cornelia Sanders ... Young Girl
- Felix Shuman ... Dr. Fiedler
- James Spinks ... Technician #1
- Owen Sullivan ... Byron
- William J. Whelehan ... Security Guard
- Leo McKern ... Carl Bugenhagen (uncredited)
- Ian Hendry ... Michael (uncredited)
- Gus Kaprales ... Limo Driver (uncredited)
[edit] Trivia
- Don Taylor replaced director Mike Hodges as a result of creative differences. However, the few scenes Hodges directed were kept, like the scenes at the factory and at the military school, and also the dinner where Aunt Marion shows her concern about Damien.
- William Holden was the original choice to star in the first film, The Omen (1976), but turned it down as he did not want to star in a picture about the devil. Gregory Peck was selected as his replacement. "The Omen" went on to become a huge hit and Holden made sure he did not turn down the part in this sequel.
- The Thorn Mansion is the Lake Forest Academy (formerly the Armour Estate) in Lake Forest, Illinois. All exteriors had to be shot in the back garden of the academy/estate because the school had erected a very modern structure in front of the old estate.
- The cadets at the military academy were real students at the Lake Geneva, Wisconsin military academy the film was shooting at.
- When Harvey Bernhard had finished writing the script and was given the green light to start the production, the first person he contacted was Jerry Goldsmith because of the composer's busy schedule. Bernhard also felt that Goldsmith's music for The Omen (1976) was the highest point of that movie, and that without Goldsmith's music this sequel would never be successful.
- 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.
- There is a song on one of Harry Connick, Jr.s platinum Christmas albums, the song "I Come With Love, that is based on a scene from Omen II.
- The song, The Number Of The Beast by Iron Maiden was supposedly based on a nightmare Steve Harris had about this movie.
[edit] Reaction
The film received mixed reviews. In comparison to the serious tone of the original, there were moments during the acclaimed death scenes (including the famous sequence in which a woman's eyes are pecked out by a raven and she walks blind onto a road only to be hit by a truck) which were unintentionally comical and silly. The music by Jerry Goldsmith was again praised for its spooky build-up of suspense.
[edit] DVD release
The film was released as part of The Omen Trilogy set in the US and UK in 2001, and therefore not available separately until 2005. In 2006, to coincide with the DVD release of the remake of the original film, The Omen and its sequels were released individually and together in an ultimate Pentology boxset digitally remastered and with more bonus features. Damien: Omen II included two new featurettes, plus the previous DVD's commentary.
[edit] External links
See also: List of fiction set in Chicago
| The Omen Series |
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Original Films |
