Damien - Omen II

"The first time was only a warning."

1978 1h 47m EN

😐

6.4

MID

🥫

50%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.2

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 863🥫50%Rotten Tomatoes●45Metacritic★6.2IMDB · 39,844

HorrorThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Since the sudden and suspicious deaths of his parents, young Damien has been in the charge of his wealthy aunt and uncle and enrolled in a military school. Widely feared to be the Antichrist, he relentlessly plots to seize control of his uncle's business empire — and the world.

“The first time was only a warning.”

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Cast

William Holden
Richard Thorn
Lee Grant
Ann Thorn
Jonathan Scott-Taylor
Damien Thorn
Robert Foxworth
Paul Buher
Nicholas Pryor
Charles Warren
Lew Ayres
Bill Atherton
Sylvia Sidney
Aunt Marion
Lance Henriksen
Sergeant Neff

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Don Taylor
Writers: Stanley Mann, Mike Hodges, Harvey Bernhard
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.9× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

48 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Omen Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Don Taylor, shot by Wilmer Butler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert Brown shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

William Holden and Lee Grant and Jonathan Scott-Taylor carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The first time was only a warning.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Don Taylor directs. Wilmer Butler behind the camera. Jerry Goldsmith scores. Robert Brown cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 3.9× over at the box office.
248 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "The Omen Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Don Taylor, shot by Wilmer Butler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Robert Brown shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7William Holden and Lee Grant and Jonathan Scott-Taylor carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The first time was only a warning.".
9IMDB entry: tt0077394 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 11 themes, including "chicago, illinois", "prophecy", "secret identity", "halloween".
11Released under 25 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Wilmer Butler
Original score: Jerry Goldsmith
Editing: Robert Brown
Production design: Philip M. Jefferies
Costume design: Burton Miller
Makeup / hair: Robert Dawn
Sound: Theodore Soderberg
Stunt coordinator: Max Kleven
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $6,800,000
Box office: $26,518,355
Return: 390% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Damien - Omen II (1978)
Rotten Tomatoes: 50% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 45/100
IMDB rating: 6.2/10 · 39,844 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

3 wins & 1 nomination total

Part of

The Omen Collection

Supernatural horror series centered around Damien Thorn, the Antichrist.

Also by

Don Taylor

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-05-16
★ 8/10
This wasn't as good as Richard Donner's superb original, but it's a solid sequel. It lacks the unique sense of despair and menace of one's own child perhaps being the Antichrist, and the suspense is neither as taut nor as skillfully handled, but there are some great death scene set-pieces here, and it's not as bad as horror fans would let you think it is. I have a special place in my heart for the religious thriller, so perhaps I'm a tad more lenient than I should be in my grading, but I could very well say that the devil made me do it, or at the very least, his spawn. Jerry Goldsmith does another fine soundtrack, albeit not with the two Oscar nominations and one win this time around, while William Holden and Lee Grant do a credible job of replacing stars Gregory Peck and Lee Remick, whom Damien had no qualms dispensing with in the first film. The original is essential viewing for anyone, while the first two sequels are fine fare for any contemporary cinematic (by that, I mean of films since 1970) horror or religious thriller aficionado.
JPV8522019-10-10
★ 7/10
Actually not half bad and kind of enjoyed this one a bit more than the first film. Still not great but had its moments, mainly seeing Damien come to realization of who he is and coming to accept it. 3.25/5
CinemaSerf2023-06-04
★ 6/10
Following from the really enjoyable "Omen" from three years earlier, our eponymous antichrist (Jonathan Scott-Taylor) is now in his teens, and together with his cousin "Mark" (Lucas Donat) attends a military academy whilst under the care of his uncle "Richard" (William Holden) and aunt "Ann" (Lee Grant). I think the problem with this follow up is that having already been exposed to the style of horror this offers: the sharp violin music, tight facial close ups, and the use of an animal (in this case it is a crow) as his implement of choice, there is very little by way of a shock factor. Holden is way past his best as an actor, the dialogue adds little to the rather lacklustre sense of menace and the ending is completely devoid of any real jeopardy. It's enjoyable enough, but sadly not patch on the original.