Omen series

  • The Final Conflict [Omen III: The Final Conflict] (1981)

    The Final Conflict [Omen III: The Final Conflict] (1981)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On TV, October 2019) There’s something curious about how many of mainstream Hollywood’s portrayal of the Christian faith are often found in the horror genre. Things don’t get any wilder in this regard as Omen III: After two movies in which the Antichrist was born, got rid of his opponents, grew up a bit, got rid of more opponents; here we have a grown-up opponent (a genius businessman bringing good to the word) finally able to exert some real power. Except for … the rebirth of Christ, coming to destroy him in his ascendancy. It’s all very prophetic mumbo-jumbo talking about “the Nazarene” from a Satanist perspective, but the tables are turned and the result does have some entertainment to it. An early role for Sam Neill gives him ample opportunity to chew on scenery and ham it up as far as he can. Meanwhile, the deaths are alternately grotesque or overdone: it’s not enough for an avenging priest to be hanged by a freak TV studio accident: he must be set on fire for good measure. And the way the editing transforms a pack of adorable beagles into a bloodthirsty pack is nothing short of admirable. Then there’s the plot, which has the Antichrist killing every male child born in the United Kingdom during a certain amount of time. (And an assistant privy to his most insane reflections, but who doesn’t have the sense to run far away when his own newborn son is targeted. Guess who’s the anti-Antichrist?)  But what’s perhaps most surprising about The Final Conflict is its finality: by the end, the evil is thoroughly defeated in a way that seems even further sequels impossible. There’s even angelic music and scriptures quotes to make you feel better about the whole thing. I still don’t think The Final Conflict is a good movie: it’s far too scattered, occasionally ridiculous, and underdeveloped (supposedly taking place in a dystopian future, although you’d never know it once past the first few minutes) to be anywhere near good. But I will grant that it does have some decent entertainment value. Especially compared to its far dourer predecessors.

  • Damien: Omen II (1978)

    Damien: Omen II (1978)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, August 2017) Laughing at deaths in horror movies isn’t necessarily a sign of psychopathy. As Damien: Omen II shows, it can be a perfectly valid reaction to over-the-top filmmaking. Let’s not pretend that this sequel is a vast step down for the series: The original The Omen certainly had its share of overdone moments and aggressive cues: its decapitation sequence remains a case study in how nominally terrifying material can become risible through pathos overload. Damien seems to have retained most of the wrong lessons from its predecessor in a very loose follow-up: Its death scenes are just as ridiculous, and its structure boils down to a series of loops in which secondary characters try to warn the protagonist about the evil of Damien, only to die horribly. It gets amusing, then ridiculous, then tiresome, then annoying. While I still like some elements of the film (giving the lead role to William Holden as a visibly elderly man, for instance, or the final twist in which the true allegiance of the wife is revealed), much of it is sensationalistic tripe with a blaring soundtrack that will tell you when you should be scared. The late-seventies atmosphere makes Damien slightly more interesting now than it was upon release, but that’s not quite enough to make it an essential viewing other than following up on the original.