"Damien Omen II" should of been in reality the third film in the "Omen Series". The producers for some reason decided to age up Damien which proved problematic for this film.David Seltzer, who wrote the first film's screenplay, was asked by the producers to write the second. Seltzer refused as he had no interest in writing sequels. Years later, Seltzer commented that had he written the story for the second Omen, he would have set it the day after the first movie, with Damien a child living in The White House. With Seltzer turning down Omen II, producer Harvey Bernhard duly outlined the story himself, and Stanley Mann was hired to write the screenplay.This film is a little slow. The original director (Mike Hodge) was replaced. Now how much material that he shot that ended up in the final film is unknown to me. This film main problem is that there is almost no element of surprise discovery for the audience. The death scenes however are still effective (Even to this day) and it does scare you but not as much as the original did. The film is worth watching because the film is has Adult Actors that know how to act.

Damien Omen 2 is adorned with solid actors like William Holden, Lance Henriksen, Lee Grant and the sinister looking Jonathan Scott Taylor. These seasoned actors lend an air of seriousness and importance to this sequel. There was something very grim and ominous about this film. This feeling was accentuated by the scene where Damien laments about why he has been chosen to carry out Satan's plan.The thinly veiled social commentary did not seem to be out of place - the mixing of cruel capitalism and the military industrial complex is Satan's work. The great locales combined with the richness of life of the upper class family makes for a great visual experience.I am not surprised that a lot of fans have called Damien Omen 2 one of the best horror sequels.

From Lee Grant to Lance Henricksen, the acting in this film is remarkable. It's really a pleasure when professionals like this take their work seriously, even in the unfairly maligned horror genre, and don't look upon it as just an easy paycheck.There are three levels of horror in Damien: Omen II. First of all, the scary images. You don't take your eyes off the film and yet you want to close your eyes, as the blood flows in gobbets. (There is also a raven that can put you off all members of the crow family for life.)The second dimension is internal, as the characters try to come to terms with what is happening around them. A stupendous cast of some of Hollywood's finest, most serious actors deliver really good performances -- it's just amazing watching them. The third dimension is supernatural, metaphysical, religious. There's no getting around it. The film is about the Anti-Christ, and you better freshen up on your theology. (Even Old Beezelbub's son gets to carrying around a Bible in this movie to do a little inventory of sins and wickedness.)Add Jerry Goldsmith's truly wonderful score and you've got a genre flick that's really a major motion picture.

O2 is an improvement over the overrated first part; it's very well-photographed and interesting - and most importantly doesn't have any tiny "evil children" who can't act - but is bogged down by several flaws, some of which it shares with its inferior predecessor.First of all, the story unfolds in a Godless universe – or at least a world in which God is disinterested or at the very least just a passive observer, never actively participating, never helping by sending over some well-armed uber-priest who slays demons for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Unlike Satan, who makes his presence known and who swats his enemies like annoying flies, one by one. This totally unexplained and lop-sided imbalance of power between Good and Evil, between the Church and Satan's minions, is frankly quite ludicrous.This brings me to the other major flaw, directly related to the powers of Good being on vacation: the movie's increasing predictability. By the time we get to the 2nd half of the movie, the murders are so easily foreseeable (who will get killed, why and even when) that you can almost set your watch to them. This makes O2 play out almost like a cheap slasher film, at least plot-twist-wise. Yes, the killings are inventive, mostly unusual, and they are well-filmed but at some point I'd prefer to not have to know everything in advance.The general problem with the "Omen" series is that the imbalance of power between Good and Evil creates a one-sided "battle" (well, a wipe-out really) in which the outcome is a foregone conclusion. With God doing absolutely zip/zilch/nada/niente to help his obedient flock, Satan is poised to win every single time. This kind of one-sided nonsense can only be interesting to Satanist viewers, I'd imagine. Not only is this a bad way to conduct a religious-based horror film because it eliminates all elements of surprise, but it also defies logic. Surely, in a universe in which an all-powerful Divine Being is being challenged by a runaway ex-angel, that Supreme Being would make its presence also known in form of powerful priests, flying nuns, magic crucifixes and what-not. At the very least there should be some priest running around, warning everyone in Bible-speak gibberish, and being protected by God. One single priest, that's all I ask. But there is literally nobody, not even a half-dazed squirrel. How the hell did God – at least the one in this movie serial - even get to be in charge if He never helped the humans with magic powers? This is yet another logic hole, about as big as Oprah's ass.It is hence small wonder that Satan's (and later Damien's) serial-killing in O2 is so brazen, so lacking in caution, so bombastic, and so totally out in the open. Then again, why take stealthy measures when the opposition refuses to fight you? The movie is like watching John Cleese in the boxing ring against Connie Booth i.e. "a full-grown man beating the crap out of a school-girl"; it's like an adult rugby team fighting a team of kids (again the Pythons; that scene from "The Meaning Of Life"); very predictable hence a little pointless. Which is why the ending is such a boring affair; no end-twist – if we ignore that silly nonsense about Holden's wife having been a Satanist all along.But how can Lee Grant be one of Devil's disciples when she looked genuinely concerned and shocked at the old woman's death? Yes, we HAVE been cheated by the movie. Or was Lee perhaps PLAYING UP to the camera? As far as I know, characters in movies aren't supposed to know that they are being filmed hence feigning emotions for the camera for the audience's benefit is simply a moronic plot-device used by clueless writers and directors. Withholding information is one thing; but outright lying movie-goers like this sinks the movie deeper into its mud of bad logic.The set-up in "The Prophecy" series makes much more sense, hence makes for more compelling viewing. Even "The Exorcist" series involves a measure of balance, an actual power-struggle between Satan and God that ensures that stories with unpredictable plot-twists can be written, something that is quite difficult in this Satan-controlled "Omen" universe. It is hence also illogical for Satan to need SO LONG to re-gain power – when there is no visible opposition whatsoever from his adversary. This leads me to the inevitable and very logical conclusion that the Satan portrayed here is either incompetent or lazy, or both.The lush production values, the non-moronic dialogue, the good soundtrack, and the overall mood make up for some of these minus points, but there is no denying that the "Omen" series is far too linear and predictable, and that this movie is far too similar to its predecessor, with an almost identical basic plot.