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I first encountered Omen II through the movie tie-in book by Harvey (roughly within the first few months of the film's release). I was already an Omen fanatic (both the film and the score, the latter of which was one of my first ten ever vinyl purchases).
My expectations were high upon seeing the film and it exceeded them ESPECIALLY with the score added (and yeah, I'm fully aware of the primacy of the original, one of filmdom's greatest efforts imo).
I realize that this movie is pretty much stuck in the template from the first film with a good sized reduction in suspense; however, there are some strikingly creative, bizarre, eye-arresting death scenes, which in themselves probably made the film... I remain still in awe of Bugenhagen's intoning during his Old Testament death, Joan's truly terrifying end, plus that doctor had a ridiculously bad day.
There's just something about this film that I've always found good, and I feel the score to be at times actually scarier than the first, despite its theme-and-variations spiel. Though it pales a bit beside the far more original debut and Final Conflict, it does its job very satisfyingly imo and sounds great away from the screen.
The Omen: 10
Omen II: 8
Final Conflict: 7
Were there others? 
I'm really interested in others' opinions of the film and score!
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Must admit my favorite is THE FINAL CONFLICT. I could be wrong but I feel the filmmakers were a bit tongue-in-cheek in this outing, which is the only sensible way to handle the material. And Goldsmith's score is operatic, unforgettable.
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Posted: |
Feb 18, 2019 - 8:11 AM
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By: |
Hedji
(Member)
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I love Omen II, film and score. I think it is vastly underappreciated as a sequel.
The film:
Lacks the artistry and pedigree of talent from the original. The direction is a bit more pedestrian, and the novelty of the son of the Devil being a baby boy is gone. Instead, you have an adolescent boy (who you could argue is no longer special because aren't they all devils at that age?)
But... it is just so darn entertaining and watchable. The actors all give it their best, and let's be honest... it's more of a supernatural slasher. The kills! This one is all about the kills, and how to outdo the priest impaling and beheading of the original.
The score:
It's perfect for the film, and full of fun. Where the first score was more grand and serious, the Damien score has an impish and playful quality to it. The electronics are well integrated, and sometimes add a real nasty malevolence. It's devilish good fun, and has some good momentum, set in place by that jangly main title. Again, the novelty is gone. There are even some repeated passages where new setpieces could've used something more original. (I'm looking at you raven attack and truck scene). But there's a good mix of old and new.
I don't like it as much as the first score, but I actually prefer it to the more popular, and somewhat self-important Final Conflict score.
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All of the Omen series movies are basically Hollywood potboilers. Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist were huge critical and box office hits, so 20th Century Fox sought a way to ride the wave. Nothing unusual about that.
The Omen pretty much has a ludicrous premise, but it was really well made. Excellent photography, competent direction, a great cast (hey, it's got Gregory Peck!), and of course a terrific score by Jerry Goldsmith, a milestone in horror movie scoring. It is by far the best film in the series and still watchable. I don't know why they did a remake that was basically just the same?
Damien - Omen II is even schlockier (and even more ludicrous), but also a lot of fun. This movie more than any other foreshadows the "Final Destination" series concept of freaky deaths as a horror trope. It also has a great cast (hey, it's got William Holden!), and some really great scenes. That broken ice death is one of the most harrowing death scenes I've seen back when I was a kid. Of all the scores in the series, this may be my personal favorite.
The Final Conflict was pretty much an undersized movie, with a boring Anti-Christ, lots of talk, some freaky deaths, but little scope... THAT was the FINAL CONFLICT? A five second skirmish with a priest and a knife in the back? That's it? Come on... anyway, where the movie falls flat, Jerry Goldsmith's score delivers the goods. What a grandiose score, this is truly epic, by far the best thing about the movie. Okay, there's a decent dose of Prokofiev inspiration there (something that James Horner gets often whacked for), but be that as it may, this remains top drawer Goldsmith. It's said that the first person whose services Harvey Bernhard ensured for the sequels was Jerry Goldsmith. Smart move.
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The Final Conflict was pretty much an undersized movie, with a boring Anti-Christ, lots of talk, some freaky deaths, but little scope... THAT was the FINAL CONFLICT? A five second skirmish with a priests and a knife in the back? That's it? Come on...
Agreed! I actually enjoyed the film for its over the top premise, operatic score and performances. But whatever happened to needing the multiple knives to kill Damian? Just one stab and he's gone...?
