The original Omen left itself wide open for a sequel, and even though I personally don't think it particularly needed one; I have to say that this second part, to my surprise, is actually very good! Don Taylor's sequel, of course, has nothing on Richard Donner's original; and even though the film often gets too convoluted and is more than a little bit silly, The Omen II follows on from the original nicely and is an overall worthy sequel. For the sequel, the action has expectedly moved to America; and the film delivers more of the uncompromising gore that helped to round off the original as an all round horror masterpiece. Logically, the film picks up the story of Damien seven years after his father, Robert Thawn, tried to kill him under mysterious circumstances. The film starts off with the revelation that Damien Thawn is the antichrist, and from there we follow him as he joins military school, comes under the guidance of one of Satan's disciples and violently disposes of anyone who stands a chance of discovering his real identity!
Jonathan Scott-Taylor is the actor given the honour of portraying the son of the devil this time around, and it has to be said that he does a really good job with it; even though the actor has hardly been seen since. William Holden is no Gregory Peck, but he does well in the older lead actor role; and he receives good backup from Lee Grant in the role of his wife. The cast is rounded off by cult stars Nicholas Pryor and Lance Henriksen. The plot pacing can be a little hard to follow, and not all the plot threads (the ones involving Thawn Industries in particular) are able to come through properly. However, director Don Taylor combats this by adding in an over the top and gory murder sequence every time the plot looks like it's going downhill. Here we have people burning to death, freezing to death, having their eyes plucked out and - of course - being cut in half in an elevator! The film just about carries off a mysterious religious tone throughout, and I was pleased that the film didn't get bogged down with theories surrounding Damien. The film ends with a nice little twist, before once again leaving the series open for a sequel - which, of course, it got three years later. The Omen II isn't a classic or must see; but it's a nice sequel.
Jonathan Scott-Taylor is the actor given the honour of portraying the son of the devil this time around, and it has to be said that he does a really good job with it; even though the actor has hardly been seen since. William Holden is no Gregory Peck, but he does well in the older lead actor role; and he receives good backup from Lee Grant in the role of his wife. The cast is rounded off by cult stars Nicholas Pryor and Lance Henriksen. The plot pacing can be a little hard to follow, and not all the plot threads (the ones involving Thawn Industries in particular) are able to come through properly. However, director Don Taylor combats this by adding in an over the top and gory murder sequence every time the plot looks like it's going downhill. Here we have people burning to death, freezing to death, having their eyes plucked out and - of course - being cut in half in an elevator! The film just about carries off a mysterious religious tone throughout, and I was pleased that the film didn't get bogged down with theories surrounding Damien. The film ends with a nice little twist, before once again leaving the series open for a sequel - which, of course, it got three years later. The Omen II isn't a classic or must see; but it's a nice sequel.