Omen 2 might not have been the runaway success the producers and studios had
hoped for, but it had proved profitable enough for them to go ahead with a third and (supposed) final instalment. In which we see a fully grown Damien (as played by a youthful
Sam Neill), stepping up his plans for world domination.
Not content with being the head of his late Uncle's Thorn corporation, which apparently produces everything from weapons to Soya beans, he makes the move into politics, taking up his father's former post as the US Ambassador to England.
But, Damien's ascent to the top isn't going to be easy, as it's the second coming of Christ and now that Jesus is somewhere out there, his powers are starting to drain. Not only this, but a group of monks lead by a Father DeCarlo (Rosano Brazzi) are trying to assassinate him with some sacred daggers.
As Damien's followers proceed with a modern day "slaughter of the innocents", covertly killing all children born on the same day as the newborn Christ, in the hopes of nailing the right one (pardon the pun). DeCarlo's monks fail miserably at every turn in stopping Damien, getting killed themselves in a variety of nasty ways, including being set on fire whilst swinging from a lighting gantry and torn to death by a pack of hunting dogs.
When TV journalist Kate Reynolds (Lisa Harrow) gets involved with Damien, they think they may have found his Achilles heal. But will she believe their tales of his demonic origins?
Originally released plainly as "The Final Conflict", without the "Omen 3" tag, this one isn't quite as good as its predecessors. It's a good third entry, but you really need to have seen the previous 2 films to really understand this. Overall I'd say worth a watch, if you're a fan of the original you should check it out. Look out for a then unknown Ruby Wax and British TV actor Eric Richard who both have minor roles in the film.