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I think the only thing (besides the too-good-to-be-slumming-it-here score) Final Conflict had over Omen II was that it was less cartoonish.
I'm being harsh, there's some pretty scary stuff in FC imo. It's just the score sounds like it belongs to a film the scope and range of a Ben Hur or...well, the original Omen lol!
I mostly like certain THINGS in FC the film. Something were done really well, and I get the feeling even the schlock out during the thorns scene was done with a sideways grin at the audience. Of course, it could just be simple kitsch (try some every now and then, it's good fer ya!)
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The finale of TFC, while beautifully scored (natch) is so frigging vague. So....is Jesus back? Did the little boy die? What is the world like if Jesus walks the Earth again?
There were so many missed opportunities, and for a series which reveled in creative death scenes, the last third of the film is lacking in that regard. The film kicks off with an ambassador's VERY graphic death by a Rube Goldberg style set up gunshot but balk at realistically showing Don Gordon's baby being ironed. I get it, that's a pretty terrible thing to even contemplate, but they were building to it. And Godron's death is stupidly sudden.
At least a showdown between Damian and Christ would have been an over the top finale. I love Sam Neil, but his constant shouts to "the Nazerene" are grating.
Fun fact: in the film, the priest is who carries the child at the end. In the Pan and Scan VHS tape on which I first saw the film, it wasn't as clear. I thought it was Christ...
Anyway, blergh.,
As for the topic, I love the film version of the opening titles to Omen 2. And the elevator shaft death is my favorite.
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There might possibly be more than two cues missing from Omen IV, because we don't know about music that was written and recorded for the film, but not used in it (it may have been replaced with tracked-in Goldsmith).
I adore all three of Goldsmith's scores:
For me the first is by far the creepiest and most disturbing. Listen to "Ave Satani" in the dark and try not to get freaked out, I dare you!
Damien: Omen II is on the other hand the most *fun* of the three scores. I love its wicked energy and it never wears out its welcome because it's the shortest/most sparsely spotted.
The Final Conflict is the most epic and powerful of the three...it's almost overwhelming at times. It's probably the one I listen to most, even if I love them all.
WagnerAlmighty, you should not bother paying high prices for the The Omen Trilogy box set from Varese. All it is is a slipcover around their individual Deluxe Editions, one of which (The Omen) has been supplanted by a more definitive, more complete version now (The 40th Anniversary Edition).
So what you should do is buy the 40th from Varese directly as it's still in print there:
https://www.varesesarabande.com/products/the-omen-40th-anniversary-edition
And then buy the Deluxe Editions of Damien: Omen II and The Final Conflict separately.
Yavar
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=
WagnerAlmighty, you should not bother paying high prices for the The Omen Trilogy box set from Varese. All it is is a slipcover around their individual Deluxe Editions, one of which (The Omen) has been supplanted by a more definitive, more complete version now (The 40th Anniversary Edition).
So what you should do is buy the 40th from Varese directly as it's still in print there:
https://www.varesesarabande.com/products/the-omen-40th-anniversary-edition
And then buy the Deluxe Editions of Damien: Omen II and The Final Conflict separately.
Yavar
I had a feeling I was better off grabbing those separate (besides, out of the three FC is the only one I still have, no good reason to get a whole 'nother copy).
I think the synths in Omen II succeeded where they kind of dragged things down in, say, Rambo. The synths in O2 are most often very much apart from the orchestral and chorale elements, and imo add greatly to the novelty of the score (imo). The both bemusing and creepy "DOO-lahp" quasi-vocalizing is just plain fun imo. I don't think the sounds inordinately date the score and or film, which I can't say about a lot of synth work in MOST movies up to this very day.
I agree The Omen is the more effective of them all. Really scary with the choral and the subtle creepy piano and string cues and with the beautiful family theme.
Final Conflict is gorgeous. The Hunt is a great track. I think it is as good as the first or maybe even better as a listening experience, but not half as effective in the movie as the first was.
I think I mentioned, as wonderfully grand as FC is, it really needed a great epic to wrap itself around. FC as a film was so not that, as most cringe-inducingly evidenced by the aforementioned, mega-fail ending. I can't understand why a very successful franchise would peter out like that (FC made plenty of cash itself). It's almost as though the writers went on strike toward the end lol!
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