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Film / Damien: Omen II

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Evil learns of its destiny.

A sequel to The Omen, directed by Don Taylor and released in 1978.

Damien Thorn, the Antichrist-to-be, has been adopted by the family of his father's brother. While he starts coming to grips with his supposed destiny, horrible deaths befall on those who might stop him or discover his true nature.

Jonathan Scott-Taylor plays Damien, while William Holden and Lee Grant star as his aunt and uncle. Also in the cast are Lew Ayres, Sylvia Sidney, Lance Henriksen, and Robert Foxworth.


This film has examples of:

  • The Bad Guy Wins: The protagonists come a little closer this time, but they are still unable to stop Damien. His reign of terror continues.
  • Bloodier and Gorier: The death scenes, including an immolation, a bisection, and an eye gouging, are much more drawn out and detailed than they were in the original film.
  • Buried Alive: After Carl Bugenhagen and his friend Michael discover the proof that Damien is the prophesied Antichrist within an archeological dig, it collapses on them, burying them alive.
  • Creepy Crows: A raven (complete with its own Leitmotif) appears near in the earlier death scenes, and in two instances is the direct cause of them.
  • Danger — Thin Ice: While most of the deaths are farfetched, Atherton's demise underneath a frozen lake has unfortunately happened many times in Real Life.
  • Deadly Gas: Dr. Pasarian and his assistant are killed by deadly pesticide gas, although it is white rather than green.
  • Don't Make Me Destroy You: Damien threatens Mark with this after he rejects his offer to rule the world together, leading to his death. It's notable as it's the only death in the franchise that Damien appears to feel actual remorse for.
  • Downer Ending: Once again, anyone who might stop Damien is killed, and his quest to become the Antichrist continues.
  • Elite Mooks: Both Sergeant Neff and Paul Buher are Satanists and carry out Satan's work by helping Damien. They are high-placed members of the Satanic cult that is supporting Damien. At the end it is revealed that Ann is also a highly-placed Satanic supporter, helping Damien.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Damien genuinely cares for Mark and at one point defends him against a bully. When Mark discovers his true identity, Damien begs him not to reject him, and suggests they can rule together. He still kills Mark when he refuses, though shows some remorse for this.
  • Evil All Along: At the end, Ann Thorn is revealed to have been on Satan's side when she "gives" her husband the sacred daggers. She dies immediately afterward, having outlived her usefulness.
    Ann Thorn: I've always belonged to him.
  • Evil Elevator: A doctor figures out something's wrong with Damien — as in he somehow has the bone marrow of a jackal. He runs out to tell someone... but takes the elevator instead of the stairs. The elevator cables snap and he falls several stories, but survives — and then steel cables fall down, bisecting him at the waist.
  • Eyeball-Plucking Birds: A woman has her eyes pecked out by a raven, leaving her blindly walking into the path of an oncoming truck. Talk about a gruesome way to go.
  • Half the Man He Used to Be: Dr. Kane's fate in the elevator.
  • He Knows Too Much: A doctor tests Damien's blood and discovers he has jackal DNA. He soon finds himself sliced in half whilst involved in a freak elevator "accident."
    • For that matter, Bugenhagen, Michael, Joan Hart, Bill Atherton, Pasarian, Dr. Kane, Mark and Charles Warren...
  • Honest Corporate Executive: Damien's uncle, Richard, Atherton and Pasarian.
  • I Just Want to Be Normal: Damien has a very brief moment of this in when he comes to a full realization of what he is and why. "Why? Why me?" he screams to empty air, but his angst doesn't last long.
  • Kick The Son Of A Bitch: When a boy starts bullying Mark, Damien stands up to him and scares him out of his mind.
  • Military School: Damien is a student in a military school together with his cousin Mark. One sergeant (played by Lance Henriksen) in the school's staff is later revealed to be one of his future allies.
  • Mrs. Exposition: Aunt Marion serves to explain the events of the first film as well as the Thorn family tree.
  • Mugging the Monster: A bully attempts to pick a fight with Damien. One Death Glare later, and he is writhing on the floor.
