 October 3rd
Damien: Omen II (1978)
Set some seven years after the original with Damien Thorn now living with his uncle (William Holden) and his wife (Lee Grant) in New York State prior to joining military academy.
Damien: Omen II is basically a rehash of the first film with 'unexplained' deaths coming to all those who cross paths with the son of Satan. Whilst William Holden is okay he's no Gregory Peck and the film lacks a genuinely scary protagonist in the Billie Whitelaw mould.
The film does hit the mark with the death scenes most of which are beautifully inventive such as the guy sliced in half in an elevator by a falling cable, the death under the ice and the creepy killing of the reporter following a raven attack remain memorable even now.
I suppose when it comes down to it Damien: Omen II suffers from the curse of the sequel in that it tries to replicate the formula from the very successful first movie but fails due to most elements being so much less (acting, score and scares) this time round.
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