Damien: Omen II

After his uncle (William Holden) enrolls him at a military academy, a boy begins to discover his true identity as the Antichrist.

Damien: Omen II is a more of the same sequel. The plot is virtually identical: gruesome fates set to Latin chants befall those who either clue in to Damien’s identity, or obstruct him in some way, until the father (or adopted father in this case) sets out to kill the devil-child once and for all.

Don Taylor stepped in after original director Mike Hodges left over “creative differences” likely related to Hodges desire to divert from the formula. While on the one hand, I’m curious as to where Hodges wanted to go with the film, on the other hand, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This is a popcorn horror flick.

William Holden is a suitable replacement for Gregory Peck, and this second installment contains just enough originality to appease fans of the original. Toss in a great supporting performance from Lance Henriksen and you’ve got a solid sequel.