The Omen franchise has given horror multiple versions of Damien the Antichrist, and here’s how the five films made so far rank, worst to best. It’s kind of amusing what happened to the name Damien, at least in the western world. Before The Omen, Damien was generally viewed as a perfectly normal thing to name someone, if not an incredibly common choice. After The Omen, the name Damien became forever associated with Satan, thanks it being used as the moniker for the Antichrist in the film.
That’s made all the funnier by the fact that just three years before The Omen’s 1976 theatrical release, the heroic priest who sacrifices his life to save young Regan MacNeil in The Exorcist was named Father Damien Karras. But such was the immediate power of The Omen, a critical and commercial smash that still stands today as one of the most acclaimed films in horror history. Ever since, the name Damien has been immediately associated with evil and The Devil, much to the chagrin of those who carry it.
However, it’s no secret that the franchise The Omen spawned hasn’t exactly lived up to the original film’s legacy. So, without any further ado, let’s take a look at the entire series, and rank each entry worst to best.
5. Omen 4: The Awakening (1991)
Just because a movie is made for TV, doesn’t mean it has to be bad. Especially nowadays, when TV movies and miniseries often sport budgets akin to big studio theatrical releases. That said, 1991 wasn’t 2020, and Omen 4: The Awakening - which aired on FOX of all networks - is about as bad as TV movies get. The production values are noticeably low, the acting is dreadful, the scares and kills are super tame to accommodate broadcast standards, and despite being called Omen 4, the film has little connection to the prior films. The new female Antichrist child is said to be Damien’s daughter, but it’s never explained when or with who she was conceived. Omen 4 is a total failure.
4. The Omen (2006)
The 2006 Omen remake - infamously released on 6/6/06 - is an odd movie to judge, as technically it isn’t bad. The acting is fine, the story hits all the beats of the original, it’s well shot, and there’s really nothing objectionable about it in the abstract. The thing is, it’s pointless, and has no real reason to exist. It’s not quite on the level of Psycho when it comes to remaking a classic shot for shot, but the 2006 Omen offers absolutely nothing new to anyone who’s seen the original, out of a ham-handed reference to 9/11 being a sign of the apocalypse.
3. Damien: Omen 2 (1978)
The Omen’s first follow-up, Damien: Omen 2, is a well-made, if often slow-paced sequel. It focuses on a now teenage Damien Thorn, who now lives with his aunt and uncle, and attends a military academy alongside his cousin Mark. Despite seeming to be evil by the end of the first Omen, Damien is still struggling with his infernal destiny, but is urged on by a sometimes laughably large amount of secret Satan worshipers planted at various areas of his life. Damien: Omen 2 does its best to emulate its predecessor, and often feels like a direct extension of its style and mood. Still, it’s also not as good, and at times feels like simply The Omen-lite.
2. Omen 3: The Final Conflict (1981)
Quality-wise, Damien: Omen 2 and Omen 3: The Final Conflict aren’t too far apart. They both kind of feel like Omen-lite, but at the same time, their vibes are similar enough to the original that they feel like they’re in the same world. What tips Omen 3 over the top is a gleefully evil performance by a young Sam Neill as the now adult Damien, who now fully embraces being the Antichrist, and can’t wait to bring about the apocalypse. He even personally orders the murder of multiple children, in an effort to prevent the second coming of Jesus Christ.
1. The Omen (1976)
Could there be any other choice for the top spot? Of course not. None of The Omen’s sequels even come close to equaling the brilliance of director Richard Donner’s original film. Talking about the plot seems almost pointless, as this is one of those horror movies just about everyone has seen at least once. Suffice to say that The Omen remains as good as advertised, and there’s really nothing wrong with watching the first and never watching the others.
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