Damien: Omen II Blu-ray Review

THE MOVIE — 3.25/5

Plot Synopsis: Since the sudden and suspicious deaths of his parents, young Damien (JONATHAN SCOTT-TAYLOR) has been in the charge of his wealthy uncle (WILLIAM HOLDEN) and aunt (LEE GRANT) and enrolled in a military school. Widely feared to be the Antichrist, Damien relentlessly plots to seize control of his uncle’s business empire – and the world. Anyone attempting to unravel the secrets of Damien’s sinister past or fiendish future meets with a swift and cruel demise.

Quick Hit Review: Damien: Omen II is a movie I actually enjoyed every-so-slightly better than its predecessor which in certain respects I found to be a little overrated. I think part of the reason I liked this a tad better is that in the first film, Damien is a 5-year-old boy who, and not to criticize too much, had limited acting abilities (not his fault, probably cast for how devious he could emote). Here, we get Jonathan Scott-Taylor who has more to work with, especially in regards to any emotions, particularly when he discovers he is the Antichrist ranging from confusion to acceptance and what it cost him.

As with the first film, they tapped a couple veteran and respected actors in William Holden and Lee Grant, both of whom do well with not a whole lot to work with, though Holden has a few nice moments and for her part, Grant is quite good with a fun little twist at the end, which was actually pretty good.

Don Taylor takes over directing duties, but not before Mike Hodges exited (fired) due to the old “creative differences” excuse, with Richard Donner declining to return being busy working on Superman. Nothing especially imaginative but at least keeps the tension even if the editing at times felt off, perhaps with the change of directors mid-production (apparently a few of Hodges’ scenes remained).

Although I did like the movie, it still couldn’t elevate beyond being a passably entertaining movie, not much more than that.

SPECIAL FEATURES – 4.0/5

Audio Commentaries:

• Special Project Consultant Scott Michael Bosco
• Producer Harvey Bernhard

Both of the tracks are decent with Bosco’s commentary delving into the historical elements of the project while Bernhard provides a more behind-the-scenes aspects. As solo tracks go, not bad but kind of prefer multiple participants.

Interviews:

• Damien’s Guardian (15:56) — Actress Lee Grant
• The Devil’s CEO (16:21) — Actor Robert Foxworth
• The Harbinger (26:34) — Actress Elizabeth Shepherd

All three of these interviews weren’t fantastic but still interesting to hear their thoughts on the film all these years later and telling stories of working with their co-stars.

Shepherd’s Scrapbook (3:36) is a featurette on the actress’s photos from the production.

Power and the Devil: The Making of Damien: Omen II (7:21) is an archival production featurette with on-location interviews with the cast and crew at the time.

Promotional material includes the Theatrical Trailer (3:03), TV Spots (1:33), Radio Spots (1:31) and an Image Gallery (6:34).

VIDEO – 4.25/5

AUDIO – 4.0/5

OVERALL – 3.5/5

I actually enjoyed Damien: Omen II ever so slightly more than the first film, but it’s not without its problems, that being some of the editing and pacing, though Jonathan Scott-Taylor actually wasn’t bad as Damien. This Shout Factory release offers up great video and audio transfers and a good selection of special features.