Damien: Omen II

Damien the Antichrist, now age 13, finally learns of his destiny under the guidance of an unholy disciple of Satan. Meanwhile dark mystical forces begin to eliminate all those who suspect the child’s true identity.

• Director: Don Taylor
• Genre:Drama / Horror / Thriller
• Runtime:107 minutes

Cast

William Holden : Richard Thorn
Lee Grant : Ann Thorn
Jonathan Scott-Taylor: Damien Thorn
Robert Foxworth : Paul Buher
Nicholas Pryor : Charles Warren

A week after the burial of Robert Thorn and his wife, archeologist Carl Bugenhagen (Leo McKern) asks his friend Michael Morgan (Ian Hendry) to deliver a box to the guardian of Thorn’s young son, Damien. He reveals that Damien is the Antichrist and that the box contains a warning and the means to kill Damien. As Morgan is unconvinced, Bugenhagen takes him to the ruin of Yigael’s wall, showing him an ancient depiction of the Antichrist with Damien’s face. Morgen is convinced but the two are buried alive as a tunnel collapses.

Seven years later, twelve-year old Damien (Jonathan Scott-Taylor) is living with his uncle, industrialist Richard Thorn (William Holden) and his wife Ann (Lee Grant). He gets along well with his cousin Mark (Lucas Donat), Richard’s son, with whom he is enrolled in a military academy. However, he is despised by aunt Marion (Sylvia Sidney), who favours Mark, thinks Damien a bad influence on him and even threatens to cut Richard out of her will should the two boys not be separated. The same night, the appearance of a crow wakes her up and causes a fatal heart attack.

Through a friend, Richard is introduced to journalist Joan Hart (Elizabeth Shephard), who tries to warn Richard about grave danger but he throws her out. She then goes to meet Damien at his school but when she sees his face she drives off in panic. On the road, she is attacked by a crow, which pecks her eyes out, causing her to be run over by a passing truck.

At Thorn Industries, manager Paul Buher (Robert Foxworth) suggests to expand the company’s operations into agriculture but the project is shelved by senior manager Bill Atherton (Lew Ayres), who calls Buher’s intention of buying up land in the process immoral. At Mark’s birthday celebration, Buher introduces himself to Damien, invites him to see the plant and also speaks of his approaching initiation. Buher seemingly makes up with Atherton but the next day, during an ice hockey game, Atherton falls in and drowns. A shocked Richard leaves on vacation. As Richard agreed to the agriculture project in principle and left him in charge of the company, Buher then initiates his plans on his own. Read more