  • Ominous Latin Chanting: Whenever Satan's influence is present, and as the theme for the young antichrist Damien, "Ave Satani" plays.
  • The Omnipotent: Satan himself, who seems to know everything and can kill anyone he chooses who threatens to prevent Damien's rise to power, even when there are other alternatives. All while making the deaths look like an accident. Satan kills Dr. Kane moments after Kane has learned that Damien has the DNA of a jackal, when even Kane isn't sure if the DNA report is accurate. Satan could choose to erase the computer report, but instead opts to painfully kill Kane, who read the report.
  • Parental Neglect: A mild example. While Ann isn't totally neglectful towards Mark, she's much more loving and demonstrative towards Damien. Explained at the end when Ann is revealed to be one of Damien's minions.
  • Pet the Dog: Damien shows a protective side toward Mark, standing up for him when he's bullied. When Mark learns the truth about him, Damien still wants to spare him and begs Mark to come with him. He gives him a quick death when Mark makes it clear that he's having none of it, but he's not without remorse for it.
  • Rube Goldberg Hates Your Guts: Particularly in Warren's death, instead of just killing Warren, Satan sets a train in motion, reroutes it to a different track, and plows it coupling-first into Warren so that it can kill him when the coupling slams into the freight car connector. Joan Hart's death is equally pointlessly complex: Satan makes her car engine stop, then sends a raven to peck out her eyes, and then somehow engineers a truck to come along and run her over while she stumbles blindly along the highway. In most cases, Satan could just make them die of brain aneurysms like Damien inflicts upon Mark, but goes for a more pointlessly complicated scheme. Only Marion, who dies of a heart attack, seems to die without the complicated machinations.
  • Sequel Goes Foreign: The original film was set in England, so this trope applies for Damien's return - this film is the only one in the series which takes place in the US. Before anyone asks, this one is officially non-canon.
  • Sequel Reset: The original film was made without the intention of a sequel, and thus ended with Damien having successfully killing his family and adopting himself in the President's family, with the implication that this would be the position from which he would begin his rise to power. Furthermore, his Breaking the Fourth Wall grin implies he was Evil All Along, and thus fully aware of his true nature and his destiny. Come the sequel, Damien is now the adopted son of his uncle, and has no idea of his Satanic heritage or his nature as the Antichrist.
  • Sequel: The Original Title: Used to give the film an Antagonist Title.
  • Stern Teacher: Sgt. Neff. He is stern at first, but then becomes a real mentor to Damien later in the film.
  • Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: Carl Bugenhagen, the last guy from the first movie (played by Leo McKern) who knew Damien's secret is killed off in the opening minutes, tying up a remaining loose end. McKern is the only cast member to appear in more than one movie of the series. Because there was no remake of this film, the 2006 remake of the first film leaves this thread dangling.
  • Theme Music Withholding: Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar-winning theme to the original film isn't used until the very end of the film, moments before the end credits. Goldsmith insisted on writing all-new themes and motifs for the film, wanting to give it its own sound distinct from its predecessor.
  • Used to Be a Sweet Kid: In this film, Damien is much less aware of his true origins and is very friendly to Mark. When he decides he must accept his role as the Antichrist, the last of his humanity is gone.
  • The Watson: Bungenhagen's friend Morgan, who he relates the nature of Damien and the ability of the daggers to at the beginning.
  • We Can Rule Together: Damien tries to convince his adopted brother Mark to join him in his quest to rule the Earth.
  • What You Are in the Dark: Mark rejecting an offer to join Damien.
  • Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Satan doesn't just kill those who threaten Damien's rise to power, but makes their deaths as painful as possible. He doesn't have His victims just die of heart attacks. For instance, Satan doesn't just kill Dr. Kane, but cuts him in half.
  • Worst News Judgement Ever: Death in freak elevator "accident" does not warrant a front page.

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